Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has jumped into the smart home speaker space.
The company on Wednesday launched a device called the Tianmao JinglingX1 (Tmall Genie X1). It’s Alibaba’s version of Amazon’s popular Echo device. The X1 is available only in China and speaks only Mandarin.
It was only a matter of time, as voice-activated personal assistants have taken off over the last year. Amazon first introduced its Echo device in November of 2014, but over the last 6 months, Alphabet, Microsoft and Apple have launched their own versions. EMarketer expects that nearly 36 million Americans will use a smart speaker at least once a month this year. A jump of almost 130 percent over last year.
The biggest tech names in China have already been getting in on the action too. Search giant Baidu has the”Xiaoyu Zaijia” and Alibaba’s rival JD.com has the “LingLong DingDong”.
So while Alibaba may not be first to the Chinese market, the company believes that its artificial intelligence, troves of data and huge e-commerce platform will make it a leader. At a press conference in Beijing, an Alibaba executive said the X1already has “hundreds of skills” in music, entertainment, online shopping, fitness and education.
The Tmall Genie X1 will cost the equivalent of $73 for the first 1000 people purchasing one during a one month trial when it goes on sale August 8.