Apple reportedly developing its own rival to Amazon’s Echo

Apple logo black canvasGoogle recently threw its hat into the ring of voice-activated personal assistants, and the latest industry speculation finds Apple working on its own entry. Apple is reportedly developing an at-home speaker assistant powered by Siri. The forthcoming product is projected to have connected home features, such as turning appliances supported by Apple’s HomeKit on and off. No word yet on what type of music integrations such a product would offer or when it might become a reality. At this stage, reports are simply calling it a “longterm” project.

In the nearer term, Apple is reportedly planning to open up its Siri technology to third-party apps. The Siri software development kits could be released as early as June, during the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference. This step could mean that more outside parties can make programs for a Siri-powered assistant, which would bring it in line with Amazon’s Echo. Apple is notoriously protective of its proprietary products, so a Siri SDK would be a marked step in opening up central technology to the developer community.

Anna Washenko