China’s internet giants fight for dominance in smart speakers as they target half a billion users not yet online
- Among dozens of smart speaker vendors that have emerged in China, Baidu currently leads the pack with 3.3 million units shipped in the first quarter
Ruan Long works as an internet professional in Beijing but even he was surprised at some of the unexpected uses of the smart speaker he recently brought home.
Ruan’s second child, an 18-month-old toddler, has already been interacting with the gadget, though he is unable to recite the full names of songs, like his grandparents can. “At first, the smart speaker ignored him most of the time, as he would mumble the wake-up word ‘Xiaodu’ as ‘Aodu’,” he said.
When it comes to Ruan’s elder daughter, a second-grader, having the smart speaker around the house has its benefits but also a downside. “It can take my place and play music, read stories and answer her numerous questions,” he said. “But I have to take it away to keep her from cheating while doing her homework.”
Ruan’s family has joined millions of others in the country now plugged into the internet and online services via a new technology which requires simple voice commands, doing away with the need for the more time-consuming input methods like writing out Chinese characters or matching words based on oral pronunciation using pinyin.
