According to The Verge, Garmin has announced a new Ai speaker, “Garmin Speak” that includes integration with Amazon’s Alexa (Ai voice control system). In addition to Alexa’s functions, some more functions can be used such as Garmin GPS turn-by-turn navigation and a controlling car stereo, etc. Not only Garmin Speak also several companies such as Google and Apple, have launched original Ai speakers, which made an unprecedented Ai-speaker-fad. According to the survey in 2016 of Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications in Japan, the rate of smartphone-users surged from 32.0% to 71.3% in 2012-2016, but just up 2.6% year-on-year. The smartphone market has seemed to be getting inactive. However, users of smartphones in their 60’s are still 30% of the users’ base. It is assumed that connecting Ai speakers with user-friendly features, which can be intuitively operated, with smartphones can boost the smartphone usage rate by the elderly, who shunned mobile devices because of complicated usages.

Sachio Kawabata