Amazon's smart speakers outship Google's by almost triple, Canalys says
Amazon shipped 10.4 million smart speakers in Q3, while Google reached just 3.5 million.
- I've been covering technology and mobile for 12 years, first as a telecommunications reporter and assistant editor at ZDNet in Australia, then as CNET's West Coast head of breaking news, and now in the Thought Leadership team.
The Amazon Echo is the most shipped smart speaker in the world.
Smart speakers continue their worldwide boom, with almost 29 million devices shipped in the third quarter of 2019 -- up 45% since last year, according to a report by Canalys Wednesday. Amazon accounted for the highest number of these, shipping 10.4 million Echo devices for an annual growth of 66%. But on the flip side, Google shipped 40% fewer smart speakers, reaching only 3.5 million in Q3.
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Chinese tech giants are also amassing more smart speaker sales, with Alibaba up 78% year over year to 3.9 million, Baidu up 290% to 3.7 million and Xiaomi up 78% to 3.4 million, Canalys reported.
Jason Low, Canalys senior analyst, credited Amazon's Echo upgrade program and its Prime Day sale for the boost. Alibaba meanwhile ran collaborations with Starbucks, Budweiser, Oreo and more retailers to boost the Tmall Genie; and he said Google is partnering with Spotify to increase sales of its Home and Nest devices.
Amazon launched the original Alexa-based Echo five years ago, and most recently updated the line with the Amazon Echo Studio. This latest smart speaker comes with Dolby Atmos and a Fire TV hookup, selling for $200.
