Amazon Echo has been doing so well that not only Google wants to copy it but now Apple as well. The Information doesn’t name its source for the report, though the publication states it stems from someone “close to the issue”. Such a device would have a speaker, be always connected, and will sport HomeKit and AirPlay integration.
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As for the actual hardware competitor to Amazon Echo and Google Home, the report says that Apple has been working the device since before Amazon introduced the Echo in mid-2015.
Siri already features integrations with services from companies like Google and Yelp, but these have been fairly limited. Trust me, a Siri SDK will be met with much love from developers and will probably be the greatest thing Apple’s ever done since the iPhone. And it is working on an Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer.
Key to the device’s functionality is a more open Siri platform, something Apple has been reportedly debating internally since 2011. With an upcoming software development kit (SDK), app developers will be able to make their apps work with Siri. The new, more open system would seem to mirror Apple’s changes on the latest model of Apple TV, opening up to third-parties and taking the company mostly out of the equation – developers would be responsible for making sure their apps properly integrate.
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Last week Google officially took the wraps off of its Amazon Echo competitor Google Home, while earlier this month the original Siri creators unveiled their latest personal assistant Viv.
