Why did IKEA launch a Bluetooth speaker, and other sound experiments with the company
In the IKEA stores, ENEBY Bluetooth speakers are on sale. The release of the device is part of the initiative of the Swedish company to introduce audio systems in home interiors.
More information about the column and similar initiatives of the trading network, we will describe below.
Photo by Phil Jackson CC
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The ENEBY columns are part of the IKEA Home Smart initiative aimed at developing the smart home ecosystem. Its first phase was the release of furniture with integrated Qi wireless charging for phones. The second is the release of TRĂ…DFRI smart lighting , compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit home assistants.
ENEBY is supplied in two form factors: 30 by 30 and 20 by 20 cm ( photo and product cards in the official store ). Their cost is 89 and 49 dollars respectively. Two color schemes are available: black and white-gray. A 20 centimeter version has a handle, and a 30 centimeter version is replaced by a rear bass reflex port.
In order to save electricity, an auto off function is provided - the speakers are automatically turned off if they are idle for a long time. It is possible to connect one gadget directly via a 3.5mm cable or up to 8 devices via Bluetooth.
The design of the column is designed so that it fits in with the proportions of IKEA furniture, for example, Kallax and Eket shelving. Also for ENEBY is sold separately stand ENEBY Speaker Stand. For the 20-centimeter version, you can purchase an additional battery, which will extend the operating time of the device for 10 hours and will allow you to use it as a portable speaker.
While there is no possibility to order the device through the site, but both its versions are already available in stores in the US and the UK.
ENEBY is not the first IKEA project, "connected" with sound. In June 2017, the retailer announced a collaboration with Teenage Engineering, a Swedish audio equipment company. She is known for the development of synthesizers, in particular, OP-1 , awarded the Design S award in 2012. Within the framework of cooperation, a series of music devices FREKVENS is being developed, which means “frequency” (frequency).
The collection will include turntables, party lighting and a variety of speakers. In a June 2017 interview with IDEAtoday, Jesper Kouthoofd, CEO of Teenage Engineering, said that about 22 devices and facilities would be developed. The FREKVENS series will go on sale only in 2019, but two months ago the company posted a snapshot of several prototypes in its instagram.
In December 2017, IKEA announced a partnership with the American company Sonos, which specializes in home audio systems and smart speakers (smart-speakers).
Cooperation with Sonos allows IKEA to integrate with a variety of audio services: Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Audible, as well as popular voice assistants - Amazon Alexa is already supported, Google Assistant is in the process of implementation. Work is underway to integrate Apple's Siri.
“Together with Sonos, we want to democratize music and sound in the home,” said Björn Block, business leader at IKEA Smart Home. In turn, Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos, added: “We at Sonos understand the transformative power of music, and we believe that sound should be considered as an element of home design.”
Therefore, according to Thomas Ricker, The Verge journalist, we can expect the appearance of IKEA furniture with sound capabilities that will announce events on the calendar or report that a guest is on the doorstep. A partnership can also lead to just selling Sonos equipment in IKEA stores. However, this is only an assumption.
IKEA is not the only company that develops non-core solutions for itself. Recently it became known that Facebook launches two smart speakers. Devices codenamed Fiona and Aloha must compete with Amazon Echo.
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker CC
Aloha is a device with a 15-inch touch screen, as well as face and voice recognition functions. It will also include the functions of the messenger and social network Facebook. Still in operation, according to Digitimes, is a 13-inch version of the device. About Fiona is known much less, except for the alleged presence of a voice assistant, similar to Siri.
Last year, Facebook patented a modular device, the shape of which resembles a smartphone or smart speaker. According to Bloomberg, the patent may be related to two new devices, but the IT giant has not yet provided any development information. It is known that the devices can enter the market in July of this year.
While on the market of smart speakers, several companies have already consolidated, for which this direction is not core. Amazon Echo's digital assistant leads, with a sales share of about 73% in the first quarter of 2018, according to Bloomberg.
In second place is Google Home with 14%. In the last quarter of 2017, more than 7.6 million Google Home products were sold . But Apple HomePod sales continue to fall. One of the main reasons is the price of a new product of $ 350. For comparison, various Amazon Echo models cost between $ 50 and $ 230, while Google Home counterparts can be purchased for $ 50 (Home Mini) and $ 130 (Home) dollars.
Another reason for the unpopularity of Apple’s voice products is in part the “closedness” of the ecosystem. While Google and Amazon products support thousands of third-party applications, Apple allows only select applications to integrate with their voice assistant.
However, the company does not plan to lose the promising market. There are rumors about the development of a budget mini-version of the smart speaker HomePod. Also in early April, Apple hired Google's former AI lead developer, John Giannandrea, to lead Google.
The market of smart home systems is actively developing, and, according to Statista, will reach 32 billion dollars by 2022. And it is only in the USA. It is therefore not surprising that companies are beginning to offer their own solutions in this area. In this regard, the output of the ENEBY column from IKEA looks like a logical step.
Materials for additional reading from our “Hi-Fi World”:
More information about the column and similar initiatives of the trading network, we will describe below.
