Earlier this year, we saw Google introduce their Smart Display platform to other OEMS like Lenovo, JBL, LG, and Sony. We then saw the results of this with the Lenovo device now available for purchase and the JBL one for pre-order. But if the rumors are to be believed, Google wants to release its own hardware that will compete with the likes of the Amazon Echo Show. We might see it sooner rather than later as they are reportedly aiming for this year’s holiday season.
Sources are saying that Google will be aggressively pushing this smart speaker with a display in order to not just complete its portfolio but even more so for its Google Home line to fully compete with the Amazon Echo line. It will directly compete with the Amazon Echo Show and just like the other speakers that they’ve previously released, it will be powered by the Google Assistant.
Currently, Google has the Google Home original smart speaker, the more affordable Google Home Mini, and the high-end Google Home Max. What’s missing is to have a device that not only will listen to and answer your queries or even to play music around your house but to also be able to play videos from YouTube as response to the things you’re looking for or to use it as a communication device to have video chats with your loved ones.
At this point, we don’t have any details yet as to the specs that this new Google device will have. What the sources are saying is that Google has already informed its Taiwan partners which may include Quanta Computer, Pegatron, Compal Electronics, Foxconn, etc, that they want to be able to ship 3 million units of this smart display unit by the holiday season.
The industry itself is ripe for smart displays as image and video recognition features continue to be added to our smart assistants. While Amazon already has the market advantage, Google is closing in on them in terms of the market share. In the first quarter of 2018, Google overtook them, accounting to 36% of shares as opposed to Amazon’s 28%.
VIA: Nikkei
