Why IKEA released a Bluetooth speaker, and other company experiments with sound

    In IKEA stores, ENEBY Bluetooth speakers are on sale. The release of the device is part of the initiative of a Swedish company to introduce audio systems in home interiors.

    More information about the column and similar initiatives of the distribution network will be described below. Photo Phil Jackson CC




    Column specifications


    ENEBY speakers are part of the IKEA Home Smart initiative to develop the smart home ecosystem. Its first phase was the release of furniture with built-in Qi wireless charging for phones. The second is the release of TRÅDFRI smart lighting , compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Apple HomeKit home assistants.

    ENEBY comes in two form factors: 30 by 30 and 20 by 20 cm ( photos and product cards in the official store ). Their cost is 89 and 49 dollars, respectively. Two color schemes are available: black and white-gray. In the 20-centimeter version, a pen is provided, and in the 30-centimeter version it replaces the rear port of the bass reflex.

    In order to save energy, the 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 3.5 mm cable or up to 8 devices via Bluetooth.

    The design of the speaker is designed so that it fits into the proportions of IKEA furniture, for example, Kallax and Eket racks. The ENEBY Speaker Stand is also sold separately for ENEBY. For the 20-centimeter version, you can purchase an additional battery that will extend the device’s operating time by 10 hours and allow you to use it as a portable speaker.

    While it is not possible to order the device through the site, but both versions are already available in stores in the US and the UK.

    Other IKEA experiments with sound


    ENEBY is not the first IKEA project to “connect” with sound. In June 2017, the retail chain announced a collaboration with Teenage Engineering, a Swedish audio equipment company. She is known for developing synthesizers, in particular the OP-1 , awarded the Design S Award in 2012. In the framework of cooperation, a series of musical devices FREKVENS is being developed, which means “frequency” in translation.

    The collection will include vinyl players, party lighting and a variety of speakers. In a June interview2017 IDEAtoday Jesper Kouthoofd (Jesper Kouthoofd), CEO of Teenage Engineering, said that about 22 devices and facilities will be developed. The FREKVENS series will go on sale only in 2019, but two months ago the company posted a snapshot of several prototypes on its instagram .

    Partnership with Sonos


    In December 2017, IKEA announced a partnership with Sonos, an American company specializing in home audio systems and smart speakers.

    Collaboration with Sonos allows IKEA to integrate with a wide 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 Siri from Apple.

    “Together with Sonos, we want to democratize the music and sound in the house,” said Björn Block, IKEA Smart Home business leader. In turn, Patrick Spence, CEO of Sonos, added: “At Sonos, we understand the transformative power of music, and we believe that sound should be considered an element of home design.”

    Therefore, as The Verge journalist Thomas Ricker writes , we can expect the appearance of IKEA furniture with sound capabilities that will notify about events on the calendar or inform that a guest is on the doorstep of the house. A partnership can also simply lead to the sale of Sonos appliances at IKEA stores. However, these are only speculations.

    Related initiatives from other companies


    IKEA is not the only company engaged in the development of non-core solutions for itself. Recently it became known that Facebook is releasing two smart speakers. Devices codenamed Fiona and Aloha must compete with Amazon Echo.


    Photo Robert Couse-Baker CC

    Aloha is a device with a 15-inch touch screen, as well as facial recognition and voice recognition. It will also include the functions of the messenger and the social network Facebook. Still in work, according to Digitimes, is a 13-inch version of the device. About Fiona, much less is known, except for the alleged presence of a voice assistant similar to Siri.

    Facebook patented last yearmodular device, the shape of which resembles a smartphone or smart speaker. According to Bloomberg, a 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 this year.

    So far, several companies have already been entrenched in the market of smart speakers for which this direction is not core. Amazon Echo, the digital assistant, is the leader, with a sales share of approximately 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 . And here's the sale of Apple HomePodkeep falling. One of the main reasons is the price of a new product at $ 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).

    Another reason for the unpopularity of Apple products vocal part is a "closed" 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 miss a promising market. There are rumors about the development of a budget mini-version of the smart speaker HomePod. Also in early April, Apple hiredJohn Giannandrea, Google’s former lead on AI development.

    The market for smart home systems is actively developing, and, according to Statista, will reach $ 32 billion by 2022. And this is only in the USA. Therefore, it is not surprising that companies begin to offer their own solutions in this area. In this regard, the output of the ENEBY column from IKEA looks like a logical step.

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