Recently, following the launch of Apple’s HomePod, domestic smart speaker products have been popping up like mushrooms. The term “Artificial Intelligence,†or AI, has become synonymous with smart speakers. While AI isn’t a new concept, it has only recently seen commercial applications. At present, consumer-level AI often manifests itself in the form of smart speakers. From Amazon Echo in 2014 to Google Home in 2016, major tech giants abroad have successfully transformed the smart speaker concept into reality.
At present, both startups and tech giants are venturing into the smart speaker market. However, whether it's based on personal experience or reviews from peers and media, the current state of smart speakers leaves much to be desired in terms of basic voice interaction and functional applications. The ideal of AI is grand, but the reality of smart speakers feels somewhat underwhelming. Just how far off are we from the ideal? Let’s explore.
Ideally, smart speakers should understand your words and respond promptly.
In reality, despite continuous improvements in Chinese speech input and recognition technologies, not every question posed to a smart speaker can be fully understood and answered. Particularly when asking complex, lengthy sentences, current smart speakers might fail to provide an accurate response. Users often need to adjust their phrasing to help the smart speaker grasp their intent. Additionally, while foreign smart speakers can offer more fluent English responses, most Chinese smart speakers sound robotic, reading rather than speaking naturally and emotionally.
Ideally, whether it’s a voice assistant on a mobile phone or multiple smart speakers, as long as the same account ID is linked, their information should be interoperable. For instance, in the future, if I use Siri on my iPhone to set a reminder about a football match at 11 PM, the HomePod in my living room with the same Apple ID should notify me to watch the game. Similarly, if my iPhone misses an incoming call, the HomePod in the living room should alert me and ask if I’d like to answer it directly via the HomePod. This is my vision for HomePod.
However, in reality, even when linked to the same ID, different devices remain largely independent. For example, reminders set on your phone won’t automatically sync with a smart speaker of the same brand and account. You would need to manually input the reminder again on the smart speaker. Even if you have two smart speakers with the same ID in the same room, aside from sharing shopping lists, some reminders and notes cannot be shared simultaneously. Essentially, these reminders are only stored locally on individual devices, with no true synchronization or interconnectivity between them.
Ideally, beyond helping me check the weather, AI should act as a smart home manager.
Currently, most smart speakers are standalone entities, capable of interacting with only a limited number of smart home devices and communicating solely through voice commands. Xiaomi recently released its own smart speaker, and in its promotional video, the speaker can control various smart home devices based on voice instructions, such as smart light bulbs, cleaning robots, smart TVs, and even rice cookers (though users still need to add and clean the rice themselves).
Xiaomi’s smart speaker impressed me so much that I almost wanted to buy one. But if you don’t own many Xiaomi smart ecosystem products, this speaker is no different from those of other brands—it can only talk. Then there’s the Mi Band, which made me reconsider purchasing the speaker. Eventually, I decided to persuade (or maybe guilt-trip) Yao, who had bought a Xiaomi smart bulb for 89 yuan, to invest in a smart speaker to experience it firsthand.
Ideally, smart speakers should enhance people’s lives by increasing enjoyment and efficiency.
For now, smart speakers mostly serve as marketing gimmicks and gateways for brand manufacturers. For instance, smart speakers made by e-commerce platforms tend to excel in shopping functionalities. Currently, different content and service providers dominate the market. For example, JD.com and Alibaba handle shopping, while BAT offers their own resources. If you want a smart speaker that supports both shopping and music playback, you’ll likely have to choose one provider over another, making full compatibility nearly impossible. Exclusive partnerships are the norm.
When consumers select a smart speaker, they’re often influenced by brand and functionality, but also by differences in content and service providers. For example, if I typically shop on Platform A, I’ll prioritize smart speakers that support shopping on A.
Many domestic smart speaker products hit the market first, with platforms opening up later to integrate more features and services. It remains unclear how many manufacturers will actually join these platforms. Consumers might end up paying the price for manufacturers’ premature launches. It’s common for companies to rush to market to capture attention before optimizing their products and services. By contrast, Apple launched HomePod in June but didn’t officially release it until the end of the year. During the interim, they developed and optimized the product and its services for developers. When consumers finally got their hands on the product, both the functions and services were highly refined.
Smart TV/Box information can be found on Sofa Butler (http://), China’s leading website for TV boxes and smart TVs, offering news, discussions, and resources related to smart TVs, TV boxes, and smart TV software.
In conclusion, while the potential of AI is immense, the current state of smart speakers is still evolving. There’s a gap between the dream and reality, but with ongoing advancements, the future looks promising.
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