Amazon Alexa Could Be Coming to PCs
According to a report by CNET, Amazon is in talks with Lenovo to bring its voice assistant Alexa to PCs. A Lenovo executive confirmed the news, but no further details about the discussions have been released. The presence of Alexa on PCs could be beneficial for both Amazon and PC hardware manufacturers.
Amazon seems to be eager to deploy Alexa in a wider range of devices than ever before. The company offers third-party access to Alexa Skills, allowing other companies to integrate their services into the voice assistant. It also provides the Alexa Voice Service API for hardware manufacturers to create new devices with Alexa.
Lenovo and other PC manufacturers are always looking for differentiators to help their hardware stand out from the rest of the Windows crowd. Voice assistants on computers are also very on-trend. Microsoft introduced Cortana to its Windows 10 PCs in 2015, and Apple is set to bring Siri to the Mac OS desktop with the launch of its big Sierra update this fall.
Amazon, of course, does not make its own PC hardware or operating system, so partnering up would help it keep up with the Joneses without venturing too far beyond its core competencies.
It sounds from CNET’s report like it’s very, very early days in terms of any discussion between Lenovo and Amazon, but the possibility of such an arrangement is still intriguing. I, for one, can’t wait to ask Alexa to update my Windows Defender virus definitions.
