I am still learning about the recent API release out of Apple, and working to keep up with the volume of resources coming out of the Amazon Alexa ecosystem, but one thing I know for sure is Amazon is way ahead of the game, and Apple will have to invest a lot more resources if they expect to catch up. Apple may have the device advantage, but Amazon is leaps and bounds ahead when it comes to how you develop a community in support of voice-driven applications.
I wouldn't be surprised if Apple's release was in response to the waves Amazon is making with their voice platform. When it comes to the platform battles between tech giants, they can throw the necessary resources at things to play catch up, but it is something that other smaller players will not be able to always navigate. I'm reviewing a number of device-focused API efforts lately, and the ones who launched with an API are always ahead in the game.
Learning to do APIs well takes time, and learning to grow your API community of developers and partners will always take time to do properly--you just can't throw resources at it to make things scale properly. You might as well kick things off with an API and platform approach, even if it is in beta, and limited--at least you are getting going in a limited environment. Siri has been out there for a while now, but not as a platform, and I'm going to wager this will be a significant handicap.
What is your approach to technology? Is it more like Siri, or is it more like Alexa?
