For the past several weeks, rumors and reports regarding Apple's plans to release a Siri-based voice assistant device to take on the likes of the Google Home and Amazon's Echo have been running rampant. Some credible sources have claimed that it is only inevitable that Apple will enter the relatively new Smart Speaker market, seeing as that they already have a working artificial intelligence-based virtual assistant. However, there is still no real indication of what Apple will be offering to set them apart from their competitors.
Apple shares their views on the technology
In a recent interview with Apple's senior vice-president of worldwide marketing, Phil Schiller hinted that Apple might be having a different approach to the concept that will likely blow its competition out of the water. In the interview with Gadget 360 just this week, Schiller talked about some of the issues he saw with the currently available smart speakers and how they might be able to remedy it with their device.
A different approach
During the interview, Schiller was directly asked about his thoughts on the currently available smart speakers, namely the Google Home and Amazon's Echo. The Apple exec then shared a saying that was taught to him by his mother, that if someone doesn't have anything nice to say, he might as well not say anything at all.
However, this didn't stop Schiller from talking about some of the flaws that he saw with the currently available smart assistant-equipped devices. Schiller mentioned that while current smart speakers do provide a lot of convenience for users, they are still quite limited as there are a lot of things that simply cannot be done through voice assistance.
There are apparently some scenarios where a voice assistant would be appropriate, such as changing music or performing hands-free commands. However, a dedicated Touch Screen may be needed for certain situations such as asking for directions or accessing social media pictures or videos.
A #Siri powered speaker could be launched at #WWDC17 to hit back at #GoogleHome and #AmazonEcho.#Apple #GoogleAssistant #Alexa pic.twitter.com/b6Nbj754Tb
— Beebom (@beebomco) May 3, 2017
A touchscreen-equipped smart speaker
While Schiller didn't outright mention that Apple's upcoming new smart speaker would have a touch screen installed, his statements do point to this being a very big possibility.
Recent leaks have revealed that Amazon may be planning to incorporate a touch screen display on their next-generation Echo, which means that Apple may be on the right path right of the bat with their first offering.
KGI Securities analyst, Ming-Chi Kou, previously claimed that there is a very good chance that the new device would be unveiled at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) event in June.
