Winning The Home

The next major contest in technology is taking place right in front of our eyes and it’s fascinating to watch. There are many ways to recount tech history winners but we can perhaps say it like this; [#enterprise: IBM], [#desktop: Microsoft], [#web: Google], [#social: Facebook], [#mobile: Apple]. Simplistic to be sure but useful nonetheless. What’s the next stop in this journey? Your Home. And the contestants are quickly lining up.

Amazon recently announced a plethora of devices, about 70 actually. There were new Dots, an amplifier, a subwoofer, a microwave, a wall clock, smart plugs, a new Echo Show, a device for your car, a DVR, and a new home security camera. And, of course, they acquired Ring not too long ago. Phew! Think they’re vying to be the OS of your home?

Google of course is also in the game but they’ve been slowed by their attachment to Android and their fear of messing that up (Amazon had the advantage of a failed experiment with the Fire Phone, [lesson: innovators experiment and learn]). That said, they had acquired Nest with the hopes of creating a suite of home automation products. With the announcement of the Home Hub (their Echo Show), they’re clearly vying for the home as well.

Apple’s in the game as well with the aptly named, HomePod. Are they offering a suite of devices? Nope, but that’s not their style. Their strength is their dogged commitment to building the best single thing and to some extent, that’s what they’ve done, especially if security is your top concern.

Finally, our friends at Facebook took their first step in this direction with the announcement of the Portal. An Echo Show-like device, it’s claim to fame is that it tracks faces so when you move around the room, theoretically, you don’t get out of frame. Interestingly, it’s voice capability is powered by Alexa.

So, who will win this epic battle?