Last May it was reported that Apple was 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” that will be powered by Siri, its personal digital assistant. However, now TIME says Apple isn’t building an Amazon Echo rival.
“After talking with Apple executives, I’ve come away with the impression that they’re more interested in turning Siri into an omnipresent AI assistant across devices, rather than designing a single device specifically to serve as a Siri machine,” Tim Bajarin writes. “Apple is also very interested in positioning Siri as a control hub for smart home devices, as evidenced by a recent and impressive HomeKit demo I observed.”
In his TIME article, he says that Apple’s strategy here is best highlighted by the Siri functionality on the AirPods, which allows users to summon Siri with a simple double-tap on one of the earbuds. “That makes Siri even more useful, giving users a hands-free way to get answers to simple questions, navigate, or send text messages,” writes Bajarin.
