Apple to release a Siri-based Amazon Echo competitor

Remember when we said that Siri was becoming boring and stale in the face of impressive AI advancements from the likes of Google, Viv and Amazon? Well, perhaps we spoke too soon. According to a new report from The Information, Apple finally appears ready to let Siri grow up.

DON'T MISS: This is probably our first look at a real iPhone 7

Specifically, the publication relays that Apple will finally offer official Siri APIs to developers, thus paving the way for third-party integrations that Amazon Echo users can't seem to get enough of. What's more, Apple is also working on a standalone device meant to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google's recently unveiled Google Home.

All in all, this is huge news that shows Apple is thankfully willing to become a bit more flexible in an effort to keep up with fast-moving advancements in the AI space.

As we highlighted just a few weeks ago, Viv -- an AI platform created by former Siri employees -- not only seemed to lap Siri functionality wise, but also showcased the benefit of allowing third-party developers to tap into an AI platform.

While the degree to which Apple allows developers to tap into Siri remains to be seen, perhaps we're not too far off from a time where we can finally order a pizza or an Uber via Siri.

Developing...

Related stories

A prototype iPhone 6 is selling for $50,000 on eBay

High-resolution renders show us what the iPhone 7 Plus will probably look like

12 paid iPhone apps on sale for free today

More from BGR: This is probably our first look at a real iPhone 7

This article was originally published on BGR.com