It looks like Amazon is open to supporting third-party voice assistants such as Apple’s Siri or Google Assistant on its Echo speakers.
“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.”
The Echo currently uses Amazon’s Alexa assistant, which has also been used on 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.
Where Google has been eager to license its Assistant to third-party hardware, Apple has historically reserved Siri for its own products. That being said, it seems unlikely that Apple would license Siri to appear on Amazon’s Echo speaker in the near future.
Apple’s Homepod speaker, announced this week at WWDC, focuses on high-end audio and boasts seven tweeters, a subwoofer, and beamforming for vocals. It will also sell for a much higher price tag of $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 users will be able to use the speaker to communicate with assorted HomeKit devices as well as remotely control their appliances while away from home as needed. At the moment, only iPads and the Apple TV can serve as hubs.
Via AppleInsider and CNBC