Amazon Echo or Google Home? For U.S. households, that's changing

Smart speakers are now entering the mainstream. SAN FRANCISCO -- Almost 20% of Americans will use a smart speaker at least once a month this year, a surprisingly fast uptake for a technology that's just three and a half years old. Digital research firm eMarketer estimates 61.1 million Americans will use a smart speaker in 2018, or 18.7% of the population. The most popular thing to do with a smart speaker is to listen to music on it, which 74% of those surveyed by eMarketer said they did. Next up was asking questions, such as the weather, the time or for information, which 72.1% of smart speaker users did.