Could Apple Release a Siri SDK Sooner than we Think?

Rumors are currently stirring that Apple is about to announce some big plans of their own in the wake of Google’s announcement of an Amazon Echo competitor. Voice assistant devices are the new frontier of tech and Apple is rumored to have plans of opening up the Siri SDK to allow Siri apps to be developed by others for the first time ever.

Opening up the Siri SDK to app developers is huge especially when you think about how it can be applied to enterprise apps and how certain industries use these apps. Most enterprises choose to use iOS as their preferred OS for their secure data. If developers are able to integrate Siri as a smart assistant, industries where users are constantly moving around and having to pause to interact with their device, will have a much easier time managing their information because they won’t have to physically go in and use the app; they can remain hands free and uninterrupted in the most productive way possible.

According to “a person with direct knowledge of the effort,” Apple could release the Siri software developer kit at its annual WWDC event in June. It would allow app developers to integrate their programs into Siri so users could access the app’s features with voice commands. Through direct deals with companies including Yelp, Siri can already access some apps, but the SDK would open up this integration to any developer that wants to use it. Developers would also be responsible for making sure Siri is connected to their apps “when appropriate.”

Releasing the Siri SDK is the first and most immediate step Apple is taking to compete with Amazon Echo and Google. More rumors have been going around about how Apple may have been working on their version of a voice assistant hub before Amazon even started working on Echo and Alexa. It seems like Apple is the one lagging behind for once in this new and growing market, but they could be taking a more careful approach to avoid the same fate as the already lukewarm Amazon Echo.

Releasing new tech like this is a tricky process and doing it right the first time is the difference between success and obscurity. Apple has historically been successful with their timing in the past, relying heavily on brand recognition and hype in order to get their products out there even if they weren’t necessarily the best at the time. The difference between the release of the iPhone, the iPad and the iPod is that there were already fairly successful versions of those products from other companies on the market. People were already familiar with the technology, but it only really blew up when Apple released their sleeker, sexier and often times easier to use, versions of these products. It would make a lot of sense for them to repeat the same process that has given them success in the past.

As of right now, this is all speculation so we’ll just have to stay tuned and see what Apple announces at WWDC16 coming up on June 13.

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