Virtual Assistant Shipments Jumped 25% in 2019, Led by Apple Siri, Says Futuresource

Shipments of virtual assistants rose 25 percent year on year to 1.1 billion units this year, on course to exceed 2.5 billion shipments by 2023, reported Futuresource Wednesday. Virtual assistants are becoming a common feature across CE devices and in the automotive sector, said analyst Simon Forrest, saying shipments of voice-enabled products will overtake those without voice capability next year. By platform, Apple Siri holds 35 percent share globally, followed by Google Assistant (9 percent) and Amazon Alexa (4 percent), due to shipments across first-party products, said the research firm. Though virtual assistant vendors have been reluctant to cooperate on multi-assistant products, that’s expected to change, said Forrest, after establishment of the Voice Interoperability Initiative, a program created to ensure voice-enabled products offer customers choice and flexibility through multiple, interoperable voice services.