Smart speaker news stories

At WWDC21 this week Apple quietly dropped the news that the Apple HomePod Mini is coming to New Zealand.

We found one Australian audio retailer selling a pair for AU$18,300. We hope they’re worth the price.

Global platform vendors have released new smart speakers and displays, ensuring value and availability.

Strong growth was driven by smartphone vendors Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi and others, as well as audio brands that pivoted to the true wireless stereo category more aggressively in the quarter. 

“Markets [in which] smart speakers are booming saw the most significant year-on-year growth.”

JBL Link Bar is one of the devices out there that propose a solution to the 'too many devices' problem by having three devices in one: A sound bar, an Android TV and Google Home.

The impact of coronavirus on the world’s smart speaker supply chain is expected to be short-term. 

"A lot of progress has been made in the past 12 months, and it will be the most important trend in consumer technology in 2020."

“Low-priced devices are vital growth drivers for smart displays and heated competition ahead of the Q4 shopping season is expected."

It looks no different from a set of standard Bluetooth speakers, and it easily blends itself into any corner of the house.

If you’ve got a few spare hundred dollars burning a hole in your pocket and love portable speakers, you might have another contender to add to the selection list.

While talking aloud, a voice-activated, home-based smart speaker asked for more info - even though it was not turned it on. 

"For Baidu to replace Google to become the world's second largest smart speaker vendor, is no small feat."

The Allure Portable is a powerful portable sound system which connects to your Bluetooth devices with a minimum of fuss. The sound quality is great, and the Alexa voice interface has provided me with endless entertainment.

People across the world love their smart speakers – and we have AI assistants like Amazon Alexa to thank for the revolution.

Smart speakers have moved into people’s homes and are ready to pay off as smart networks begin to spread throughout the household.

While these vendors have had great success in the market, other vendors like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple have failed to capitalise.

As home-IoT devices such as smart assistants head into the office, there will be a raft of new security challenges that will need to be addressed.

The smart home market is booming as consumers are looking for more ways to interact with their surroundings.

There was a lot to unpack at the Canalys APAC Channels Forum keynote. This long-form piece tries to cover all the most relevant points for A/NZ.

Sonos’ is one of the serious contenders in the smart speaker market. Is the Beam soundbar worth taking seriously? I think it actually might be.

Smart speakers are a big part of the growth although headphones are doing some heavy lifting with prices on the up due to richer features.

This year it is estimated that over 100 million smart speakers will be installed - but it isn’t going to stop there.

While Google and Amazon still lead the way, it seems the smart speaker market is no exception to the steady rise of Chinese tech.