19/11/2020
Their falling prices — with all three companies now offering smart speakers for $149 or less — was also making smart speakers more attractive, Mr Fadaghi said.
“They’re priced to sell for Christmas, they’re priced to be experimental, and people won’t feel bad if they buy it and give it a try for a few months,” he said.
“One of the concerns potential buyers had is how long these were going to last before the next one came out but the price point overcomes that problem.”
Mr Fadaghi said the speakers also served as a “critical gateway” to smart home technology, and would play a role in the expected 30 per cent spike in sales of the tech this year.
Litepages chief executive Ben Rogers said he adopted smart speaker technology early, as a way to control other devices around his home and hasn’t looked back.
“I started with turning the lights on and off,” he said.
“Now we use them for everything from setting the alarm to playing music through networks we’ve set up through the house. It can also control things like air conditioners, the TV, and fans.”
