Apple will soon reveal a competitor at Amazon Echo

After Google introduced its Google health home smart speaker to us last week, it looks like Apple can in turn quickly reveal a competitor to the Amazon Echo.

There are rumors that Apple is developing a smart speaker with Siri inside. The report says that the Cupertino company has been working very hard on the design of this device; even before Echo was launched by Amazon last year. Like the two previous speakers, the one equipped with Siri will highlight web connectivity. Obviously, it will take the form of a speaker.

But before this product hits the market, Apple would like to open the Siri software to developers. This would mean that third party applications could be used by Siri; much like when Alexa orders you an Uber car. To date, Siri has had little interaction with third-party applications. Companies like Yelp and Yahoo have had to make pretty heavy deals with the Apple brand for their apps to work with.

Apple WWDC, Apple’s developer conference, will take place in a few days next June. This is when the product should be announced and possibly unveiled. What is certain is that Apple will announce the opening of Siri for developers. Either way if Apple wants to market a smart speaker, it will be difficult to sell if the product is not open and unable to perform complex tasks. To date Amazon's Echo is working on this while Google health home has the power of Google’s search engine.

Conclusion: The company still has a lot of work if it wants to impress us with Siri and its smart speaker. Personally, I think that openness is not in the brand's DNA. Apple has always relied on proprietary software more than locked. So will health home automation be a first opportunity towards more openness and interoperability? We will find out very quickly!

AB SMART HEALTH REVIEW