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Monday, October 8, 2018

Interesting power plays in Smart Home Products

As things heat up in the space there will be some jockeying around to see which interface becomes the standard.

Eventually, if it plays out like other fields, there will become a dominant standard and then an "only standard." (Like HD DVD vs. blu ray, or Betamax vs VHS)

Something is likely to win, and some force like this from retailers may hasten the process.


StaceyOnIOT // @Gigastacey

Walmart is asking companies that want to sell smart home products to make sure those products work with Google Home. The retailer has instructed potential suppliers to ensure that their products support Google Home, and if they also support Amazon Alexa, that they make such certification visible on the side or back of their packaging.
While several people responsible for selling smart home products confirmed they had received those instructions from Walmart, two others also said that Walmart suggested that it would prefer if providers didn’t host their services on Amazon Web Services, and that the ideal smart home products shouldn’t require a hub. None of the half-dozen companies I spoke to about this topic would agree to go on the record.
From a consumer point of view, Walmart’s push toward Google Home doesn’t bother me. Amazon’s Alexa is currently the team to beat when it comes to building a better smart home, and I’d like to see companies respond to that challenge. Plus, it doesn’t sound like Walmart is penalizing companies that work with Amazon, which would be a step too far.

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