Tag: smart speakers

People have been wondering when (or even if) the likes of Apple and Spotify will get into hi-res music streaming, even if opinions still vary on how you define ‘hi-res’. Here’s some interesting news from Apple, then:...

Smart speakers and voice assistants are increasingly popular, but what's their value in corporate terms? It's hard to tell given that many of the companies making them – Apple, Google and Amazon included – don't split...

“Made for music, the new Nest Audio is here,” is how Google introduced its new smart speaker last night, emphasising the audio quality of the new device, which goes on sale in the coming days. It's 75% louder with...

Sonos is really sticking it to Google this year. It sued the company alleging patent infringement in January, then its CEO testified before a US antitrust subcommittee about what he saw as ‘market distortion’ activities...

Spotify’s launch in Russia this July put the spotlight back on one of the more intriguing music markets in the world – historically dogged by piracy, but now with a collection of global and local services trying to...

Amazon held an online event yesterday to unveil its new products for the holiday season, including the latest range of Echo smart speakers. The obvious change is the design: the new Echo, Echo Dots and Echo Dot Kids devices...

A year ago we reported on a new 'Voice Interoperability Initiative' from Amazon, which was created to ensure that different voice assistants could work on the same devices. Spotify, Sonos, Microsoft, Baidu and Tencent...

The latest artist to get their own Alexa skill for Amazon's smart speakers is Tom Walker, for whom Sony Music UK has launched 'No. 1 Fan Music Quiz'. It's a daily quiz where Walker sets the questions (about his own "songs,...

Audio firm Sonos saw its revenues drop by 4% year-on-year during the second quarter of 2020 (its fiscal Q3), but the company sees that as a good performance given the shutdown of many physical retailers due to Covid-19...

2020 appears to be the year of European Commission antitrust investigations affecting Apple's music operations, although the latest one will also be training its sights on Amazon and Google too. The Commission has launched...

Last night was the keynote for Apple's annual WWDC event, which is an online-only affair this year. You can watch the full presentation on YouTube, and read about the new features coming to iPhone's iOS software. But what...

We are seeing more artists embrace the possibilities of voice assistants, led by Amazon’s Alexa music + Alexa. Witness The 1975’s recent use of an Alexa skill to nudge fans towards their latest website. Amazon,...