Apple is likely to announce a brand new product, tentatively called Siri Speaker, at WWDC. I know you are staring blankly at your screen and wondering “What the hell is a Siri Speaker?”. Let’s find out …
“One Bot to rule them all”
Siri Speaker is Apple’s version of a new category of product that’s fast becoming hugely popular in the West. These are virtual assistants that live inside a box and help you with various tasks.
Essentially, they are the 21st century equivalent of Aladin’s Genie!
The market is currently ruled by Amazon Echo. Then there’s Google Home. Siri Speaker is going to be a direct competition to both of these.
What exactly are these devices?
As mentioned earlier, Amazon Echo, Google Home, and now Apple Siri Speaker, are virtual assistants. Except that, instead of running inside our phones — as we are used to seeing them — these live inside a speaker/sound box sitting somewhere in your home.
These speakers come with their companies virtual assistants pre-loaded in them. Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant, and Apple’s Siri respectively power these devices.
What are they used for?
Their use is pretty much the same as that on the phone. They are used to access the internet and do basic stuff like set reminders and alarms, make lists, or find out the weather.
However, they are becoming quite the rage as control systems for Smart Home devices. Both Echo and Home are capable of turning on-off the lights, the sprinklers, lock your garage door, regulate the AC temperature, etc. (with compatible Smart Home Installations, of course).
And now Apple wants to do that with Siri Speaker. Apple already has a smart home app in place called HomeKit. These new speakers will be able to work seamlessly with that.
However, Apple has a lot of catching up to do as Amazon Echo practically dominates the market.
How did Amazon get so far ahead?
Two phrases: Patience and good business sense.
Business Insider observes:
“A big part of Amazon’s early success with the Echo, launched in 2014, is due to the fact that the company didn’t oversell it. After years of iPhone users getting let down by Siri, the first truly mainstream voice agent, Amazon billed the Echo as a speaker that, by the way, has a few smart voice commands built in.”
It’ll be interesting to how Apple goes about its business of capturing the market. And they must find a way to win decent market share because there’s no doubt whatsoever that smart homes are the future of consumer electronics, and those who control your home will control your life too!