The number of smart
speakers installed will reach 100 million by the end of this year, according to a new forecast from Canalys.
The installed base will more than double in size to reach 225 million units by
2020, according to the forecast.
Amazon Echo devices will account for more than 50% of the installed base this year and Google Home will account for 30%. Apple’s HomePod,
introduced well after the Amazon and Google smart speaker lines, is projected to account for 4% of the installed base this year.
The U.S. leads (64%) in the 2018 installed base forecast,
followed by China (10%), the U.K. (8%), Germany (6%) and South Korea (3%).
“The US is the world leader in smart speaker adoption,” stated Canalys research analyst
Vincent Thielke. “Amazon and Google have been engaged in a fierce price war to try and build the largest installed base. As Amazon’s Prime Day looms, customers expect discounts, and the
company is set for a rush of shipments. Smart speakers are nothing new in the U.S. They have been cheap and easily available for years. Amazon and Google will now take their devices beyond the smart
home and deploy them in a range of new scenarios.”
Sales promotions in China are expected to be a driver for smart speakers, with Alibaba and Xiaomi investing heavily there.