Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant, and Cortana Won't Be Great Until They Make Money

“Voice is the next frontier in technology interfaces” – seems to be what every big tech company is saying. So far, there is Siri for Apple products, Alexa for Amazon products, Google Assistant for Google products, and Cortana for Microsoft products.

But, none of these companies are doing a great job connecting the dots and telling us its importance.

Before we go too deep, a brief history lesson

Currently, we interact with most technology through touch. Whether playing games, texting friends or snapping photos, our thumbs are a gateway to a possibility.

But, one of the main reasons the thumbs became more popular than the mouse was because of apps. Apps solved problems for the everyday user and also incentivized developers to make them. In 2016 alone, Apple boasted $28 billion in App Store revenue, with $20 billion of it going to the app developers.

The App Store runs like a well-oiled machine because there is a clear incentive for the developers and the consumers.

But, nobody has solved this conundrum with Voice, yet.

The App Store for Voice

Right now it seems as though Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft are in a race to acquire Skills for their voice assistants.

Amazon is in the lead with over 10,000 Alexa skills, Siri is still having trouble understanding people, Google seems to just be copying Amazon’s approach, and Microsoft finally unveiled their Skills Kit for developers months after the competition.

Even though open-sourcing these developer kits is working out so far, the excitement of creating a voice skill for free will soon fade for developers.

The big question is: Who will be the first company to create an app store equivalent for Voice Skills, further incentivizing developers to continue developing new functionalities for their products.

The voice platforms exist (Amazon Echo, Google Home, Apple iPhone, Microsoft’s Xbox). Now, it’s a matter of incentivizing both developers and consumers to leave their thumbs for their voice.

Interestingly, though, it may not be the first to do it, but the one who takes their time and gets it right that really wins.

First to Stay Motivated

Often times, we believe the first to have an idea wins – that the next big innovation lies in having the idea. But, ideas are just pixie dust until they are executed.

Which is why it’s more important to be “the first to stay motivated”, not necessarily the first to have the idea. The main point here is that success isn’t on some island. It isn’t some destination we discover or an idea we come up with one day.

It isn’t what you create, but how you create it. Everyone encounters failure and how you respond is the true test.

True success lies in being the first to stay motivated no matter the failure you encounter.

Personally, I’ve been tested many times in covering technology news and am constantly encountering critics. But, I always think back to staying motivated.

As a result, I’ve been able to sustain a successful technology newsletter, Quick Theories – which contains my thoughts on the future of technology – helping you adopt changes in your own creative way.t

If you’d like to read more on modern technology from a futurist’s perspective, then sign up here: quicktheories.com