200 million people will probably be using smart speakers by the end of this year

Whether you see them as life-changing or privacy-violating, it looks like smart speakers are here to stay.

At least, that's the takeaway from a new study by market researchers at Canalys, a market analyst firm. According to their projections, the global install base for smart speakers like Amazon Echo, Google Home, and more will exceed 200 million units by the end of 2019, a year-over-year jump of 82.4 percent from 2018, when the worldwide install base for the devices was 114 million units. ("Install base" refers to the number of smart speakers that are actually in use by consumers, not the total number of units sold.) Read more...