Home tech is taking over Editor?s note: This story was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated with the latest information.
Since Google launched its smart home hub, the Google Home?joining the Amazon Echo and Apple HomeKit?the dream of the truly smart home has edged ever closer to reality. Even Ikea has jumped in on the action, launching a line of smart lighting compatible with Amazon?s, Google?s, and Apple?s smart home ecosystems.
In June, Apple announced the HomePod?an all-in-one speaker and smart home hub not unlike the Amazon Echo?that the company hopes will rival the Echo and offer the sound quality of connected audio systems like Sonos?s line of speakers.
Well, things have heated up in the smart speaker department since then: Google announced this week the Home Max and Home Mini, iterations on its line of all-in-one smart speakers. And Sonos unveiled the Sonos One, which includes Amazon?s cloud-based, voice service Alexa. While that?s great news for tech evangelists, it?s a potential source of more confusion than excitement for your average consumer, whose knowledge of smart home ?ecosystems? is often obscured by the increasing number of options out there.
That?s where we come in. From price to compatibility and, of course, style, here are the details on the offerings from Apple, Amazon, and Google: how they differ, how much they cost, and all the basics you need to know.
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