It seems like every company has its own digital personal assistant at this point. Apple has had Siri for years, Google has had some variation of the idea for awhile, culminating in the current Google Assistant. Samsung has Bixby (which swings for a name more than just a digital personal assistant), and Microsoft has Cortana. HTC even has its own effort, kind of, and there are a variety of alternatives out there from smaller companies.
We've seen digital personal assistants thrive, and even flourish, and they aren't going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, companies are doubling down on the efforts. Apple has put Siri on so many of its devices by now, including the Apple Watch and its upcoming smart speaker. Samsung just announced Bixby 2.0 (six months after announcing Bixby 1.0), and that's going to go in refrigerators. Amazon's Alexa is in so many different things at this point.
And of course, the experience can vary wildly.
And then there are smart speakers. Just another way to use a digital personal assistant, we'll see more from companies like Sonos that want to allow owners to use whatever digital personal assistant they want. And considering these features are on smartphones, users can choose to whichever one they like the most. Or they can use multiple options.
And that's what I'm curious about. While each platform might have its preferred option, one that works just a little bit better than the alternatives in one way or another, you can still use what you want. So if you've got an iOS device, you still have access to Microsoft's Cortana, Amazon's Alexa, or Google Assistant. And if you're on Android, it's the same situation.
When the Google Home first launched last year, I was using an iPhone. So for a short period of time there (I ended up giving the Home to my mom, because she loved it and I knew she'd use it more often than I would) I was actively using Siri and Google Assistant. Siri on my phone and Assistant on the smart speaker. And the experience wasn't bad at all.
I don't think I would want to do the same thing on my phone, though. But I also know that I'm not the best example, because I just don't use digital personal assistants all that often in general. Not nearly as often as I thought I would. But for someone who uses them often, I can't help but wonder if you've set all your cookies in the same basket, or if you prefer to use multiple options on the same device. And, if so, which digital personal assistants do you use, and why do you use multiple?
Let me know!
How many digital personal assistants do you use? originally posted at http://phonedog.com
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