Microsoft CEO in an interview with CNN last week, spoke about the competition between Microsoft’s Digital Assistant Cortana is facing with another Digital Assistant, no its not Apple’s Siri but its from Amazon’s Alexa.
The CEO confirmed that Cortana will begin to surface in more computers and third party devices like Harman/Kardon’s Echo like home device competitor, In Nissan and BMW’s infotainment systems this year. The push basically is to introduce a deeper form of AI that isn’t available today.
Nadella reveals that their aim with their digital assistant is to have full 20 part exchanges with their bots and Microsoft is managing it with XiaoIce, their Chinese Bot.
Amazon’s Alexa will be launching with Huawei’s first US Smartphone which was announced during this year’s CES trade. Apple was the first major company to integrate AI into their operating systems when Siri was first introduced for iPhone. But with the advances of Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana, Apple’s Siri was left behind a touch in competition.
In other words, Microsoft’s first wave of products was to get close to Apple’s lineup while they secretly prepared to get the leap on Apple with their next generation of products where Apple has no equal or is seen having a weak presence in. Cortana got the jump on Apple by getting to the PC first. Now they want their Cortana to get the leap on Apple again.
Microsoft is trying to get the leap on Apple with HoloLens, Cloud computing and has been shown to be working on a next generation of smartphones with at least one model being able to unfold into a mini tablet.
But, at the end of the day Microsoft see’s Amazon’s Alexa as their number one AI competitor, but it’s Siri that is currently on more products than Alexa by a long shot.
