Siri And Google Assistant Are The Most Popular Digital Assistants

According to a new Microsoft Market Intelligence study, Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant tied for first place with 36% as the most popular digital assistants.

Alexa comes in third with 25% of respondents reporting usage, closely followed by Microsoft’s Cortana with 19%. Microsoft notes that the popularity of Siri and Google is likely due to the sheer volume of mobile phones.

Both Siri and Google are more aligned with mobile phones while Alexa is more closely aligned with smart speakers. Microsoft’s March – June 2018 survey was conducted online with over 2,000 global responses representing the U.S., UK, CA, AU and IN. Here are some of the highlights:

• 69% of respondents have used a digital assistant.
  
• 75% of households will have at least one smart speaker by 2020.
  
• 41% of users reported concerns around trust, privacy and passive listening .
  
• Consumers won’t divulge personally identifiable information without a substantial reward .
  
• Over half of consumers expect their digital assistants to help make retail purchases within the next 5 years.
  

Alexa Enabled Devices Coming To Australia And New Zealand In Early 2018

Amazon has announced that Alexa and Alexa-enabled devices will land in Australia and New Zealand in early 2018. The Echo will be part of the launch, although Amazon is keeping a lid on the  date and the exact Echo devices it plans to release. Amazon is also buddying up with Kiwi and Aussie services on local Alexa skills. The new crop will mostly be made up of news and media outlets , among them Sky News Australia, Fox Sports, Qantas, Dimmi, Coastalwatch, Air New Zealand, TVNZ, Newstalk ZB, and New Zealand Herald.

Amazon’s Alexa Is Coming To iPhone

Amazon have announced that Alexa is coming to Amazon's main app for iPhone. The voice-controlled digital assistant has previously been made available to iPhone users via various third-party apps, but this is the first time Amazon is adding support directly through its own iOS app. The updated Amazon app features a speaker icon in the search bar that will allow you to ask Alexa questions, browse the online store, listen to music, check the weather and more. Support for Alexa will be available for some users.  According to Amazon, all iPhone users in the United States should have access to Alexa by next week.

Amazon's New Fire HD 8 Tablet Comes With Alexa

Amazon has introduced a new version of the Fire HD 8 with Alexa voice control. You can use Amazon's voice assistant to play media, launch apps, deliver news and otherwise save you a load of screen taps. Amazon will start selling the new tablet  on September 21 beginning at $90, pre-orders are now available. The feature will come to the previous HD 8, the basic Fire tablet and the HD 10 through an update in the "coming months.”