2018 to be breakthrough year for smart speakers, but China evades the grasp

New findings from research firm Canalys estimate the global smart speaker market will increase to 56.3 million shipments in 2018, but the elusive Chinese market still ducks and dives.
2017 has been a good year for smart speakers, with the concept gaining general acceptance in the mass market. This is down to several factors, and lessons learned from previous tech failures such as the smartwatch, but a lower price point and the transition from touch to voice interface certainly would have helped.