Listening to music, turning on the light, asking about the weather: smart speakers, i.e. networked loudspeakers with language assistants, are practical. So far, however, there has been no major breakthrough.
Smart speakers also research the Internet on command, read out the weather forecast or the news. They can also function as a control center for other networked devices such as lights, music or heating. Often installed in the shape of a sphere or cone, smart speakers are very restrained in their own four walls and do not even need a power connection to work in battery mode.
Smart speakers are still relatively new. Amazon only launched its Echo in 2016. Other manufacturers like Google and Apple followed suit.
Voice control only makes sense for certain areas
But as easy as conducting the smart speakers is, in practice the technology quickly reaches its limits.
“The manufacturers had to realize that smart speakers are very practical for individual functional areas, but are not universal assistants,” says Rainer Müller from the trade magazine “connect”. “Searching the web or maintaining shopping lists is less useful with purely acoustic interaction than one might initially think,” he says.
Significantly more helpful and popular: the use of smart speakers for smart home applications. “Controlling networked lamps, blinds, heating thermostats or vacuum robots on demand is very convenient,” says Müller. And the voice assistants are also often used to control the music.
Smart speakers make many skeptical
“There is a large group of consumers who are very skeptical about smart speakers, which is likely to have something to do with data protection,” says Müller. In addition, many consumers would see no benefit in the networked boxes.
But a lack of trust in the technology can also lead to rejection, for example when reports are made of smart speakers that have activated themselves.
However, Müller considers such concerns to be unfounded. The devices are normally always on reception and wait for the activation word, only then does the recording start, he says: “Unwanted activation shouldn’t be a big problem in practice.” However, with more complex questions, the voice assistant may not deliver any results .
Great enthusiasm at first – but what’s next?
After the initial euphoria, the enthusiasm for the smart loudspeakers seems to have cooled down a bit. According to figures from the industry association gfu Consumer & Home Electronics, sales in the smart audio sector are declining. “After a peak of 1.9 million devices sold in 2019, there were only around 1.5 million in 2020 and 2021,” says Roland Stehle from gfu.
The reasons for this are complex and, in addition to general saturation, could also be related to the overall very fragmented smart home market, says Stehle. There is still a lack of a uniform standard, which makes it difficult for end users to find their way around.
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Conclusion: have smart speakers failed?
Smart speakers never managed to take the next big step in development. Apps have not really caught on and their use just doesn’t seem really up-to-date. The devices have their place as controllers in the smart home. In our opinion, however, they have failed as entertainment devices. “Alexa, play song XY” is not enough for us.