Amazon willing to allow Apple's Siri on Echo speakers, executive says
Amazon is open to supporting third-party voice assistants like Apple's Siri or Google Assistant on its Echo speakers, the company's senior VP of devices said on Wednesday.
"If Apple or Google want to come call, my phone number is out there. They can call," David Limp remarked to CNBC. "I hope there is a day when that happens. I don't know if I can envision it, but I hope it happens, on behalf of customers."
Currently the Echo line uses Amazon's Alexa assistant, which has been popular enough to spread to other devices, including third-party offerings like phones and thermostats. It in fact spawned the entire "smartspeaker" product category -- Amazon's main competition being the Google Home, and Apple's newly-announced HomePod, coming in December. Microsoft is meanwhile working with partners on Cortana-enabled speakers.
While Google has been eager to put Assistant on third-party hardware, Apple has so far reserved Siri exclusively for its own products. It's therefore unlikely that Siri will appear on an Echo anytime soon.
The HomePod takes a different tack than most smartspeakers, concentrating on high-end audio with features like seven tweeters, a subwoofer, and beamforming for vocals. It will also sell for a much higher pricetag -- $349, about $169 more than the standard Echo, and $220 more than the Google Home. An Echo Dot is just $49.99, though it requires existing speakers for quality sound.
HomePod owners will also be able to use the speaker as a hub for HomeKit devices, enabling control away from home. At the moment, only iPads and the Apple TV can serve as hubs.
"If Apple or Google want to come call, my phone number is out there. They can call," David Limp remarked to CNBC. "I hope there is a day when that happens. I don't know if I can envision it, but I hope it happens, on behalf of customers."
Currently the Echo line uses Amazon's Alexa assistant, which has been popular enough to spread to other devices, including third-party offerings like phones and thermostats. It in fact spawned the entire "smartspeaker" product category -- Amazon's main competition being the Google Home, and Apple's newly-announced HomePod, coming in December. Microsoft is meanwhile working with partners on Cortana-enabled speakers.
While Google has been eager to put Assistant on third-party hardware, Apple has so far reserved Siri exclusively for its own products. It's therefore unlikely that Siri will appear on an Echo anytime soon.
The HomePod takes a different tack than most smartspeakers, concentrating on high-end audio with features like seven tweeters, a subwoofer, and beamforming for vocals. It will also sell for a much higher pricetag -- $349, about $169 more than the standard Echo, and $220 more than the Google Home. An Echo Dot is just $49.99, though it requires existing speakers for quality sound.
HomePod owners will also be able to use the speaker as a hub for HomeKit devices, enabling control away from home. At the moment, only iPads and the Apple TV can serve as hubs.
Comments
"Hey Siri, what's the best smartspeaker?"
"Not the one you are currently using."
Then again, if Echo supported Bluetooth HSP and/or HFP profiles, you could simply pair it and use the Echo's built-in mic with your iOS device...
...apparently they do not: Supported Bluetooth Profiles for Echo. Perhaps just as well. I don't know if this would be a good idea in practice (I'm just having a crazy thought day).
1. The SIRI voices use of machine learning to clearly say Sunny, Sunny and Sunny in intelligent human "tones" it's simply an amazing feat of artificial intelligence. It's NOT a recording folks, SIRI appears to know about human tones and emotions. "I love machine learning because I am a Machine.....Learning."
2. SIRI supports the most languages and as Apple works on translations, HomePod can become the ultimate translator. It would take years of work for Amazon to catch up in terms of ML.
Time will tell.
Echo audio quality is too crappy.
Amazon's data-mining users is too creepy.
https://9to5google.com/2017/06/07/watch-new-googl-home-ads-temporary-price-cut-video/
And no, Siri is not allowed in any of non Apple products. I don't think so.
The Echo with Alexa is no slouch and Amazon is a brilliant company. But there's little to be gained by Apple or its customers by putting Siri into a third party hardware device. In many ways Siri is simply an API/UI that's intimately bound to the Apple hardware, software, services, design, style, brand value, environmental, etc., capabilities that are unique to Apple and valued by Apple customers. Extracting Siri from its home universe just so it can be used as an alternative voice UI on Echo greatly diminishes its total value contribution to the "greater than the sum of parts" expectations held by Apple's customers.
All voice assistant technologies are still in their early stages of development and maturity. We're also on the cusp of AI, AR, VR, and machine learning becoming mainstream vehicles for delivering additional consumer value in connected products like HomePod (and everything else Apple does). Apple will undoubtedly take Siri in some form far broader and deeper into everything it does. It does not make sense for Apple to chain themselves to someone else's products in a way that slows them down or tarnishes the relationship they have with friends and foes alike. Apple's Siri does not need Echo and Amazon's Echo does not need Siri. Mr Limp's statement is a chaff flare.
It wouldn't be any different than having any other 2 iOS devices in the same room. My iPhone SE is always quickest to respond over my iPad Pro. They both start, but the SE must be the first to say, "I got this", and the iPad backs down.
No thanks, Limp.
If only they were yellow...