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The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

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Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#201

Post by amorphid »

djhworld wrote: post #196

I have an original Echo, it's fine. I use it to listen to the radio via TuneIn, to turn lamps on and off and to set timers. That's about it really. Sometimes I use it to convert American imperial units to metric, which is handy when converting recipes in the kitchen (e.g. "what's 2 cups in millilitres") I'm at my parents house at the moment, my Mum primarily uses it to set timers, and reminders (e.g. remind me tomorr…

I have a Google Assistant. I use it for timers, playing music (on my Chromecast), and playing the news. That's about it. I can't find another use case where it seems like the best tool for the job.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#202

Post by amrrs »

ZenoArrow wrote: post #186
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

> "Why do you think millions of people bought an Echo Dot or a Google Home? Not from YOUR perspective, but from the perspective of millions of people that seem to see value in this product?" I have no problem with the product category Echo Dot and Google Home sit in, and can see why they make interesting gifts, my only issue is with the surveillance aspects of these devices. Why do I think people bought them regardle…

You absolutely nailed it. I think it has to do with human psychology. Anything similar to spectacle is easily connected to being watched (literally) while even the amount of (useful) data collected by an always on microphone could relativity high. Maybe for a privacy advocate, the only possible way to bring awareness as equivalent as is to make people understand and believe that it sits and is always listening during day and night (unlike the glass which is on only when worn)

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#203

Post by icc97 »

dustinmoris wrote: post #129
icc97 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the point is that Google shouldn't be in the name at all.

You are missing the point. Even a random name wouldn't work when people talk about it. Alexa is the perfect example! Google did the right thing. Google home is what people talk about and "Ok Google" is what activities the device.

No it works perfectly well. It worked brilliantly with Siri and had done for years before. People talking about it in the same room is an inconvenience to overcome.

It's possible that Google copied Baidu, which used "Ni hao baidu" [0] is the only thing I can think of.

[0]: https://www.coursera.org/learn/machine-learning-projects/lec... (see the video transcript)

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#204

Post by Steeeve »

bamboozled wrote: post #122
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

Might I suggest some simple reasons for the increase in sales for the Dot? * Novelty value, it's a fun idea. It looks cool to buy an "edgy" product for your nephew / niece etc. * The marketing team worked hard to direct prime customers to buy one for their family / friends as gifts. * People are out of ideas and it's something new, novel and affordable. I really don't think people put much thought into presents in ge…

I think this is right. ~$30 for a nifty piece of technology makes a great no-brainer gift. It's in the ballpark price range of secret santas and gift exchanges.

Throw in that it was mentioned in all the black friday deal discussions and it was marketed to anyone visiting amazon.com for holiday shopping... well, they were going to push units regardless.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#205

Post by ghaff »

bamboozled wrote: post #122
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

Might I suggest some simple reasons for the increase in sales for the Dot? * Novelty value, it's a fun idea. It looks cool to buy an "edgy" product for your nephew / niece etc. * The marketing team worked hard to direct prime customers to buy one for their family / friends as gifts. * People are out of ideas and it's something new, novel and affordable. I really don't think people put much thought into presents in ge…

That sounds about right--plus the price point as others have mentioned; it's the price of a halfway decent sweater. It's the sort of thing that, for most people, will be appreciated if they don't have one and they can often use another if they do.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#206

Post by faitswulff »

seanwilson wrote: post #125
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

> Why do you think millions of people bought an Echo Dot or a Google Home? Not from YOUR perspective, but from the perspective of millions of people that seem to see value in this product? I enjoy the discussions here but the reaction of this niche audience is not a good predictor of how the average person will act. Most people don't understand how internet ads work or care that much about the privacy of mundane acti…

> People buy these products because they're useful

My dad takes weeks or months to learn how to use any new GUI. He's used automated phone systems for his whole life, though, and a voice-driven interface would be much easier for him.

It seems like HNers find it hard to believe that people like my dad exist, for some reason.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#207

Post by k__ »

IgorPartola wrote: post #166
k__ wrote: post #149

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting. We have an Echo and to this day we haven't found any use for it. Talking is broadcast and most of the time we search stuff for ourself on mobile. Also, it often simply says it has no answer.

Smart home control: “Alexa turn the lights on.” News. Kitchen timers. Music control. These are my most popular uses.

The timers seem good, also music.

Light seems to slow instead of just hitting a button

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#208

Post by dopamean »

Are there any assistants that aren't connected to the web? Or at least aren't by default. Here are some things I'd love to be able to do that don't need the web.

    Set a timer
    Set a reminder for something in X minutes
    Take a voice note
    Create lists (maybe could be pushed to phone via bluetooth)
    Maybe some home auto stuff
I imagine most of this stuff could be shared to my phone via bluetooth if I needed it on the go (like a shopping list).

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#209

Post by icc97 »

dullgiulio wrote: post #123
icc97 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the point is that Google shouldn't be in the name at all.

Why, people have been asking Google a lot of questions for a long time. I can imagine the marketing department in Google not loving the idea of another name for Google.

I can see your point. They think that there is enough personality in Google as a thing. That certainly makes the most sense of what I've seen.

However I think they missed on how personal a thing it is to talk to someone. I think they should have viewed 'OK Google' as a personality that's like Google's little brother, that will ask Google for you if that's what you need or else will for example check in your diary for you.

Re: The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

#210

Post by BearGoesChirp »

ZenoArrow wrote: post #186
JulianRaphael wrote: post #121

Very revealing discussion. Most of the participants just argue about Amazon vs. Google here, some fear surveillance, some consider the devices useless, a few want to understand if the HN crowd finds it useful. This is something I notice here on HN in product-related discussions more and more: people just say what THEY think about product X (typically a negative opinion or complaint), rather being creative, constructi…

> "Why do you think millions of people bought an Echo Dot or a Google Home? Not from YOUR perspective, but from the perspective of millions of people that seem to see value in this product?" I have no problem with the product category Echo Dot and Google Home sit in, and can see why they make interesting gifts, my only issue is with the surveillance aspects of these devices. Why do I think people bought them regardle…

>The level of unwarranted surveillance with Google Glass and Echo Dot is pretty much the same, but because one is less visible than the other it doesn't get the same level of backlash.

This is a bug in human programming. I think it stems from far too many people not caring about potential, regardless of likelihood, and instead only caring about what happens. Similar to a gamblers fallacy in bad statistical reasoning (if it hasn't happened yet, then it won't happen), combined with a few other cognitive biases that allow a person to ignore events they don't see the direct cause and effect of.

The end result is that as long as the privacy invasion doesn't appear to be a privacy invasion, people will be okay with it. And given their past choices, they'll be more willing to be okay with the privacy invasion when it does go bad, instead blaming it on some other factor (such as one particular company caught abusing it, instead of the overall trend).

Companies are learning how to exploit this, and with technology increasing faster than social ability to handle the technology (such as why video recording and audio recording treated different legally), this is going to put a damper on the future.

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