Amazon Echo Is Three Times as Popular as Google Home, Says New Sales Research

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According to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Google has shipped 7 million Google Home products, whereas Amazon has shipped almost three times (20 million) as many Echo devices. These numbers are just through September and don’t take into account the holiday shopping season, but the disparity is clear.

One of the biggest reasons for Amazon’s healthy lead is that it was on the market first. When people think of smart speakers, the Echo lineup is likely what they think of first simply because it has been around longer and they have had more exposure to it. The first generation Echo hit the market in June 2015 and Google didn’t release the Home until November of 2016, giving Amazon almost a year and a half head start.
 
I like my Echo but I have it in my kitchen and no where else as well on it's own network separate from mine that I use. I think another reason for their huge success is the capability with their ordering service as well. They have a huge 1up from Google just for the fact that it's tied to their online ordering as well to which they dominate the market. I'm not a tinfoil hat wearer and I'm enjoying my smart home convenience.
 
I also own one of each. I decided to mainly use the Echo, and basically only to control my home automation devices. I tried the Google home and the sheer amount of shit it required me to do to make it work turned me off. It requires web and location history at the very least even just to answer stupid simple questions. o_O The Echo only required me to put in my zip code.
 
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Soooooo

Video Streaming Services: Roku
Digital Assistant: Amazon
Online Shopping: Amazon
Phone and tablet space: Google
Apps: Google Play
Search: Google - ?threatened by amazon echo?
Browser: Google chrome
Cloud space: Azure followed closely by Amazon Cloud and Google
Desktop OS: Windows 7/10
ISPs: Comcast/Frontier/Verizon/TimeWarner with mostly a monopoly

There could be some interesting shakedowns in the next couple of years.
 
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I also own one of each. I decided to mainly use the Echo, and basically only to control my home automation devices. I tried the Google home and the sheer amount of shit it required me to do to make it work turned me off. It requires web and location history at the very least even just to answer stupid simple questions. o_O The Echo only required me to put in my zip code.

I agree ZIP is less invasive. The area information helps the AI with intent. For example "Hey Google, Where can I get Chinese?"
 
I have both and the Google Home is in a closet for one simple reason...I just don't like the wake word "Hey Google" and I find the Echos Mics to work better especially when there is noise such as a TV show playing. Another note is the Google Home is really buggy as a bluetooth speaker especially if you are watching video. (There is often a very large delay, which puts the sound and video out of sync.)
 
I agree ZIP is less invasive. The area information helps the AI with intent. For example "Hey Google, Where can I get Chinese?"

Sure I get that, and I have no problem simply giving it access to its own location. However, I don't use Google assistant on my phone and I don't want to give it access to my phone and my web and location to just use the Google Home device. That's absurd. I could understand if some services would be limited if I did not give it access... but to not even be able to play a song or interact with my home automation devices without giving it all that shit, just pisses me off.
 
I also have both but prefer the echo much more than the Google home. Though I agree, It is not a fair comparison due to the age between the two.
 
I have both and the Google Home is in a closet for one simple reason...I just don't like the wake word "Hey Google" and I find the Echos Mics to work better especially when there is noise such as a TV show playing. Another note is the Google Home is really buggy as a bluetooth speaker especially if you are watching video. (There is often a very large delay, which puts the sound and video out of sync.)

Good receivers have a delay sync option.
 
AWS is the clear leader in the cloud space, but I mostly agree with all the others.

Depends how you measure it. In terms of revenue, number of services, number of clients, or number of apps. AWS is no doubt very prolific. But it doesn't lead in every metric.
 
Lex Luthor's...ahem...Jeff Bezos' plan for world domination is coming to fruition, when even the Alphabet cannot beat him!
 
Lex Luthor's...ahem...Jeff Bezos' plan for world domination is coming to fruition, when even the Alphabet cannot beat him!

Listening in on you has so many implications.

AI can determine:
Your approximate age - your speech slows down as you grow older. Also your pitch lowers
Your gender - Frequency and pitch variations
Your country of origin - How you pronounce words
Your education level - Your use of the device, word choice, and sentence structure
The number of people living in your house - pattern differentiations.

Just by listening to you.

And these are the things I can think of OFF the top of my head.

Is a wonder why the big companies want one in every home?
 
