Smart home market stirs, but is it fed by Google partners, Apple's catch-up or Comcast desperation? - IoT Now - How to run an IoT enabled business

ANALYSIS: Since Apple revealed in June that it will start shipping an intelligent home speaker, HomePod in December excitement has focused on its audio capabilities. This focus suits Cupertino which is giving little away on its smart home capabilities which will have to play catch-up with Amazon and Google. Pundits were already forecasting that 12 million smart speakers would be sold industry-wide in 2017 (Strategy Analytics, June 5, 2017) – even before Apple's announcement. Amazon's Echo is expected to snaffle 80% of unit sales this year, writes Jeremy Cowan, and there are expectations that 164 million intelligent speakers will be in use globally by 2022. As Bill Ablondi, director of the analyst firm's Smart Home Strategies programme says, "Apple has been rapidly building its HomeKit ecosystem of smart home devices and capabilities in recent months with manufacturers such as Logitech, Lutron, Honeywell, and Leviton."