Apple Stepping Up Plans for Amazon Echo-Style Smart-Home Device
- Product would control appliances, lights, door locks and more
- Apple is also trying to improve Siri on iPhones and iPads
How Apple Plans to Take on Amazon's Echo
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Apple Inc. is pressing ahead with the development of an Echo-like smart-home device based on the Siri voice assistant, according to people familiar with the matter.
Started more than two years ago, the project has exited the research and development lab and is now in prototype testing, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing unannounced Apple projects. Like Amazon Inc.’s Echo, the device is designed to control appliances, locks, lights and curtains via voice activation, the people said. Apple hasn’t finalized plans for the device and could still scrap the project.