JBL has launched a new line of smart speakers called JBL Authentics that come with both Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa built in.
👉 Background: JBL has been around since 1946 and has consistently been a big player in the audio market. They're expensive, high-quality speakers, but certainly pack a punch.
👉 What happened: Now, JBL has launched a new line of smart speakers called JBL Authentics that come with both Google Assistant and Amazon's Alexa built in. And this is the first time you can switch between the two voice assistants at any time.
👉 What else: While these two tech giants haven't been the best of pals, it seems like the ice is finally thawing. After years of side-eyeing each other, they're finally, maybe, seeing eye-to-eye.
💡One small step for JBL, one giant leap for the future of co-operative tech. Traditionally, tech giants like Google and Amazon have operated in silos. They've built walled ecosystems that don't play well together.
💡Think about Apple's ecosystem — they try to lock users into its suite of software and devices, exclusively. Google and Amazon did a similar thing by building their ecosystem of smart home devices and voice assistants
💡While smart home technology aims to simplify lives, ironically, the siloed tech actually adds complexity. But JBL's new Authentics line could signify a shift in how tech companies approach smart home integration.
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