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With “Amazon” set to dominate the smart assistant market through its “Echo” device and “Google” close on its heels with “Google Home,” it would seem that “Apple” has fallen behind. This is rather ironic since the “iPhone” maker is responsible for the first smart assistant when it introduced “Siri” to the general public back in 2011 with the “iPhone 4s.” In a bid to retake their position, The Information reports that “Apple” is planning on giving outside app developers access to their precious “Siri” during the Worldwide Developers Conference.
The conference is scheduled for June 13 to June 17 and it will be held in San Francisco. The access will allow developers to integrate the smart assistant more seamlessly in the deeper functions of their apps, thus allowing for smoother interaction and performance.
“Siri” already has access to certain apps, opening them with voice command, but core integration can lead to even more options for users to access. With competition in the smart assistant market intensifying, it seems “Apple” is relying on expanded functionality and extended usage to make the difference. More than that, the company is also set to release a device that could compete with what “Amazon” and “Google” have on the market right now.
The main selling point for both the “Echo” device and “Google Home” is the convenience that they offer when accessing the functions of devices they are connected to. This convenience is among the reasons why “Amazon” was able to sell over 3 million units of the device since 2014, according to a Consumer Intelligence Research Partners report.
By always staying on, users would only need to speak a command and the devices would respond automatically. Users could command the smart assistants to do things like turning the lights on/off, switching songs or even to order dinner. Supposedly, “Apple” was already working on their own version before “Echo” ever came to the market.
It seems that this is just the beginning though, as an article by The Street notes how analysts expect increased complexities among smart assistants in the future. Conceivably, they could eventually perform tasks that human assistants often do.
