Google may be entering the smart home business with its own hardware — Google Home — but it seems as though the company isn’t too fussy about how well the device does. Instead, what it really wants is the software running on it, Google Assistant, to be in as many homes as possible.
According to a report from Variety, Google is encouraging electronics makers to build their own smart home hubs with the Google Home virtual assistant built-in to them, largely in an effort to compete against the highly popular Amazon Echo. Google is expected to divulge more details about the Assistant at its October 4 event.
According to the report, Google has even held closed-door events with representatives from electronics companies to try and drum up interest for Google Home. The meetings reportedly included about 50 individuals, and some of the biggest names in the home audio industry were in attendance.
Many of those companies aren’t new to working with Google, according to the report. Some of them, for example, have worked with Google on smart home speakers that have Google Cast, a feature that essentially allows you to stream audio from your phone to a home speaker.
It certainly makes sense that Google would be pushing for adoption of its new home assistant. Google has always encouraged the use of its software on other devices, a tradition that dates back to when Android first started gaining popularity. While Google is taking more of an interest in hardware of late, the company still makes the vast majority of its money through advertising, and the more platforms it has to advertise through or to gain data through, the more money its likely to make. It will be interesting to see if any “powered by Google Home” devices pop up over the next year, and what they have to offer.
