According to this article in The Record,
voice-activated tech in Canada is not advancing at nearly the rate it is in the
US. Many American companies such as Amazon and Microsoft seem to be getting involved with voice-activation in
combination with other aspects of technology. However, Mudhar does clarify by noting that it is not necessarily the fact that the Canadian tech
industry lacks innovation for voice-activation, but rather the Canadian
market and Canadian consumers as a whole have been left behind. In addition,
the Alexa system created by Amazon has been integrated with many other facets
of technology such as speakers, lamps and other home devices such as the LG
Smart Fridge. It is noted that Amazon did not provide comment on whether or not
it will be made available to Canadians anytime in the near future. The fact that glitches need to be
worked out prior to selling in the Canadian market is promising, however, could
the Canadian tech industry not create something with as much if not more
potential? Would this be a potential niche that requires addition innovation
within the Canadian industry? Should Canadians innovators wait for our American
friends to introduce a product rather than contribute effort, time and funding
towards something that is currently being worked on across the border?
I suspect that the technology isn't quite yet mature and is still in the throw it on the market and see what happens phase. The Canadian market as well isn't as large as the USA so that may play a part. This is an interesting tech interface to be sure though..certainly if you combine it with the emerging field of Virtual Reality, I see smartphones being phased out in a decade with the new frontier of VR and voice-tech taking over in some way. If we are to get in front here in Canada it may take some government funding or tax breaks to lure entrepreneurs.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel like the voice activated tech is not a big market at all and seeing that the market size in Canada is relatively smaller than that of the United States plays a part in this. I also think that due to the fact that Silicon Valley North is not as established as that in California and this voice activated technology is relatively new, it may take more time to develop it in Canada.
ReplyDeleteIn reference to the U.S. having access to these types of technologies earlier than Canada, and these technologies advancing much quicker in the U.S, it is not a trend that we haven't seen before. Much of the time, when major technological products emerge on the market, the first North American country to receive them is the U.S. This can be seen with products such as smartphones, video games and once again with voice activated products. Personally, I would not regard it as Canada being left out of this tech advancement, but merely the population of the U.S. allowing for a larger market and making it more likely for a larger audience to purchase and promote the product.
ReplyDeleteSomething else that could effect Canada and it ability to deploy this type of technology has to do with human capital and funding. In Canada there are less individuals graduating with tech related fields than in the US. This means that the collective thought power of the innovative and tech economies is less then that of our neighbors who also receive more funding from private sponsors and other institutions more than in Canada.
ReplyDeleteContrary to some of my classmates, I believe that voice-activated tech is one of the new frontiers of technology in todays society, specifically in relation to the "smart home". I see "smart home" features being integrated in to my life at a rapid rate with technology such as the Nest thermostat, Sonos sound system, and virtual keys that allow my family to lock our doors through an app on our devices. The fact that Canada is being left at the wayside in this market is unfortunate because as this market begins to grow both in the US and Canada, it could potentially be a large source of growth in both public and private sectors, provided funding is available.
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is only a matter of time until these voice-activated technologies are available in Canada. It will be interesting to see when and how they are released, if it is as a result of Canadian innovation or because it was taken from America. I have to agree with Nadine's point, in that it is unfortunate that the market for these products has yet to be filled. As the Canadian tech market grows over the next few years I think they will start to catch up to America in a lot of ways, voice-activated technology being one of them.
ReplyDeleteA lot of tech products take longer to become integrated into Canada even in the case of products being created by large international tech companies. For example, Google's Chromecast's was released in the U.S in the Summer of 2013 and took a full year to be released in Canada. In general, even when companies announce the launch of product and its distribution they often make no mention of Canada. For example, when Sony announced the release of their 4K television's they had no release date for Canada. There are a number of reasons for this. Most notably Canada has a much smaller consumer market and can be seen as uneconomic. Also Canada's restrictive digital legislation and protectionist policies limit certain distributions.
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