Alexa, what’s new? We’re about to find out
Apple had its glory two weeks ago. Now it’s time for Amazon to show off new products at a press event from its headquarters in Seattle.
The company, which wants to keep a commanding presence in the fast-growing virtual assistant space, is expected to unveil a wide range of Alexa-related products Wednesday for different areas of the home, as well as updates to Alexa’s functions.
https://wraltechwire.com/2019/09/25/alexa-help-me-find-a-job-at-mcdonalds-fast-food-giant-to-use-smart-speakers-to-find-workers/
Why it matters, per CNN Business reporter Rachel Metz: “Over the past five years, the market for smart speakers that use virtual assistants — Amazon’s Alexa and its Echo smart speakers in particular — has ballooned.” Companies including Amazon, Google and Baidu shipped 26.1 million smart speakers in the second quarter of this year, according to researcher Canalys, and Amazon is out front.
That doesn’t mean the internet giant is getting complacent.
“I think fundamentally Amazon wants to be in every fricking room in the house,” Carolina Milanesi, a consumer technology analyst at Creative Strategies, told Metz.
Shares of Amazon are up almost 16% this year, compared to gains of nearly 22% for the tech-focused Nasdaq index.
