Siri Integration Coming To More iDevices Soon, Apple Not Looking At Smart Speakers

The latest trend in the tech space is voice activated artificial intelligence (AI) assistants. Microsoft has Cortana, Google has Google Assistant, Apple has Siri and the new kid on the block is Amazon with Alexa.

Most companies are trying to gain a foothold in this sector by launching their own brand of voice activated AI assistant, which can power a smart home device.

To tap into the profits of the voice-activated AI apps, Amazon and Google launched their Echo and Google Home speakers, respectively. Both the Amazon Echo and Google Home come with AI support for Alexa and Google Assistant, respectively.

Apple it seems is not in any hurry to launch a direct rival to both Echo and Google Home smart speakers. Instead, it will be establishing the presence of Siri on a wider array of Apple devices.

Why Did Amazon And Google Build Smart Speakers?

Amazon, in order to enter the voice activated AI space, needed to create a product designed specifically to support Alexa, as it doesn’t have a hardware presence beyond Kindle to support the AI.

Kindle was designed only to function as an e-reader and would not have served the purpose properly if Alexa was introduced on it. Similarly, Google Home was necessary as the company was not sure if the Google Pixel smartphone could have taken the load of the voice activated assistant.

Siri To Get Integrated To More Apple Devices

Currently, Siri is available on iPhones, Macs, Apple TV and also in automobiles via Apple’s CarPlay platform. The Apple AirPods also come with Siri support.

Apple is also trying to take the advantage of the company’s wide base of devices to make Siri omnipresent in the user’s life at all times.

Instead of wasting labor and capital on building a separate device to compete with Amazon and Google, Apple it seems will use its current range of products to make Siri available to all users. The strategy makes sense as one or the other Apple products are always at our beckoning, and Siri can be accessed through them easily.

iPhone 8 To Get A Smarter Siri?

iPhone 8 which is rumored to get launched as Apple tenth anniversary iPhone is expected to get a smarter version of Siri. Given the fact that more players, namely Amazon and Google have now entered the AI field, Apple is also aiming to give an edge to Siri, which has lately fallen behind Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant.

Amazon Echo supporting Alexa has been a huge hit with consumers, selling an estimated 11 billion units despite scepticism shown by reviewers after the speaker’s launch. Consumers would be hoping that with the arrival of the iPhone 8, they will also benefit from a smarter Siri in iOS 11.

Photo: Karlis Dambrans | Flickr