The contender to Amazon’s digital assistant home device has arrived. The fight is on this Holidays. Who will win?
Amazon stood up Google and Apple with the release of Amazon Echo two years ago. That is right. While Google was still playing with sandbox toys, Amazon has shipped a device that can answer all your questions you ask out loud in your home. For two years there was nothing comparable. Now Google finally ships the Google Home device, a direct competitor to the Amazon Echo.
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Google Home comes out of the gate with a $50 lower price. Google Home sells for $129 at Walmart, Target and Best Buy. These retailers make a big deal out of the Google Home launch and feature the product prominently in their stores. Google is set to go full in with the Google Home this Holiday season and attack Amazon’s market share with the Echo.
The Amazon Echo had a two year head start and Amazon used this time to get a long list of developers behind the Alexa platform. There are more than hundred Amazon Echo Skills that enable the device to play music, order food and control your home. Google Home is behind, but also offers a developer platform that will quickly add these skills.
So which home assistant is better? You can’t go wrong with either one. A side to side test asking questions to Echo and Home on Digital Trends shows that Google Home is a bit better in answering knowledge questions. Amazon needs to be careful not to get behind in that field. For instance Alexa fails to answer the question what koalas eat.
The Amazon Echo sold for $149 on Prime Day earlier this year and in the Black Friday sale last year. Amazon is in full control of the pricing of the Amazon Echo and it will be clear that the Amazon Black Friday 2016 deal will be at least as low as $129 to match Google Home. We could even imagine that Amazon goes in the offensive and prices the Amazon Echo for under $100.
Amazon has its e-commerce eco system behind the Amazon Echo. Google does not have that advantage. For Amazon, the Echo is just another way to get people to shop on Amazon.com. Amazon Prime members can use their voice to order anything on Amazon.com just by asking Alexa on their Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, Amazon Fire TV, or Fire tablet. Amazon will even have hundreds of exclusive deals just for voice shoppers this holiday season listed at www.amazon.com/alexadeals. You can have Alexa tell you her deals by just asking: “Alexa, what are your deals?”
Jeff Bezos’ Amazon imperium will not let Google to easily waltz in between them and shoppers. There are no rumors yet about Amazon releasing a new Amazon Echo 2. A new Echo that leaps Google Home in performance and specifications would be the best weapon, but it is not clear what new hardware features would be improving the user experience.
The Amazon Echo comes in white and black and is available on amazon.com and at Best Buy.
