• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there

1

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military

2

'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032

3

Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
TechPointCloud

Why Amazon Alexa Will Take Over Your Phone and Your Office Next

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 4, 2017, 6:00 AM ET

Last month, Huawei boasted that its new Mate 9 will be the first smartphone to come preloaded with Amazon‘s Alexa smart voice recognition-and-search software.

But it most certainly won’t be the last. Beyond the home, it’s evident that Amazon is determined to embed Alexa in mobile devices and in offices.

Alexa and Echo, Amazon’s companion Internet-connected speaker device, already have a strong presence in the living room, making Echo an unexpected hit. In the U.S., more than 8.2 million people have an Echo, according to market research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners. Not bad for a product that became broadly available less than two years ago. Using Alexa, owners can command Echo to play a movie, order a pizza, or check bank balances.

But you can bet that Amazon (AMZN) thinks Alexa will do well in the outside world.

At the company’s annual AWS Re:invent cloud computing event in Las Vegas late last year, it unveiled Amazon Lex, a tool to help developers build speech recognition into their own software, as well as Amazon Polly, which will let them add text-to-speech recognition. Those resources could provide the foundations to some interesting scenarios in the office, where workers may start controlling printers or coffee machine, among other electronics, via spoken or typed commands.

“Amazon absolutely has designs beyond the home,” says Werner Goertz, research director of market research firm Gartner (IT).

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily tech newsletter.

But this is a dynamic market with several gigantic tech companies—Google, Microsoft (MSFT), and Apple in addition to Amazon—investing in artificial intelligence, and other technology to provide consumers and business professionals with the smartest, interactive software.

And to paraphrase Liam Neeson in the movie Taken, each contestant has its own particular set of skills.

If you want to find a new microwave, book, virtually any other consumer product, Alexa is probably the personal digital assistant for you. What is Amazon’s core expertise? Selling stuff. What does it have a ton of data about? Products for sale. And as we all know—because he keeps telling us—Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos is all about erasing every bit of friction between a would-be buyer and what he or she may want to buy.

For more on Alexa, watch:

But if you are more interested in general, non-transactional things, Google (GOOG) gets the nod.

“When it comes to general subjects, Google is ahead,” says Holger Mueller, analyst with Constellation Research. “Example: Alexa doesn’t know when my favorite soccer team—AC Milan—plays, but Google Home does.” Google Home is an Echo competitor announced last year.

Apple’s strength lies in the popularity of its Siri-equipped iPhones, which it hopes to make the centerpiece of the connected home. Two years ago, it released HomeKit, a software toolset that lets companies tie their own products into Siri. Several companies showed off HomeKit-compliant products at the big CES gadget expo in Las Vegas in January.

Microsoft Cortana, which competes with Alexa and Siri, comes with Windows 10 PCs and laptops, which may give it a boost in corporate environments. And, since Microsoft has done poorly with its own Windows smart phones, it’s offering Cortana for Apple iOS and Android devices as well.

When it comes to smart virtual personal assistants—as Siri, Alexa, and Cortana are known collectively—its important to remember that the heavy lifting comes from the cloud—Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, or Microsoft Azure, not the device itself. This cloud infrastructure comprises data centers around the world packed with servers, storage, and software that parses user requests and returns answers.

Apple, which pioneered the market with Siri starting five years ago, may be the odd man out because it does not offer enterprise cloud services on par with Amazon, Microsoft, or Google. Those companies aggregate massive amounts of servers and storage in data centers around the world that they rent to customers.

As of now, Amazon looks to have the lead on the home front with Echo/Alexa; Google and Apple are strong on phones and tablets; and Microsoft hopes to parlay its strength in businesses. And all of them have their eye on everyone else’s turf.

Looks to be a good old fashioned melee, so pull up a chair.

 

 

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Man in a white shirt and jacket.
InnovationBrainstorm Tech
Marc Lore’s robots make 500 burrito bowls an hour. A human can make 45
By Amanda GerutJune 9, 2026
8 hours ago
A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, US, on Wednesday, June 3, 2026
InvestingWall Street
Wall Street dumped nearly $1 trillion in tech stocks by midday—then clawed it back and bought peanut butter and paint
By Eva RoytburgJune 9, 2026
10 hours ago
AI isn’t replacing Hyatt’s salespeople—it’s freeing up a full day of work every week, according to the CEO
AIBrainstorm Tech
AI isn’t replacing Hyatt’s salespeople—it’s freeing up a full day of work every week, according to the CEO
By Sharon GoldmanJune 9, 2026
11 hours ago
America’s grid is reeling. General Motors offers itself as a distributed utility in disguise
EnergyAutos
America’s grid is reeling. General Motors offers itself as a distributed utility in disguise
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
11 hours ago
Tesla cofounder: ‘We should be really worried’ about the U.S. grid as China speeds ahead in the power race
EnergyBrainstorm Tech
Tesla cofounder: ‘We should be really worried’ about the U.S. grid as China speeds ahead in the power race
By Jordan BlumJune 9, 2026
11 hours ago
The AI industry spent years chasing bigger models. Now it’s chasing efficiency
AIBrainstorm Tech
The AI industry spent years chasing bigger models. Now it’s chasing efficiency
By Sharon GoldmanJune 9, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
Asia
Pentagon accuses Alibaba, Baidu and BYD, three of China's biggest companies, of supporting the Chinese military
By Kate O'Keeffe and BloombergJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
Economy
'We are rapidly running out of time': Watchdog sounds Social Security alarm after 22% cut confirmed for 2032
By Nick LichtenbergJune 9, 2026
15 hours ago
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
Success
Costco CEO Ron Vachris rose from forklift driver to the C-suite without a college degree: ‘Don’t chase a title’ is the career advice that got him there
By Preston ForeJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
Environment
Trump, who has repeatedly called climate change fake, is now threatening Brazil with tariffs over the deforestation of the Amazon
By Sasha RogelbergJune 8, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 8, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 8, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 9, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 9, 2026
19 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.