Microsoft reportedly working on self-designed smart speaker

EW DELHI: 

  All the big tech firms of the world have already laid their hands on the artificial assistant and machine learning segment. Some of them in past few years brought the AI ability to speakers. While Google brought its Assistant in Home, Apple introduced it in Homepod. Even Amazon launched its Alexa-based Echo speakers. But Microsoft tapped the shoulder of a third-party audio company called Harman to launch its Cortana-based Invoke speaker. Now, according to some new documents, the company is working on a self-designed smart speaker.

As mentioned by Winfuture.de website, Microsoft’s upcoming smart speaker is said to be manufactured from Quanta Computer, a Taiwanese firm. The device could be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 quad-core processor.

  For now, the hardware is still in early stages. Also mentioned is that the design doesn’t necessarily mean it is Microsoft’s own speaker. It could also be a reference design for third-party manufacturers.

For those unaware, Microsoft last year launched the Invoke speaker powered by Cortana. But nothing much was heard about it ever since. The smart speaker aimed to take on the likes of Amazon Echo, which is powered by Alexa and Google Home that comes with Google Assistant. It gives alerts to users about their upcoming meetings or other plans. They can also make and receive regular voice calls or Skype calls, get answers to general queries and more. It is made of metal and sports an Amazon Echo-like cylindrical shape.

Microsoft and Apple are probably the one firms that don’t have any smart speakers in India. For now, Google and Amazon are sharing the smart speaker pie in the country. Google has recently launched its Home and Home Mini, while Amazon recently introduced its Echo Spot. Amazon already had three speakers in India namely the Echo, Echo Plus and Echo Dot, which were launched in India last year.