The article also mentions the need for improved software to make the TV a more effective smart home interface. The author argues that Amazon's Smart Home Dashboard for Fire TV needs a complete overhaul to become more user-friendly. The article concludes by suggesting that Amazon's ambitions for an "ambient home" could be realized through a combination of generative AI and a new hardware focus centered on the TV.
Key takeaways:
- The relationship between the smart TV and the smart home has been more parasitic than symbiotic, but this could change as Amazon may focus on the TV as a central hub for the smart home.
- Amazon's Fire TV Cube is already a hybrid Echo speaker and Fire TV, with hands-free voice control and powerful processor and connectivity options, making it a potential all-in-one smart home hub.
- Amazon's smart home ambitions hinge on generative AI and a new hardware focus, with the TV being a potential key player in this vision.
- Amazon's assistant could potentially flex AI superpowers through a Fire TV Cube-style streaming device/smart speaker combined with a powerful smart home hub, providing a compelling package for consumers.