One week after Google introduced Home, its Amazon Echo competitor, a report has emerged that claims that Apple is working on a similar device of its own.
According to a report from The Information, Apple is developing an “Amazon Echo-like device” that will have its own speaker and microphone. The device is expected to let you listen to music, get news, set a timer, control smart home devices, and more, just like the Amazon Echo.
It’s also said that Apple is planning to open Siri up to third-party apps. With an upcoming software development kit (SDK), app developers will be able to make their apps work with Siri. The SDK could be available as soon as the Worldwide Developers Conference, which Apple will hold in mid-June.
Details on Apple’s plans are light, but the moves would make sense. Digital assistants are becoming a big deal, and while Siri has gotten better recently, it’s still lagging behind competitors like Google. Opening up Siri to other apps would greatly increase its usability. Meanwhile, we’ve seen the Amazon Echo become very popular since its launch in late 2014, and so there could be great interest in an Apple version of the device. It’ll be interesting to see how the device compares to the Echo and Google Home, but right now there’s no word on when it might launch or how much it’ll cost.
Would you be interested in an Apple version of the Amazon Echo?
