Dan Ness, Principal Analyst, MetaFacts, March 1, 2018
Among voice assistant users, Apple AirPods have the most recent use of a listening device, with 78% having used it on the day we surveyed them. This high active-usage rate is closely followed by Apple notebooks or desktop Macs.
Android smartphones rank last for this most-recent-use measure, although rank 1st for having been used within the prior week.
This is based on the MetaFacts Voice User Profile survey conducted in February 2018. This survey was conducted in late February shortly after the release of the Apple HomePod, so too soon to measure the impact of Apple’s new smart speaker on the marketplace.
Observations
We’re in a time of experimentation, as technology users are finding their voice. The novelty of voice-control is still fresh, and it remains to be seen whether Voice Assistants will be regularly used by more than a few tech enthusiasts.
Voice Assistant use has reached a greater share of the public’s attention, especially following Amazon’s aggressive push into Smart Speakers and enabling Alexa across a broader range of devices. Similarly, Microsoft’s Cortana, Google Assistant, and Samsung Bixby have garnered renewed attention, and are slowly starting to come into everyday use.
Measuring recency of use is an important indicator of true usage levels. It’s one thing for consumers to play with the features of their new technology devices. It’s another thing for them to incorporate something like Voice Assistant use throughout their day.
Related research results
The MetaFacts Voice User Profile includes other related analysis, including:
- The topics Voice Assistant users ask about: weather, scheduling, music, entertainment, home automation, and more
- Which Voice Assistant systems are being actively used, on which platforms, and which segments they are attracting
- Which listening devices are being actively used – from Smart Speakers to Smartphones and Headsets
- Where Voice Assistant users will – and won’t – do their talking: in restaurants, driving, while walking, and many other locations and settings
- How well – or poorly – users experience their Voice Assistants, and how performance metrics vary by system and listening device
- How many adults are active Voice Assistant users, how many are former users, and how many have never tried one
- Reasons given why consumers have never used a Voice Assistant, as well as why former users aren’t currently active users
Source
The information in this MetaFAQs is based on a survey of 525 online adults during February 2018 as part of the MetaFacts Voice User Profile. The study universe included active Voice Assistant users, former Voice Assistant users, as well as consumers who have never used a Voice Assistant.
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