Most Virtual Assistant Users Have Tried Basic Apps, But Have No Clue About Thousands of Smart Skills
Alexa, we’re still figuring out what to do with you
These days, you can find virtual
assistants like Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Assistant in all sorts of things,
from smart speakers and smartphones to washing machines to bathroom mirrors.
The challenge isn’t finding these digitized helpers, it is finding people who
use them to do much more than they could with the old clock/ radio in the
bedroom.
A management consulting firm
recently looked at heavy users of virtual assistants, defined as people who use
one more than three times a day. The firm, called Activate, found that the
majority of these users turned to virtual assistants to play music, get the
weather, set a timer or ask questions.
Activate also found that the
majority of Alexa users had never used more than the basic apps that come with
the device, although Amazon said its data suggested that four out of five
registered Alexa customers have used at least one of the more than 30,000
“skills”.
But while some hard-core fans are
indeed tapping into advanced features of virtual assistants, like controlling
the lights in their homes, for the most part, “people are still using these
speakers for very routine tasks,” said Michael J Wolf, the founder of Activate.
Justin Hosseininejad, an
engineering consultant from Ohio, said he bought his first Amazon Echo Dot for
$50 last year and got a second one free a few months ago with another
internet-connected device, the Nest thermostat. He uses them to listen to news
in the morning and play music throughout the day. He recognises that he’s not
asking Alexa to do a lot, but considering how little he paid, he is fine with
that.
Paul Erickson, a senior analyst
at the research firm IHS Markit, said the next step for these devices will be
to become the hub of a connected home, controlling internet-connected lights,
thermostats and other home appliances. “The more interesting functionality is
yet to come,” Erickson said.
Competitors of Google and Amazon
are also spreading their assistants far and wide. Apple now has Siri running
across its universe of devices, along with an upcoming smart speaker called
HomePod. Samsung has its own assistant, Bixby, available in its phones and
televisions, and Microsoft has Cortana as a feature built into its Windows
software.
Amazon has turned its Echo family
of products and the Alexa assistant that powers them into the unlikeliest of
success stories. However, Amazon would say only that it sold “tens of millions”
of Alexa devices during the recent holiday season, millions more than the same
period last year. Analysts estimate that Echo accounts for over 70% of sales in
the smart speaker category, with Google a distant second.
There are signs that some
consumers are recognising the value of virtual assistants even if they aren’t
interested in smart speakers. Stephen Melik, also an engineer from Ohio, said
he uses Siri on his Apple Watch and iPhone to control his lights and power
switches. But the notion of a stand-alone smart speaker that remains in one
place doesn’t really make sense to him. NYT NEWS SERVICE
Source | Times of India | 18th January 2018
Regards
Prof. Pralhad Jadhav
Master of Library &
Information Science (NET Qualified)
Senior Manager @ Knowledge
Repository
Khaitan & Co
Twitter Handle | @Pralhad161978
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