PUTTING SIRI AT THE FORE
Perhaps one of the most interesting things
about the Apple Music Voice Plan is that it
puts Siri front and center of the service for
the first time. Though Siri was undeniably the
first and most iconic smartphone assistant,
the truth is that both Amazon and Google
have taken the lead in recent years, and Siri
has become something of a third wheel in
comparison. Apple has tried, over time, to
make Siri more intelligent, and though the
Siri of 2021 is better than the Siri of 2015,
there’s still a long way to go if Apple wants to
dominate in the space. We’ve seen that with
the rollout of the HomePod, which launched
three years ago in February 2018 and was
discontinued in March 2021 due to low sales.
Although some argued that the price of the
HomePod stopped Apple from competing
against the Google Home and Amazon Echo
range, the truth is that Siri also played a part -
the assistant is simply not as smart as its rivals,
and Apple still needs to do a lot of catching up
to create a world-class assistant.
However, the recent success of the HomePod
mini range and now the announcement of the
Apple Music Voice Plan signal that Apple is
taking Siri seriously. As Apple increasingly looks
to find revenue in new areas, its free, nice-to-
have smart assistant is now a product, and as
such, consumers will be demanding the very
best from Apple. Speed, accuracy, and trust
are hallmarks that Apple follows; ultimately,
subscribers will vote with their wallets and feet.