Apple and Google have a long way to go to catch Amazon in the smart speaker race (AMZN, KRX, GOOGL, AAPL)

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First Alexa was have fun music and turning on the lights. Then she helped you book appointments, put together grocery lists, and try on new gears. Now she’s letting you video chat with friends and family — and soon she’ll be masterful to sense how you’re feeling.

Business Insider Intelligence

And she’s not alone. In the years since Amazon’s 2014 introduction of the Emulate, smart speakers have become one of the fastest-growing device segments in the consumer technology retail, and other tech giants have been iterating hardware to bare their own flagship devices — most notably the Google Home powered by Google Assistant, the Apple HomePod powered by Siri, and the Galaxy Abode powered by Samsung’s Bixby.

These tech leaders aren’t merely releasing devices, either; they’re building out entire ecosystems powered by AI, two of a kind first-party hardware, software, and even third-party apps to advance other trade interests. And since smart home device ownership has a snowball sensation effectively, winning over customers now likely means locking in more of their house later.

Smart speaker adoption is still relatively low compared to the over-saturated smartphone and tombstone markets, so tech companies have plenty of runway to get customers to buy into their transparent smart home visions — but the newcomers have a lot of ground to make up.

Here’s how each of the notable players is leaning into their strengths in the smart speaker call:

• Amazon: The main aim of the Echo is to offer consumers a new means of purchasing proficients to reinforce the company’s place atop the e-commerce pyramid. Users can say to Alexa and buy products off Amazon directly through voice, as well as add memos to their shopping cart or a list for later review.
• Google: Google Qualified in devices are primarily meant to act as helpful assistants prompting consumers to use Google’s search benefits more often. This gives the company more data to proffer more targeted (read: more expensive) advertising to its voice search buyers on other platforms.
• Apple: The iPhone maker is looking to build another interest stream from hardware sales of its HomePod while countering Google’s working into the market. It focuses on the speaker elements of its device, emphasizing how articulately the device plays music — without elaborating extensively on its smart attributes.
• Samsung: Though its Bixby-powered Galaxy Home isn’t generally available yet, Samsung’s pre-eminent foray into the smart speaker market shows it’s looking to take exception to the Apple HomePod and the Google Home Max as premium, music-first speakers.

Hankering to learn more?

The Smart Speaker Report from Business Insider Information looks at the state of the smart speaker market and outlines how each of the dominant device providers approaches the space. It focuses on the key factors affecting whether or not someone owns one of these fancies, as well as why people don’t own them.

Finally, the report looks at what consumers are absolutely doing with their smart speakers — specifically how the devices are habituated to and perceived in e-commerce, digital media, and banking — to help companies clinch how well they’re publicizing their smart speaker services and potentials.