A new conversational Alexa is expected to be revealed at an Amazon media event on February 26, with press invitations sent out yesterday.A report citing Amazon insiders says that the all-new Alexa will be powered by generative AI, dramatically boosting its capabilities and putting even more pressure on Apple to launch a smarter Siri … Conversational Alexa being unveiled on Feb 26 Officially all we know is that Amazon is holding an “Alexa-focused” event, but it’s not hard to guess that will be to announce generative AI features, and a report cites company execs confirming this.The souped-up Alexa will be available on all existing devices.
A report last year suggested that the new Alexa will be powered by Anthropic, and echoes this.What’s currently unclear is how many Alexa users will get access to the new version in the early stages.says it will initially be offered to “a limited number of users” without charge, but the goal is to turn it into an optional subscription service costing $5 to $10 per month.
Those who choose not to subscribe will continue to get access to the existing version, which will be rebranded as Classic Alexa.Dramatically increases the pressure on Siri While Apple device owners are used to complaining about Siri’s limited capabilities, many Echo users have long had similar complaints about Alexa.We’ve explained in the past that although Alexa claims to be able to do thousands of things, that isn’t true in real-life use.
A new conversational Alexa that really can do all of the things we expect from chatbots like ChatGPT would be a game-changer for Amazon’s intelligent assistant, and would dramatically increase the pressure on Apple to make Siri smarter.Fully conversational Siri only expected in 2026 Right now, Siri has gained a few more capabilities through the first iteration of Apple Intelligence, but these are very limited in scope.The next major change is expected in April, with iOS 18.4 set to include the launch of on-screen awareness and “app intents.” However, the all-new generative AI Siri isn’t expected to launch until iOS 19 – and even then, not initially.
has reported that we won’t be able to use it until spring 2026.Long-term, the wait will be worth it, thanks to Apple’s privacy-focused approach.But that year-and-a-bit wait is going to see Apple take a of flack, all the more so once the new Alexa launches.
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