This is getting very interesting. With the addition of Alexa Cast, which IME works better than Chromecast, and certainly better than AirPlay, Amazon is building quite a system. Obviously they don’t have SonosNet, but with lots of mesh WiFi systems on the market now, they may not need it.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/17/amazon-planning-8-new-alexa-devices-microwave-amplifier.html
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I had kind of hoped that they wouldn't go any deeper into the speaker market, instead letting various partners, like Sonos and others cover the market. It's not that I don't think competition is good, it's that I really think the customers suffer if Amazon tries to get enough marketshare so that it can revoke access to Alexa to third parties.
Overall, I'm becoming disenchanted with Google/Amazon/Apple being the only real players in the voice assistant market. I'd really like to see Microsoft and Samsung get their respective assistants moving, or a dark horse enter the market.
The problem with the whole "partner" route is that it isn't working out to get customers what they really want. Folks want all of the features of a an Echo with the sound quality of a Sonos system... not the limited subset of features that comes with "Alexa Enabled" devices. The legacy whole house audio manufacturers are doing a pretty good job of accomplishing this with clever integrations of a Dot in each room plus wired speakers and amps but at the cost of simplicity. If Amazon and Google are going to limit the functionality of what their integration partners can do with their platform then maybe some higher fidelity Echos and Google Homes are the best way forward to get the features folks are asking for. I think many people are tired of betas that last 10 months and more, as well as the constant speculation and finger pointing as to who is responsible for blocking their system from working the way they really want it to. It would be interesting to see if a "High End" Echo could really compete with Sonos or not.
As far as the speakers go, a lot is going to depend on the quality of the products. I would bet that they aim below the quality of Sonos to sort of catch a market they see as under served.
I had kind of hoped that they wouldn't go any deeper into the speaker market, instead letting various partners, like Sonos and others cover the market. It's not that I don't think competition is good, it's that I really think the customers suffer if Amazon tries to get enough marketshare so that it can revoke access to Alexa to third parties.
Overall, I'm becoming disenchanted with Google/Amazon/Apple being the only real players in the voice assistant market. I'd really like to see Microsoft and Samsung get their respective assistants moving, or a dark horse enter the market.
I had kind of hoped that they wouldn't go any deeper into the speaker market, instead letting various partners, like Sonos and others cover the market. It's not that I don't think competition is good, it's that I really think the customers suffer if Amazon tries to get enough marketshare so that it can revoke access to Alexa to third parties.
Overall, I'm becoming disenchanted with Google/Amazon/Apple being the only real players in the voice assistant market. I'd really like to see Microsoft and Samsung get their respective assistants moving, or a dark horse enter the market.
I think the Microwave is the biggest threat because there is no "Sonos enabled" microwave to compete with the Amazon offering. It wouldn't surprise me if Sonos stock takes a hit as a result of the Alexa Microwave announcement.
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