Google blew the lid off its new Home smart speaker today, taking clear aim at Amazon’s Echo device along the way. That cylindrical-speaker-cum-personal-assistant has proved a surprise hit for Amazon, but its sudden popularity begs the question: What do people actually do with these kind of devices?
Well, if this chart from Statista is any indication, nothing too fancy. According to a recent study by Experian, the top six uses of the Echo are all pretty simple, and few of those are asked repeatedly. Most Echo owners tend to experiment with things like music streaming and news reading, only to do things the normal way before long.
Only those who ask the Echo to control their smart lights — i.e., the ones who are more likely to be invested in smart home tech in general — seem to show some sort of consistency.
Now, it’s still early days for these things, and as more competitors enter the field, it’s entirely possible that we all grow comfortable talking to tech giant’s AIs. At least, that’s what those tech companies are probably hoping.
