Google Home Launch in UK April 6th
Google Home will formally launch in the UK on April 6th according to a blog post this morning by Suveer Kothari, director of product
£129 for Your New UK Google Home
The blog post goes on to list several services such as local weather, traffic and sports that we have all come to expect from our voice assistants. It also will launch with access to information from several news sources such as BBC, The Guardian, The Financial Times, The Sun, The Telegraph, Sky News, Sky Sports. The cost will mirror the nominal rates for Google Home in the U.S. Kothari comments:
Google Home will be available in stores on April 6th for £129 from the Google Store and is also available from Argos, Dixons, John Lewis and Maplin and coming soon to EE.
New Wi-Fi Product Too
It is interesting that Google is also releasing a new Wi-Fi product on the same day. The UK Office of National Statistics suggests that 89% of UK households have internet access and other sources suggest about 85% have Wi-Fi installed. However, that doesn’t mean the Wi-Fi is good. The new Google Wifi provides a primary wireless access point and you can also add units to create a mesh network. This will extend coverage into hard-to-reach areas of a home. This is important because voice assistant devices require wireless connectivity to operate. There is no other option. And, Google wants you to be able to place your Google Home wherever is most convenient for you, ideally in multiple locations throughout the home.
The Global Voice Assistant Battle Heats Up
The Amazon Echo will soon have competition in the UK. The Echo had a two year head start on Google Home in the U.S., but just seven months in the UK. There is still an early mover advantage but with so few UK homes already owning an Amazon Echo, Google Home would appear to be in a much better position to quickly grab market share.
Google Home Just Served an Ad, Alexa Uses a Different Approach