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Until Google Home can reorder things from my Amazon shopping history (lol) I'll stick with the Echo. I just like being able to say "Echo, reorder dog food" or "Echo, reorder toilet paper" and it just does it with no problems. My only complaint is Echos lack of search-fu where as Google does a much better job of asking it random questions that it's able to obviously google very easily and give a useful response.
 
That's what I would do too, if I somehow wound up with either of them.

I have no desire to have either of these things in my house. I don't feel like talking to my tech provides me with any kind of significant utility, and the potential downsides are huge, so I'll just pass.

I use the Google assistant on my phone constantly (pixel 1). The thought of having to type everything would be crazy to me. Probably helps that I have a home health type job, so spend my day in the car traveling. So easy to just say OK (hey) Google and my phone does whatever I want.

Could not live without it. You are missing out!

FYI, getting a Google home mini for Christmas. I have no worries about the world coming to an end because Google is listening in - they already hear it all anyways.
 
I use the Google assistant on my phone constantly (pixel 1). The thought of having to type everything would be crazy to me. Probably helps that I have a home health type job, so spend my day in the car traveling. So easy to just say OK (hey) Google and my phone does whatever I want.

Could not live without it. You are missing out!

FYI, getting a Google home mini for Christmas. I have no worries about the world coming to an end because Google is listening in - they already hear it all anyways.


I have a Pixel 1. It's a great phone, but the first thing I did was to disable the assistant, and use a third party launcher so I don't have to see the google search bar. When I search for something, I want to manually open my browser and type it in, just like I do on my desktop.

I MUCH prefer typing things. I find it takes me more time to fix all the errors created by speech to text algorithms, than it takes me to just type something in the first place. I also don't trust an AI to interpret my intentions. I want to be as precise as possible, and I can only be so by manually typing the exact expressions I want.

I am also uncomfortable with having a device constantly listening, and don't trust that the data it collects isn't misused.
 
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You haven't use much voice to text much lately, my is usually 99% accurate. It gets a weather more you use it. Way faster than typing.
I love to search on my desktop also, but voice is sooooo much faster. But it isn't just search.

Example: I'm diving, following the GPS. I say "ok Google, call" wife's name" on speaker phone" second later it is dialing her, turns on the speaker, and we are talking. So much faster than doing than manually in that situation.
 
I have a Google Home mini or whatever they're called sitting in the box on my desk still sealed. Got it free with my Pixel 2 and I don't have a use for it when there are 3 computers nearby. Wish they would've given me $50 off the phone instead of that thing. Wonder how many of these things were given away that are going unused (assuming Kyle's was a freebie that is)?
Yep, got the Home free with Pixel 2, got an Echo free with new DISH TV service.
 
You haven't use much voice to text much lately, my is usually 99% accurate. It gets a weather more you use it. Way faster than typing.
I love to search on my desktop also, but voice is sooooo much faster. But it isn't just search.

Example: I'm diving, following the GPS. I say "ok Google, call" wife's name" on speaker phone" second later it is dialing her, turns on the speaker, and we are talking. So much faster than doing than manually in that situation.


Did you type this message using it? :hilarious:

Also, dialing my fiance from the car is a matter of pushing two buttons on my steering wheel without ever taking my eyes off the road, and the sound instantly comes over the car speakers via Bluetooth :p
 
Did you type this message using it? :hilarious:

Also, dialing my fiance from the car is a matter of pushing two buttons on my steering wheel without ever taking my eyes off the road, and the sound instantly comes over the car speakers via Bluetooth :p


Nope Typing on the laptop at the moment. And my poor car does not have Bluetooth. I kill cars with mileage, so I don't get the fun toys in my car unfortunately.

My point is that these assistants don't work for everyone, but they do work for a lot of people and you can't just completely ignore them. They will be even more prevalent in 10 years.

I guess it reminds me of my stubborn ways with half life 2 and requiring it to be run with steam in the early 2000s. That was such a change and I was adamant that it was the stupidest thing and how would anyone want something that has to stay connected to the internet just to play a game. And how silly that I can't play the game without installing this steam thing. I avoided the game for years with that attitude, seems silly now. Look at the change in the past 10+ years.

Anyhow, just my thoughts!
 
We use ours constantly, we have 3 dots and basically a dot built into our thermostat (Ecobee 4). Used for weather, shopping lists, smart home, music, general questions (the kids ask it for definitions and math among other things). I'm just not as paranoid as most if I want to have a conversation that I feel is very private I just mute it. I just wish I could change the wake word to "Computer".
 
