A new Apple TV could be Apple’s answer to Alexa.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac
In order to better compete with Amazon’s Echo devices, Apple reportedly plans to update the Apple TV with more Siri features that will hopefully turn the device into the hub of everything.
“A new version of the Apple TV will solve problems with the existing box and remote control,” reports VentureBeat, which claims Apple is considering three different options to compete against Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo speaker.
It was revealed earlier this week that Apple is exploring projects to compete with Amazon Echo and now Google Home. The first step will be to open Siri to developers with an Siri SDK at WWDC 2016, however it’s unclear what type of hardware Apple will develop to compete with Amazon’s Alexa products.
Apple reportedly considered turning Apple TV into better assistant, transforming the Siri TV remote into the key device for an assistant, or making a standalone speaker. The problem with using the newest Apple TV as the input device is it doesn’t have a microphone, while using the mic on the Siri remote would rapidly drain its battery.
The Apple TV will eventually get its own microphone and speaker claims VentureBeat. While the current box can handle dictation it needs more computing power for queries and serving up deeper results.
