Amazon has built an early lead in voice-based computing, thanks to Alexa, the smart assistant that's built into its popular Echo smart speakers and other devices.
To help build and maintain that lead, Amazon is hoping to nurture a thriving community of developers creating skills, or apps, for Alexa. Its goal is to help Alexa skills developers create solid, sustainable businesses.
"What's good for developers is ultimately good for consumers," said Rob Pulciani, Amazon's general manager of Alexa skills. "Every new skill makes Alexa a little smarter, a little more fun, a little more entertaining."
According to BusinessInsider, there's likely to hear a lot of announcements related to voice-based computing at this week's Consumer Electronics Show. Amazon and Google, which offers a rival voice-based computing technology called Google Assistant that's built into its Home smart speakers, are going to show off the latest developments for their respective systems. Meanwhile, numerous gadget-makers will likely announce that they've built one or both of the voice agents into their TVs, phones, thermostats, and other gadgets.
Right now, Alexa has a leg up on Google Assistant and Apple's Siri, the voice technology that's built into the iPhone and will be at the center of the company's upcoming HomePod speaker. Amazon's Echo smart speakers have far outsold rivals, most notably Google's Home devices. And thus far, Amazon's done a better job than Google or Apple of encouraging developers to create apps for its assistant.
Amazon's endeavor to build a healthy marketplace for Alexa skills is akin to Apple's effort to do the same for iPhone apps starting with the launch of its App Store in 2008. With the App Store, the iPhone became the center of a thriving economy. BusinessInsider believes the skills marketplace could do the same for Alexa.
But Pulciani is cautious about the comparison, mainly because smartphone apps are very different from voice skills and the businesses built around them are likely to be distinct also. Alexa users each install a different mix of Alexa skills, based on the restaurants they order from, the stores they like, and the music services they use.
Because of that, Pulciani sees a lot of potential for what he calls "hyperlocal" Alexa skills. For example, some ski resorts have begun experimenting with skills that allow Alexa users to find out how much snow is on the slopes. The skills have very narrow appeal, but among the local skiers, they've become a popular and quick way to find out ski conditions.
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