Is Google Abandoning the NZ Smarthome Market?

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Is Google Abandoning the NZ Smarthome Market?

JimmyH

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#318341 8-Jan-2025 12:54

I know they have just released their new streamer, but I'm wondering whether they are generally pulling back from this market.

I have four Home Mini speakers (which I have been using for years and really like), as well as three of the Smart Hubs (essentially the same as a Mini speaker, with a 7" touch screen) spread around the house.

I wanted to upgrade the audio in two rooms, and also upgrade speaker coverage around the house, however Google never even bothered to release the Nest Audio (a much upgraded smart speaker in terms of audio quality) in this market. It was released in the US, UK and Aus etc. The Nest Mini (successor to the Home Mini) was released here it now seems to be out of stock everywhere. the Smart Hub also seems to be out of stock everywhere. All sellers seem to be carrying are Alexa speakers.

There seems to be no material from Google at all - commenting on unavailable products, whether new product is coming, or whether they are abandoning the market. Total radio silence.

I was keen to stay with Google because I liked the product (although its speech processing seems to have been getting "dumber" of late), and it plays nice with controlling my Chromecasts and some other smart products I have (plugs, lighting etc). But I'm starting to wonder whether they are giving up on NZ, and whether I should ditch the investment what I have and change the house to Alexa in the next sales?

CamH

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#3329072 8-Jan-2025 13:08

I wondered the same thing myself. I recently wanted to get some more Nest Protect alarms... no longer available anywhere in NZ.

If I want them, I have to buy them from overseas for some $340~ each.

turtleattacks

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#3329075 8-Jan-2025 13:42

Not sure if it's related by our Bose Soundbar in New Zealand does not feature Google Assistant.

We have to VPN into Australia on setup, link it up and then it works that way. No need to revisit VPN unless you need to set it up again.

----

Creator of whatsthesalary.com and whatstheincometax.com

cddt

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#3329078 8-Jan-2025 13:50

I would not expect longevity from any non-core Google product. They are infamous for discontinuing products, it's a meme.

https://killedbygoogle.com/

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davidcole

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#3329086 8-Jan-2025 14:28

With something like home assistant you can expose things that are not google home to google home (similar to how it can for apples homekit).

So that means you're not tied to their lack of hardware.

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jonathan18

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#3329090 8-Jan-2025 14:41

While I’m not looking for new products (like you, we have minis, hubs or Lenovo smart clock radios in every room), I too am seriously thinking as to whether Google devices are the future, primarily due to their increasingly poor performance (in particular worsening voice recognition). I am fascinated and irritated in equal measure that ‘smart’ devices can clearly get so much dumber over time.

Other frustrations like Google never sorting out the problem of Nest Hub Maxes being unable to see (and therefore connect to) 5 GHz mean I have little faith in their products or their future maintenance.

I’m not interested in HA or other geek solutions like that; I’d really rather not shift to Alexa-based products but it may be the best option…

davidcole

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#3329092 8-Jan-2025 14:48

jonathan18:
I’m not interested in HA or other geek solutions like that; I’d really rather not shift to Alexa-based products but it may be the best option…

The problem with this statement, it that you'll aways be restricted to products that are a, released on your region, and b, supported for the amount of time that the parent company thinks they can get enough money out of it.

Tying yourself to one ecosystem - leaves you exposed - homekit, google home, alexa, samsung smarthome.

What google does well are their media products, and the Casting ability.

Samsung

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jonathan18

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#3329096 8-Jan-2025 14:54

davidcole:
The problem with this statement, it that you'll aways be restricted to products that are a, released on your region, and b, supported for the amount of time that the parent company thinks they can get enough money out of it.

Tying yourself to one ecosystem - leaves you exposed - homekit, google home, alexa, samsung smarthome.

The bigger problem is not all of us are lucky enough to have the skill set to get HA functioning effectively and maintaining it at that level! (I think this is something true computer geeks either forget about or don’t necessarily appreciate.) So, yep, there are some of us who want to have our cake (a workable ‘smart home’) and eat it too (for it to be easy to operate). Obviously this comes with significant compromises…

Jvipers2

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#3329108 8-Jan-2025 15:30

There could be truth to it as Google is volume and profit driven

Guess there's not much to make for them here

Talkiet

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#3329176 8-Jan-2025 16:34

jonathan18:
davidcole:

The problem with this statement, it that you'll aways be restricted to products that are a, released on your region, and b, supported for the amount of time that the parent company thinks they can get enough money out of it.

Tying yourself to one ecosystem - leaves you exposed - homekit, google home, alexa, samsung smarthome.

The bigger problem is not all of us are lucky enough to have the skill set to get HA functioning effectively and maintaining it at that level! (I think this is something true computer geeks either forget about or don’t necessarily appreciate.) So, yep, there are some of us who want to have our cake (a workable ‘smart home’) and eat it too (for it to be easy to operate). Obviously this comes with significant compromises…

Even those of us with the skillset get tired of Homeassistant's elitist attitude to maintenance and upgrades. If you're not a linux expert and prepared to spend many hours fixing things when the common breaking upgrades happen, just don't bother with HA.

This isn't a big deal to the experts that have used it from day one, or are already linux experts - but for everyone else, this disdain for ordinary users makes Homeassistant utterly impractical to maintain.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

antoniosk

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#3329237 8-Jan-2025 17:26

JimmyH:

I know they have just released their new streamer, but I'm wondering whether they are generally pulling back from this market.

I was keen to stay with Google because I liked the product (although its speech processing seems to have been getting "dumber" of late), and it plays nice with controlling my Chromecasts and some other smart products I have (plugs, lighting etc). But I'm starting to wonder whether they are giving up on NZ, and whether I should ditch the investment what I have and change the house to Alexa in the next sales?

So, it would be good to expect nothing from Google at all about their future plans. like most of bit tech, they don't give much advance notice of what is planned to be delisted or supported unless it benefits them to. Apple does it grumpily with some of their stuff but are always silent when something is obsoleted.

NZ is too small a market for any of the big guys to care. Google are particularly good at bricking devices and creating tonnes of ewaste in the process, which is maddening especially as the products tend to be ok.

Eufy is moving their 2 series to 3 series cameras, but they have been around for 5 years and I don't think they will brick. Ditto Arlo.

Personal feeling is Google anything including their Android phones is a hiding to nothing very soon.

________

Antoniosk

Goosey

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#3329447 9-Jan-2025 09:32

Just guessing it’s all possibly due to the following assumptions potentially 😀

It could be all, it could be some. It could be none…. Hahah

1) marketing and trade spend budgets for 2024 was exhausted, so that limited their negotiations with go to market plans with retailers (running high / low promos with them and supporting it with catalouge spend and other marketing spends

2) company already hit some targets, so pushes any launches or innovation into the following years budgets

3) manufacturing capacity and or constraints and or tooling and or material constraints (including total costs of goods per unit shipped financials)

4) innovation pipeline timings

5) maybe 3rd parties are having some negotiations and or other discussions about supporting googleness into their products.

side note, if it’s not a hi fi system, then what’s the point…how many small speakers with endless apps and wifi and Bluetooth related stuff does one need to simply listen to music.

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old3eyes

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#3329453 9-Jan-2025 10:03

Jvipers2: There could be truth to it as Google is volume and profit driven

Guess there's not much to make for them here

Certainly seems that way with their cell phone offering here .

Regards,

Old3eyes

Jvipers2

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#3329600 9-Jan-2025 15:32

old3eyes:
Certainly seems that way with their cell phone offering here .

Which is very odd seeing how China is able to reach the world nowadays...
Probably the aftersales requirement doesn't do it for Google?