


Though none of the top manufacturers reveal sales figures, research from both Canalys and Strategy Analytics estimate that sales grew 200% in the first quarter of 2018 from the same period a year earlier. Smart speakers are likely to be the hottest consumer gadget of the year. "However, as powerful and pervasive as these devices are becoming, consumers still have a healthy fear about their privacy." "It's clear that these devices are driving music consumption," Crupnick said. Since all three companies also offer music services, the devices could help drive growth in businesses like Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music, and Apple Music.īut the bad news for the companies is that MusicWatch also found that nearly half of those surveyed (48%) said they were concerned that voice-assistant devices and smart speakers were becoming too intrusive, Russ Crupnick, the managing partner at MusicWatch, told Business Insider. The devices, such as the Amazon Echo, the Google Home, and the Apple HomePod, appear to encourage owners to listen to more music and web radio, according to a survey of 3,000 respondents by MusicWatch, a market research company.

And it's no wonder: Real incidents have caused some people to wonder whether the devices are spying on them.Ī new survey has both good news and bad news for the smart-speaker makers.The survey also found that roughly half of the respondents worried that the devices were becoming too intrusive.A survey of 3,000 people by the research firm MusicWatch found that smart speakers were prompting owners to listen to more music and online radio.Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
