Google Home smart speakers, with built-in voice assistant, could finally hit Indian shores in the coming weeks. According to media reports, the search-engine giant, biding its time over the voice-centric hardware, is ready to unleash its set of products.
The Google Home range of smart speakers start from $49 (Rs 3,200 approx), and will compete against Amazon’s Echo range of devices. This development doesn’t come as a surprise to us anymore, and recently, with Google Assistant speaking in Hindi on more Android devices, looks like it’s moving ahead in the competition.
Everything is dependent on how Google decides to price its smart speakers in a segment that’s yet to spruce up, and keeping Amazon’s first-mover position in mind.
The Google Home speaker range includes: Home Mini, Google Home and Home Max. These are positioned exactly like the Amazon Echo Dot, Amazon Echo and Echo Plus. The Echo range speakers, after the initial 30 percent discount period, start from Rs 4,499 in the market.
Alexa is a budding voice assistant in India, which caters to over 15,000 skills from popular brands like Uber, Zomato and Cleartrip among others.
This is where Google can take advantage of its know-how of the market, and the growing influence of Google Assistant. This ecosystem is heavily integrated to its renowned search ecosystem, which ensures better localisation for various parts of the country.
Nobody knows what’s the reason behind Google’s decision to delay the launch of Home speakers in India, but we’re glad it’s about to change in the coming weeks.
Google Home could kickstart the true voice revolution in the country, something that Android has capitalised to its benefit in the mobile space. The grass-root level approach of Google has served them well in the Indian market, and the Home devices could surely make the most of that.
If the reports have solid basis, expect Google to hold a grand media event to showcase what the Home speaker is all about.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)