Virtual assistants are just about everywhere. From the smartphone in your pocket to a smart speaker sitting on your coffee table, these virtual assistants help power the next major interface after touch—voice. Apple, Google, and Amazon are known for their popular virtual assistants Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon Alexa. But which of these virtual assistants is the most popular one out there? If you guessed Amazon Alexa, you’re wrong. It’s not Google Assistant either. Apple’s Siri seems to be the most popular virtual assistant right now.
According to a new report by a market research firm called Futuresource Consulting, Siri is the most popular virtual assistant across the world with a 35 percent market share. Microsoft’s Cortana is, surprisingly, at the second spot with a 22 percent share. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa account for 9 percent and 4 percent of the market respectively.
The report attributes Apple’s growing success of the iPhone and its newly released AirPods Pro to the success of Siri. Apple has been shipping Siri with its iPhone models since 2011. Microsoft’s Cortana is present in all Windows 10-powered PCs which explains its second position in the list.
“Growth presently continues unabated, as virtual assistants become a common feature across the Consumer Electronics and Automotive sectors,” says Simon Forrest, Principal Technology Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “Indeed, 2020 will be the year when shipments of voice-enabled products overtake those with no voice capability.”
While Siri and Cortana may be present on more devices globally, Google and Amazon continue to dominate the smart speaker market which is powered by the companies’ respective virtual assistants. Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa also perform better when it comes to understanding users’ voice-based queries and responding with a relevant answer.
Virtual assistants have been programmed to sound more natural, imitating human-like responses. Amazon also introduced emotions to Alexa, ensuring more engagement as the virtual assistant starts sounding more human-like than a plain robot.