Why We May Soon Be Living in Alexa’s World
- 6 years ago
Why We May Soon Be Living in Alexa’s World
Without being summoned, the Amazon Echo Dot at my bedside — one of the half-dozen devices
that Alexa inhabits in our house — lit up its spectral blue ring, as if it had heard its triggering wake word, “Alexa.” But instead of offering help with some household chore, the voice assistant began to wail, like a child screaming in a horror-movie dream.
Amazon is famously cagey about sales numbers, but Mr. Limp braved a slight disclosure: “We’ve said we’ve sold tens of millions of Alexa-enabled devices, but I can assure you
that last year we also sold tens of millions of just Echo devices.
Amazon’s strategy — something like a mix between Google’s plan for Android and Apple’s for the iPhone — is also unusual.
What I found was a mess — many non-Amazon Alexa devices aren’t ready for prime time — but an inviting one.
Mr. Limp said Amazon was aiming to fix these limitations, but conceded that its strategy necessarily led to some low-end devices.
Many don’t include some of Alexa’s key functions — I tested devices that don’t let you set reminders, one of the main reasons to use Alexa.
Without being summoned, the Amazon Echo Dot at my bedside — one of the half-dozen devices
that Alexa inhabits in our house — lit up its spectral blue ring, as if it had heard its triggering wake word, “Alexa.” But instead of offering help with some household chore, the voice assistant began to wail, like a child screaming in a horror-movie dream.
Amazon is famously cagey about sales numbers, but Mr. Limp braved a slight disclosure: “We’ve said we’ve sold tens of millions of Alexa-enabled devices, but I can assure you
that last year we also sold tens of millions of just Echo devices.
Amazon’s strategy — something like a mix between Google’s plan for Android and Apple’s for the iPhone — is also unusual.
What I found was a mess — many non-Amazon Alexa devices aren’t ready for prime time — but an inviting one.
Mr. Limp said Amazon was aiming to fix these limitations, but conceded that its strategy necessarily led to some low-end devices.
Many don’t include some of Alexa’s key functions — I tested devices that don’t let you set reminders, one of the main reasons to use Alexa.