Apple Acquires VocalIQ To Bolster Voice Command Capabilities

Apple on Friday confirmed that it has acquired VocalIQ, a software maker that focuses on enhancing technological responses to voice controls, in a move to improve voice command capabilities on its devices.

The acquisition could give an edge to Apple devices' personal assistant feature, Siri, which responds to voice commands such as placing calls or sending text messages. Voice command features are becoming increasingly popular in devices, as personal digital assistants such as Microsoft's Cortana and Amazon's Alexa make headway in the market.

But beyond Siri, the acquisition could enable voice command capabilities for more devices as part of a bigger Apple strategy in the coming year, according to Michael Oh, chief technology officer and founder of TSP LLC, a Boston-based Apple partner.

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"I think that speech recognition is a powerful weapon in the battle of the superpowers," said Oh. "You’ve already seen the first arms race in terms of Siri, Cortana, Google Now, and Amazon’s Echo, but there’s a lot to come. Today’s systems are so basic in terms of their ability to understand individual people, vocabularies, accents, and different ways different languages say things."

U.K.-based VocalIQ touts a platform that equips devices with language tools to have a more natural two-way dialogue with users. In addition, the company contains solutions for wearables, smart homes, automotive controls, and smart devices.

These smart home capabilities could help Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple as it delves into connected projects beyond the smartphone, such as the rumored Apple electric car project that the company is reportedly developing, code named "Titan."

"The power of voice is going to affect everything. We’ve already seen what small effect even the nascent Siri can have on the mobile phone, the watch, and experience TV viewing," Oh added. "With what Apple is working on next, it will need to have a lot more ability and finesse to effectively control the home, work in health and medicine, and even in the rumored [Apple-based car] Apple Project Titan."

Stephen Monteros, vice president of business development and strategic initiatives at Sigmanet, an Ontario, Calif.-based Apple partner, pointed to a more short-term strategy he thinks the acquisition could bolster: Apple's recently-announced partnership with Cisco.

On Aug. 31, Cisco and Apple announced they will team up to optimize Cisco networks for Apple iOS-based devices and apps, as well as work together to make the iPhone a better business collaboration tool in Cisco voice and video environments."This is interesting given their strategic partnership with Cisco. I know Cisco and Apple are working closely in areas of VoIP and better (integration of) the iOS with Cisco VoIP. Cisco WebEx is a piece of this. I can only guess VocalIQ has some pieces that will accelerate this partnership," said Monteros.

Apple did not respond to a request from CRN to comment on the deal. Terms of the deal, including the price, were not disclosed.

PUBLISHED OCT. 5, 2015