Amazon’s Smart Speakers

Amazon’s Smart Speakers

Generally, smart speakers offered by Amazon have their pros and cons. This SWOT analysis describes some pros and cons of Amazon’s smart speakers. Amazon.com remains the largest e-retailer, pegged on e-commerce phenomenon, marketing, and selling a wide range of products (Mennen, 2010). A company that was once a bookseller has now expanded to a virtual Walmart of the web.

Strengths

One major strength is flexibility and ease of use. The speakers can recognize a voice, which makes it easy to operate just by word of mouth. The speakers are also able to communicate with the listener. In case the speaker is synced with smartphones, they can make calls or even send text messages. Another key strength is that the company has availed the speakers to all its consumers regardless of geographical locations. Users can purchase the speakers online from any site. The company has also used high technology in developing the speakers, making them be on high demand in the market (Marcus et al. 2019). The company is also able to counter its competitors, such as Apple, when it comes to advertising and increasing sales.

Weaknesses

Privacy concerns remain a significant weakness posed by Amazon’s smart speakers. The speakers usually wait for voice commands to operate; if a command is not uttered, the speaker should not be recording. However, many users do not believe in that. Another aspect of weakness is that smart speakers can be hacked (Marcus et al. 2019). A hacker can decide to imitate a voice and give the speaker commands just like the owner and end up listening to all that is happening at home. Another weakness is a technical difficulty. At times the voice listener can mishear what was just said and return the wrong result. The product is readily available, but not all users can afford it, especially the ones from emerging economies.

Opportunities

Smart speakers can support numerous apps and devices. It implies that software developers can use endpoint APIs to develop voice-controlled applications with the aid of Amazon’s smart speakers. A user can also use it to watch television using an add-on like Amazon Fire TV. Apps that can do this are limited, and its Amazon’s opportunity to continue leveraging on this technology (Daniela, 2019). The speakers can be used as voice controllers to automate various things in the house, including closing or opening the door and switching off or on smart bulbs, among others. The company also has the opportunity to customize the speakers to fit different market segments. Amazon has the opportunity to customize the speakers in a way that users from various market segments can only use what they need.

Threat

Amazon is facing stiff competition from companies such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, among others, in selling smart speakers. The gadgets can be hacked, as discussed in the weaknesses section, and have complications when it comes to data protection concerns. There is a threat to smart assistants. Since the company is not stable in the smartphone industry, smartphone manufacturers are gradually taking over the share market of intelligent assistants (Daniela, 2019). Some users might find them not as useful. First-time users will enjoy using the speakers. However, with time, in case the speaker cannot deliver a user’s interest, it may be deemed obsolete.

References

Mennen, M. (2010). Global Corporate Strategy – A Critical Analysis and Evaluation of Amazon.com. München: GRIN Verlag GmbH.

DUXU (Conference), Marcus, A., Wang, W., & International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction. (2019). Design, user experience, and usability: User experience in advanced technological environments: 8th International Conference, DUXU 2019, held as part of the 21st HCI International Conference, HCII 2019, Orlando, FL, USA, July 26-31, 2019, Proceedings.

In Daniela, L. (2019). Didactics of smart pedagogy: Smart pedagogy for technology-enhanced learning.

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