A significant number of people remain confused about smart speakers, losing patience while searching for a breakthrough. However, Xiaomi recently provided a compelling demonstration.
The challenge for smart speakers lies in identifying the right market fulcrum. Smart speakers are more than just audio devices; they serve as gateways to the future. Thus, pinpointing the ideal fulcrum is critical. If this fulcrum represents only a few hundred thousand units in total sales, it won’t be robust enough to support a much larger future. Yet, reaching one million units can create momentum, and achieving five million units could fundamentally transform the market. In essence, the question becomes which category can sustain such sales figures—this is why integrating intelligence with speakers is essential. Whoever secures the first five million sales essentially claims the first ticket to the AI Internet.
Many might not be aware that the annual domestic sales of speakers hover around fifty million. Among these, a few are premium Sonos models, while the majority are budget Bluetooth devices. This suggests that within the Bluetooth speaker market, there exists a fulcrum capable of reaching five million units, albeit one highly sensitive to pricing.
When developing a smart speaker, a company must clearly define its objectives: is it creating a new category and brand, or replacing an existing market segment? If the latter, what defines this existing market? Without clarity, merely mimicking Echo is akin to copying appearances without grasping the essence. Most companies producing smart speakers have clearly identified their positioning. A product priced at 799 yuan is effectively establishing a new category and brand. At this price point, any subsequent investment must be substantial; otherwise, the product risks failure due to insufficient technological support.
Conversely, a 299-yuan product is explicitly aimed at replacing the existing low-end Bluetooth speaker market. This price level has the potential to disrupt the market entirely—if the user experience is excellent, it will inevitably overshadow Bluetooth speakers. As history shows, lowering prices can drive adoption, and improving the user experience can lead to widespread adoption. Xiaomi has already demonstrated this approach in the smartphone market. The question remains: what market did Xiaomi's phones initially target, and how did they succeed?
Thus, when creating a smart speaker, one must know precisely who they are competing against.
Throughout history, startups often overestimate their potential during periods of rapid growth while undervaluing their early stages. This pattern persists in the smart speaker industry. The temptation to enter this market is immense, yet the commitment is lacking. Consequently, skepticism abounds, which is detrimental when the success of a product hinges directly on its execution.
When a product encounters technical challenges, it’s crucial to recognize the value of technology. Many chip companies joke that they work for ARM. However, few foresaw the extent to which technological innovation could reduce costs drastically.
In Echo’s smart speaker architecture, microphone arrays, motherboards, and power amplifiers are separate components. This design choice is strategic because using analog microphones necessitates additional space for A/D converters and similar components, making further simplification challenging. A clear optimization involves switching to digital microphones, which allows combining the microphone array board with the motherboard, reducing three boards to one. While this reduces costs, it compromises signal quality. To maintain performance, stricter algorithmic requirements arise, including wake-up commands, beamforming, noise reduction, echo cancellation, and dereverberation. Acoustic algorithms differ significantly from other algorithms, spanning both computer science and physics. Achieving these requires extensive experimentation, data collection, and hardware adjustments. Xiaomi’s AI speaker exemplifies the value of hard technology, showcasing the impact of close collaboration between hardware and software teams on market trends. Yet, the story doesn’t end here. Once the product gains traction, it can introduce new features like voice print recognition or environmental monitoring, enhancing user experience.
Companies partnering with hard technology firms can accelerate innovation.
Looking ahead, smart speakers represent more than a niche market. They are the starting point for far-field interaction, not its endpoint. Therefore, analyzing smart speakers requires examining both the speaker itself and advancements in far-field speech interaction.
In China, two distinct localizations are emerging:
One is Xiaomi’s 299-yuan route, emphasizing speaker attributes and targeting the low-end Bluetooth speaker market. Prices will continue to drop, with Sonic Technology potentially providing superior experiences. Despite optimistic projections, growth won’t match that of apps like Momo. Success might require cycles of refinement akin to Amazon’s approach.
Other products in this category face slim chances if they lack partnerships with hard tech firms like Sonic Technology. Even comparable products struggle to match Xiaomi’s experience.
Another route involves pairing with TV boxes, targeting the upgrade market. Technically demanding, this approach places higher emphasis on acoustics and interaction precision.
Regardless of the path, the goal remains simple: securing five million users establishes a stronger competitive edge.
Summary:
What’s fascinating is that Xiaomi pioneered mobile internet in 2011. Now, it seems AI internet’s big screen era might begin with Xiaomi. The only difference is that this time, Xiaomi will partner to achieve it. If successful, the intriguing question arises: will the previous triumvirate (phone, MIUI, or Mi Chat) return?
DongGuan BoFan Technology Co.,Ltd. , https://www.ufriendcc.com