I think Amazon is winning simply because Alexa is a better name than the other devices use.
 
All these AI assistants can get back to me when they can competently translate language like a universal translator. Beating human chess and go players? Who cares. Tackle human speech and language and give me the star trek universal translator, and put that AI into one of these pods and my phone hooked to my headset.
 
All these AI assistants can get back to me when they can competently translate language like a universal translator. Beating human chess and go players? Who cares. Tackle human speech and language and give me the star trek universal translator, and put that AI into one of these pods and my phone hooked to my headset.

That is not far off. I am bilingual (English/Spanish) and I am aways amazing, at how well Google assistant will translate from one language to another (or using Google translate) OR using the Google keyboard on android - it has an option to type in a language, and it outputs in the other language (like to a text message, Email, etc..). Now to get it to just do it on the fly and we are all set.

How you tried the live translation feature with your camera and Google translate? Blows everyone's mind I show it to.
 
Google is not even close to the online retail behemoth that AMAZON is, to be honest, I'm really surprised they have as many shipments. I see Echo as an addon to the world of amazon where google is probably more of a coattail. Other than playing music, tweaking lights, or ordering online, what else is the average consumer using it for?

My sister got one a few months ago and when I went to her house last week it was sitting on a table in the corner still unopened in the original wrappings.
 
I use my google home everyday for music or kitchen timers. I use it for making appointment reminders as well.

I haven't tried the echo, but I am also pretty happy with my google home.
 
I am using my Home Mini as a hands-free handset, an alarm clock, a radio and for making quick google search on stock and currency prices. I thought about Echo Dot, but the design of it didn't appeal to me that much (despite the minijack on its back)

I think it's very nifty. It's important to showcase how you can take advantage of it though.

So you're letting both amazon and google listen to your drawers? Lucky bastards...

Here is the big difference:

You can order porn with echo. You cant with google. ;)

I don't want to tell Jeff Bezo in my own words that I need some creampie.
 
How you tried the live translation feature with your camera and Google translate? Blows everyone's mind I show it to.

Yes its utter shit. Try translating Chinese to English or vice versa sometime. Or just hold it up to any Asian language at the grocery store for directions on cooking say packaged ramen. I dont think google should be telling me to put the ramen in the toilet (which is what it said when I tested it...).
 
I have 8 Echo Dots scattered around my house - I use them for home automation. I have tried Google's - it hands down has better search capabilities. I think Google is playing catch-up (and making decent strides).
We also use the Echo's for phone calls, a not-so-great intercom system, and music. Thought I read that Amazon will starting using Bing for searches soon? Both Apple and Amazon do not have a search engine.
 
Listening in on you has so many implications.

AI can determine:
Your approximate age - your speech slows down as you grow older. Also your pitch lowers
Your gender - Frequency and pitch variations
Your country of origin - How you pronounce words
Your education level - Your use of the device, word choice, and sentence structure
The number of people living in your house - pattern differentiations.

Just by listening to you.

And these are the things I can think of OFF the top of my head.

Is a wonder why the big companies want one in every home?

I want to get one and put it in a closet, then go in there and just cuss like a severely drunken sailor every few hours. That ought to tilt their algorithm.

Yes its utter shit. Try translating Chinese to English or vice versa sometime. Or just hold it up to any Asian language at the grocery store for directions on cooking say packaged ramen. I dont think google should be telling me to put the ramen in the toilet (which is what it said when I tested it...).

Time compression. That ramen will go in the toilet in good time.
 
I have an echo, attempted to use it once, stopped after that.

Can’t return it since it was a gift :(
 
Nope Typing on the laptop at the moment. And my poor car does not have Bluetooth. I kill cars with mileage, so I don't get the fun toys in my car unfortunately.

My point is that these assistants don't work for everyone, but they do work for a lot of people and you can't just completely ignore them. They will be even more prevalent in 10 years.

I guess it reminds me of my stubborn ways with half life 2 and requiring it to be run with steam in the early 2000s. That was such a change and I was adamant that it was the stupidest thing and how would anyone want something that has to stay connected to the internet just to play a game. And how silly that I can't play the game without installing this steam thing. I avoided the game for years with that attitude, seems silly now. Look at the change in the past 10+ years.

Anyhow, just my thoughts!
I downloaded a crack.
Self inflicted wound pushing people to the underground imo.
 
Because no one shops at google.
And people hate saying "hey, google" (at least my wife does)
 
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