ALEXA...What's the weather today? ALEXA...Tell me a joke. ALEXA, the name we speak before asking a question is the device called Amazon Echo. As a marketer, I am surprised that Amazon didn't make ECHO the go to word to help solidify the branding of the device everytime we use it. Perhaps it should be renamed Amazon Alexa.
Still, the Amazon Echo is a fun device to keep in your home. It can connect to other "connected devices" to turn on a light or change the house temperature, it can play music from a Prime account, and it is always at the ready whenever you ask it. It may not yet be a must have device for the home, but it certainly has the potential.
So Apple, where is your Echo? It might just be time for Siri to find itself in a standalone device that can access all the Apple devices and apps of the owner. And given the infrastructure that Apple has already created, it could dominate the home. With just one ask, SIRI...What is the weather today? SIRI...Call Mom. SIRI Play Apple Music. SIRI...What is on my calendar today or how far is the store from my house or what are my latest stock prices or what Reminders do I have for today. And with a software tweak, an APPLE SIRI device could distinguish multiple iCloud devices within the home. Then others could ask about their individual calendars or contacts or whatever.
An APPLE SIRI device could extend the value of the iPhone or Apple Watch. And because it is plugged in, there are no worries about the next recharge. Apple, it may be time to build an APPLE SIRI device now for next Christmas. I am confident that it will do extremely well.
