Amazon launches cost-cutting review focusing on Alexa

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by ApK

That first article seems a bit outdated:

"Alexa shows no sign of slowing down."
"We're so bullish on voice as the future. "

Maybe now, not so much....

Isn't it wild how many digital Potemkin villages there are? There's older ones I've already forgotten, but currently there's Alexa, FTX and soon enough the Metaverse. Though the Metaverse never even gave the illusion of being successful.

[Renate]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

... and soon enough the Metaverse. Though the Metaverse never even gave the illusion of being successful.

Oh, please don't say that! I've just spent my life savings on an ice cream truck at a busy intersection!

[haertig]

Originally Posted by Quoth

No, it's abusive

That's your opinion. It was not my opinion. Or my moms opinion. Or my sisters opinion. Or the memory care facility staffs opinion. Or her physicians opinion. Or Hospice care's opinion.

and my mother couldn't have used it.

Sorry to hear that. My mom was able to, up until the last few days before her death.

We were lucky that she never forgot our names (me and my sister). Or Alexa's name, for that matter. She might have been slow to recall Alexa's name at times, but she would remember after a while. Just like telephones with large buttons and speed dial are of use for a while before they become too confusing, so was Alexa. There will come a time when those telephones can no longer be used, and when Alexa can no longer be used. My mom lost the ability to use a telephone to contact us, but could still use Alexa to contact us. We consider that a blessing, even if you don't. Eventually, mom would have lost the ability to use Alexa. But she died before that happened.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Renate

Oh, please don't say that! I've just spent my life savings on an ice cream truck at a busy intersection!

There's a busy intersection in the Metaverse

[ApK]

Originally Posted by haertig

That's your opinion. It was not my opinion. Or my moms opinion. Or my sisters opinion. Or the memory care facility staffs opinion. Or her physicians opinion. Or Hospice care's opinion.

Nor mine, nor my mom's, when she used it for the last couple of years before passing away at 89.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

So long as Alexa is doing what it currently does, most users will likely be fine.

So long as. I already see signs of her degrading, and if Amazon doesn't support and maintain the infrastructure, most users will maybe have a Bluetooth speaker and nothing more. Fingers crossed.

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

So long as Alexa is doing what it currently does, most users will likely be fine.

At least Google Assistant and Siri make sense. They have a home on millions of phones. Alexa was the off one, yet for a while there seemed to be the most popular.

My brother who uses this stuff way more than I do and has used all three said Alexa was the best. He tried moving to Google Assistant when he was mad at Amazon about something or other, but said it just didn't compare.

For me, I like using my Google speakers to set alarms and timers, tell me the weather, maybe play some news podcasts in the morning or play music throughout the day. For my needs that is all they need to do.

I’ve tried them all (Alexa, Google and Siri). I feel as thought the Google assistant is the smartest and most capable. However my set up is 100% Apple. I know that they do work with my Apple devices but I’m missing out on features because I don’t use android devices. So in the end I settled with HomePods mostly for music, speakers for my Apple TVs and to set reminders that go directly to my phone or adding events to my calendar. I also have a large number of echo devices and those are to control my lights, cameras, doorbell and other smart devices. I also use them for timers. I know I could run my smart home from my HomePods but I’ve never found HomeKit to be intuitive and devices tend to be more expensive and more smart devices work with Alexa. I also like the fact that Amazon offer smart speakers with displays, which I find great for displaying pictures, visual timers, visual calendars, watching content when I’m in the kitchen for example.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by shanghaichica

I also like the fact that Amazon offer smart speakers with displays...

Google does too. I have an Amazon one (my only Alexa) that I was given as a gift. I would SO much rather have a Nest Hub. But I don't want to be an unappreciative jerk.

[haertig]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Google does too. I have an Amazon one (my only Alexa) that I was given as a gift. I would SO much rather have a Nest Hub. But I don't want to be an unappreciative jerk.

The Amazon assistant stuff seems a lot cheaper than the Google assistant stuff. At least for the things I've seen. May not be true for everything.

