The latest Canalys forecast expects the global smart speaker market, including smart displays, to reach 163 million units in 2021, a growth of 21%. The research group is cautiously optimistic about sales of Apple’s new HomePod mini.
“Apple still has much to prove to attract users, especially as the HomePod mini is up against other new US$99 devices, which are larger in size and with assistants perceived to be smarter,” says Canalys Research Manager Jason Low. “Apple must deliver its acclaimed premium user experience by leveraging its proprietary ecosystem of hardware, software and services. The HomePod mini would give its competitors a run for their money if the sound quality proves to be better despite its smaller size, and if the UWB and Intercom features work seamlessly for users.”
Notably, Apple is the only global platform vendor selling hardware and services in China.
“The $99 (approximately CYN700) price segment is pretty much a no-mans-land in China, yet adequate to appeal to Apple’s user-base. Apple should take this opportunity to drive the uptake of its music and other services consumed at home,” adds Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen.
Canalys says that, in 2020, Mainland China, which has the COVID-19 pandemic under control, will lead in smartphone speakers sales, growing 16%, while the rest of the market is expected to grow 3% as countries continue to battle the coronavirus. The global smart speaker market is expected to emerge stronger in 2021, with markets outside China expected to recover and contribute a larger portion of the annual growth, the research group adds.
The global smart speaker installed base is forecast to reach 640 million by 2024, paving the way for the ambient computing paradigm shift.
“From the speed of response, to the skills and real-world tasks smart assistants can help complete, the job of building great hardware and smart assistant features falls to platform vendors with the resources and business models to support such endeavours. However, the smart assistant ecosystem needs to be supported by third-party developers, hardware vendors, and service providers. It is crucial for ecosystem partners to pay close attention to what platform vendors achieve, while having a keen sense to uncover new use cases as users shift habits amid the ongoing pandemic,” adds Low.
(Dennis Sellers has been covering the Apple industry since 1996. In addition to“Apple World Today,” he also runs his own freelance writing/editing service. If you want more info about the latter, email him at dennis.sellers@comcast.net.)
