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Alexa is to Amazon what Metaverse is to Meta. Both are bets to create a new platform as they feel threatened by Apple & Google's dominance on mobile. Meta sho

by Zaheer 4y ago

Alexa is to Amazon what Metaverse is to Meta. Both are bets to create a new platform as they feel threatened by Apple & Google's dominance on mobile. Meta should take note. Alexa is widely adopted (# of devices) but has little engagement and still hasn't broken outside of the most primitive use-cases (play music, remind me, etc)

ronnier 4y ago
They'd probably get a lot more use if they opened up the API so we can send commands locally to say, play an mp3.
- qqtt 4y ago
  They have a Alexa skill development kit where you can make your own commands but yeah, as far as I know it’s all cloud based: https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/get-deeper/dev-tools-skill-management-api https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/ge...
  - akira2501 4y ago
    The skill flow builder is a nice desktop GUI program that can help you develop interactive skills without having to engage with raw API. https://developer.amazon.com/es-ES/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/2020/07/skill-flow-builder-introduction-and-setup https://developer.amazon.com/es-ES/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-...
foostepsndpics 4y ago
That may be a flawed analogy. Meta tried to create a new market with the Metaverse, but Amazon overhired in their Alexa department because they were surprised by the financial success of smart speakers and wanted to double down. Anecdotally, I often see the trashcan speakers in peoples' kitchens, even if people usually say that they only use it as a fancy radio alarm clock. I rarely meet people who have tried Oculus' recent hardware, and those who have are usually gadgetheads who keep it in a closet as a party novelty. There was a spike in interest when Valve released the Vive and Oculus was an independent entity, but that was more about gaming than social experiences, and it seems to have tapered off in my social circles.
iLoveOncall 4y ago
For context, I work for Amazon, have multiple Alexa devices, an Oculus Quest 2 and I think the Metaverse is absolute bullshit and will never bring a cent. But I totally disagree with the comparison between Alexa and the Metaverse. Alexa has adoption and struggles with monetization, while the Metaverse struggles with adoption but would have endless possibilities for monetization. What is condemning a lot of Alexa teams today is the complete inability for Alexa to be anything more than a music speaker that also tells you the weather and sets timers. It's tedious to interact with and it's impossible to monetize, just because of how limited the "interface" is. The Metaverse will never struggle with the same problems. It's not gonna work, but not because it can't be monetized.

by Zaheer 4y ago

ronnier 4y ago

They'd probably get a lot more use if they opened up the API so we can send commands locally to say, play an mp3.

qqtt 4y ago
They have a Alexa skill development kit where you can make your own commands but yeah, as far as I know it’s all cloud based: https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/get-deeper/dev-tools-skill-management-api https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/ge...
- akira2501 4y ago
  The skill flow builder is a nice desktop GUI program that can help you develop interactive skills without having to engage with raw API. https://developer.amazon.com/es-ES/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-kit/2020/07/skill-flow-builder-introduction-and-setup https://developer.amazon.com/es-ES/blogs/alexa/alexa-skills-...

foostepsndpics 4y ago

That may be a flawed analogy. Meta tried to create a new market with the Metaverse, but Amazon overhired in their Alexa department because they were surprised by the financial success of smart speakers and wanted to double down. Anecdotally, I often see the trashcan speakers in peoples' kitchens, even if people usually say that they only use it as a fancy radio alarm clock. I rarely meet people who have tried Oculus' recent hardware, and those who have are usually gadgetheads who keep it in a closet as a party novelty. There was a spike in interest when Valve released the Vive and Oculus was an independent entity, but that was more about gaming than social experiences, and it seems to have tapered off in my social circles.

iLoveOncall 4y ago

For context, I work for Amazon, have multiple Alexa devices, an Oculus Quest 2 and I think the Metaverse is absolute bullshit and will never bring a cent. But I totally disagree with the comparison between Alexa and the Metaverse. Alexa has adoption and struggles with monetization, while the Metaverse struggles with adoption but would have endless possibilities for monetization. What is condemning a lot of Alexa teams today is the complete inability for Alexa to be anything more than a music speaker that also tells you the weather and sets timers. It's tedious to interact with and it's impossible to monetize, just because of how limited the "interface" is. The Metaverse will never struggle with the same problems. It's not gonna work, but not because it can't be monetized.