Photo by Phil Jackson CC
')
Characteristics of the column
The ENEBY columns are part of the IKEA Home Smart initiative aimed at developing the smart home ecosystem. Its first phase was the release of furniture with integrated Qi wireless charging for phones. The second is the release of TRĂ…DFRI smart lighting , compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit home assistants.
ENEBY is supplied in two form factors: 30 by 30 and 20 by 20 cm ( photo and product cards in the official store ). Their cost is 89 and 49 dollars respectively. Two color schemes are available: black and white-gray. A 20 centimeter version has a handle, and a 30 centimeter version is replaced by a rear bass reflex port.
In order to save electricity, an auto off function is provided - the speakers are automatically turned off if they are idle for a long time. It is possible to connect one gadget directly via a 3.5mm cable or up to 8 devices via Bluetooth.
The design of the column is designed so that it fits in with the proportions of IKEA furniture, for example, Kallax and Eket shelving. Also for ENEBY is sold separately stand ENEBY Speaker Stand. For the 20-centimeter version, you can purchase an additional battery, which will extend the operating time of the device for 10 hours and will allow you to use it as a portable speaker.
While there is no possibility to order the device through the site, but both its versions are already available in stores in the US and the UK.
Other IKEA experiments with sound
ENEBY is not the first IKEA project, "connected" with sound. In June 2017, the retailer announced a collaboration with Teenage Engineering, a Swedish audio equipment company. She is known for the development of synthesizers, in particular, OP-1 , awarded the Design S award in 2012. Within the framework of cooperation, a series of music devices FREKVENS is being developed, which means “frequency” (frequency).
The collection will include turntables, party lighting and a variety of speakers. In a June 2017 interview with IDEAtoday, Jesper Kouthoofd, CEO of Teenage Engineering, said that about 22 devices and facilities would be developed. The FREKVENS series will go on sale only in 2019, but two months ago the company posted a snapshot of several prototypes in its instagram.
Partnership with Sonos
In December 2017, IKEA announced a partnership with the American company Sonos, which specializes in home audio systems and smart speakers (smart-speakers).
Cooperation with Sonos allows IKEA to integrate with a variety of audio services: Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and Audible, as well as popular voice assistants - Amazon Alexa is already supported, Google Assistant is in the process of implementation. Work is underway to integrate Apple's Siri.
“Together with Sonos, we want to democratize music and sound in the home,” said Björn Block, business leader at IKEA Smart Home. In turn, Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos, added: “We at Sonos understand the transformative power of music, and we believe that sound should be considered as an element of home design.”
Therefore, according to Thomas Ricker, The Verge journalist, we can expect the appearance of IKEA furniture with sound capabilities that will announce events on the calendar or report that a guest is on the doorstep. A partnership can also lead to just selling Sonos equipment in IKEA stores. However, this is only an assumption.
Related initiatives of other companies
IKEA is not the only company that develops non-core solutions for itself. Recently it became known that Facebook launches two smart speakers. Devices codenamed Fiona and Aloha must compete with Amazon Echo.
Photo by Robert Couse-Baker CC
Aloha is a device with a 15-inch touch screen, as well as face and voice recognition functions. It will also include the functions of the messenger and social network Facebook. Still in operation, according to Digitimes, is a 13-inch version of the device. About Fiona is known much less, except for the alleged presence of a voice assistant, similar to Siri.
Last year, Facebook patented a modular device, the shape of which resembles a smartphone or smart speaker. According to Bloomberg, the patent may be related to two new devices, but the IT giant has not yet provided any development information. It is known that the devices can enter the market in July of this year.
While on the market of smart speakers, several companies have already consolidated, for which this direction is not core. Amazon Echo's digital assistant leads, with a sales share of about 73% in the first quarter of 2018, according to Bloomberg.
In second place is Google Home with 14%. In the last quarter of 2017, more than 7.6 million Google Home products were sold . But Apple HomePod sales continue to fall. One of the main reasons is the price of a new product of $ 350. For comparison, various Amazon Echo models cost between $ 50 and $ 230, while Google Home counterparts can be purchased for $ 50 (Home Mini) and $ 130 (Home) dollars.
Another reason for the unpopularity of Apple’s voice products is in part the “closedness” of the ecosystem. While Google and Amazon products support thousands of third-party applications, Apple allows only select applications to integrate with their voice assistant.
However, the company does not plan to lose the promising market. There are rumors about the development of a budget mini-version of the smart speaker HomePod. Also in early April, Apple hired Google's former AI lead developer, John Giannandrea, to lead Google.
The market of smart home systems is actively developing, and, according to Statista, will reach 32 billion dollars by 2022. And it is only in the USA. It is therefore not surprising that companies are beginning to offer their own solutions in this area. In this regard, the output of the ENEBY column from IKEA looks like a logical step.
Materials for additional reading from our “Hi-Fi World”:
- 40 Hi-Fi Mini Systems, Soundbars and Portable Wireless Acoustics Reviews
- 10 reasons why you need a multi-room audio system
- Room acoustics: foundation (part 1)
- “Gosh, a giant bug has flown over me”: SDK release for surround sound
- How the arrival of stereo changed life in post-war America, or a small orchestra in the living room
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/374437/
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