How Amazon Alexa beat Apple Google war living room

In less than a year, Amazon's combination of the Echo speaker system and the Alexa voice-controlled digital assistant has come close to delivering on the elusive promise of easy-to-use technology that can control gadgets in the home with a few spoken words. Yet Amazon's surprise success sets up a long-term battle with Apple and Alphabet Google for primacy in the connected household. And the contours of that competition are following a classic tech industry dynamic. Amazon's surprise success with its Echo speakers and Alexa smart assistant sets up a long-term battle with Apple and Alphabet Google for primacy in the connected household. Amazon is pursuing an open-systems approach that allows quick development of many features, while Apple is taking a slower route, asserting more control over the technology in order to assure security and ease-of-use.