Which device features examined in this chapter might have the greatest impact on consumers’ propensity to buy one of these products? BATTLE OF THE TITANS:

AMAZON ECHO VS. GOOGLE HOME (AND DON’T FORGET ABOUT APPLE)

The newest battleground for the tech giants is being fought over smart home devices. Amazon’s Echo was the first to hit the market in 2014; the smart speaker responds to voice commands and serves an ever-growing range of purposes, such as music streaming, news updates, Internet searches for information, grocery lists, joke telling, takeout orders from local restaurants, and answers to general questions.64 Furthermore, in homes with other smart features, Echo and its voice personification Alexa allow users to control compatible lights, fans, thermostats, garage doors, sprinklers, and locks with simple voice commands.65 By 2017, Alexa even gained the ability to call or send texts to the contacts in users’ linked smartphones through Echo.66 Google’s competing Google Home device did not even hit the shelves until April 2017.67 In some ways, Google Home is more advanced and “smarter” than Echo. For example, its web browsing capabilities are more advanced because it relies on Google’s stellar search engine, whereas Echo is limited to Wikipedia and Bing. Google Home also can sync its audio playback with other devices and Google Cast speakers,68 providing better playback and the option to insert linked devices throughout the house, such that even customers with big homes can engage in constant interactions with the central device.