Google Home proves Canadians are ready for a smarter lifestyle

Based on the recent success of Google Home, it’s safe to say that Canadians are ready to lead smarter lifestyles with help from a digital assistant.  

According to Google’s market research, as reported in the Financial Post, 73% of Canadians want to be able to complete tasks by speaking to a digital assistant, while 70% of smartphone owners would rather speak instead of typing to complete tasks. 53% of smartphone owners also prefer if they could send voice or video messages instead of text.  

When it comes to the tasks Canadians want completed by a digital assistant, 58% want it to find directions, 40% want it to order food, 40% want it to make restaurant reservations, and 36% want it to make or manage shopping lists.

According to Google, as the Google Home assistant increases in popularity among Canadians, more services will be added. As more third party services partner up with Google Home, the more useful the assistant will be.  

For example, I’m sure people would appreciate compatibility with fitness apps, so it would be like you have your own personal trainer in your home. Or imagine if you could order an Uber just by speaking.

Google Home is obviously targeted at everyday life, but as the technology develops, I can see it becoming extremely useful in business environments. It’s already possible to verbally set event reminders and meetings on your phone, but it would be nice to have a digital assistant in the office so using a smartphone wasn’t even necessary.

For farming and other agricultural businesses, a digital assistant could predict the weather, set reminders, trigger sprinklers and other mechanical devices, and measure soil moisture or content.  

The success of Google Home marks the beginning of a new era for Canadian households and businesses. The more digital assistants become prevalent in our everyday lives, the more important it will be for everyone to have equitable access to highly available, scalable and affordable Internet.

NOTE: Google came under fire for using its "deep pockets to fund academic research that backs its own agenda."  But, it's hard to argue that Canadians aren't ready for digital assistants. 

Feature image via madeby.google.com