I have an Android phone, so I have the Google assistant with that. I've given that limited use, because it doesn't do nearly as well (for me) as Alexa. It seems to be much slower to respond. I suppose that could have something to do with my smart phone. It's mid-range, not high end. However, you would expect a $350 smart phone to be able to run circles around a $20 Echo Dot. But it doesn't, in my case. My wife has an iPhone 11. When she talks to Siri, that assistant gets much more confused than Alexa does. But my experiences are based on one Android phone, one iPhone, and seven (?) Echo Dots. Not a huge sample size. In general, I don't like things that rely on third party servers out there in the cloud. But for these voice assistant things, I acknowledge that this reliance is an absolute necessity.

[andyh2000]

Originally Posted by haertig

The Amazon assistant stuff seems a lot cheaper than the Google assistant stuff. At least for the things I've seen. May not be true for everything.
...

I recently picked up an Echo Flex for £10 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/amazon-echo...dp/B07PDJ9JFF/) just for voice control of the heating, lights etc. It's very quiet and not brilliant sound quality but perfectly OK for voice control purposes.

And Echo Dots good enough for music are only £17 at the moment (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-Dot-3r.../dp/B07PJV3JPR).

Andrew

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Google does too. I have an Amazon one (my only Alexa) that I was given as a gift. I would SO much rather have a Nest Hub. But I don't want to be an unappreciative jerk.

I was comparing it to Apple’s offerings. I’ve had a Google nest hub speaker before. Lovely bit of kit but as I use Apple stuff (phone, tablets, computer, streaming box) Amazon’s offerings were more platform agnostic. I also have HomePods but they don’t have displays.

[shanghaichica]

Originally Posted by andyh2000

I recently picked up an Echo Flex for £10 (https://www.amazon.co.uk/amazon-echo...dp/B07PDJ9JFF/) just for voice control of the heating, lights etc. It's very quiet and not brilliant sound quality but perfectly OK for voice control purposes.

And Echo Dots good enough for music are only £17 at the moment (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Echo-Dot-3r.../dp/B07PJV3JPR).

Andrew

I think Google go have sales but I don’t think as much as Amazon. I would have to go out of my way ie go to the Google store page which I rarely every do to know if they were having any sales. However I’m always on Amazon’s page buying other things so notice when they go on sale.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by haertig

I have an Android phone, so I have the Google assistant with that. I've given that limited use, because it doesn't do nearly as well (for me) as Alexa. It seems to be much slower to respond. I suppose that could have something to do with my smart phone. It's mid-range, not high end. However, you would expect a $350 smart phone to be able to run circles around a $20 Echo Dot. But it doesn't, in my case... But my experiences are based on one Android phone, one iPhone, and seven (?) Echo Dots. Not a huge sample size.\

I have had the opposite experience and also the opposite sample size: Seven Google/Nest speakers plus multiple Android phones and tablets vs. only one Alexis device which is left in the kitchen. I really dislike Alexa vs. Google, but I suspect it is which one you get used to and how you use it.

As mentioned, my brother preferred Alexa to Google. Funny enough, he's an Apple guy but has never mentioned using Siri/whatever Apple's home stuff is called for his house. Apple was the first to roll out a voice assistant. It looks like they were wise (or it was just dumb luck) not to go all in on Apple Home stuff.

[Xanthe]

The thing that annoys me about Alexa is that I have to remember the names of specific skill sets many times, in order to open them first before telling them what to do. And many of the skills, such as the ambient sound ones, have similar-sounding names.

I can say to Alexa, "Play All-Classical Portland on Tune-In" and she does that. But if I say, "Play Gentle Baroque on Calm Radio", she'll tell me that she's unable to do that. I have to first say, "Open Calm Radio", then she welcomes me to it and asks me what channel I want to play. I then say "Gentle Baroque" and it plays.

[frahse]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Are we certain it's the Alexa devices division which has had annual losses of up to $5 billion annually in some recent years?

I'm reading this a little bit differently:


I'm reading that to say that Amazon devices unit in general had an operating loss of more than $5 billion a year. Wouldn't the Amazon’s devices unit include all Kindle readers, tablets, Firesticks/cubes, Echo, Ring, glasses, earbuds, etc... ?

I still don't know what the answer is, but I'm just thinking that the $5 billion loss is not being attributed directly to the Alexa unit itself, but rather the whole of the Amazon devices unit (of which Alexa is a part).

Frankly that number is ridiculous; more in line with a space shuttle to the moon.