Apple opens Siri to developers

Apple said Monday it will allow developers to incorporate its Siri voice technology into their apps, allowing the tech giant to better compete against rivals Amazon and Google. Amazon is selling an Internet-connected, voice-controlled device for the home called the Amazon Echo, which is powered by digital assistant Alexa, that can hail cars and place orders for food. Instead of a standalone device, Apple will now have hundreds of millions of smartphones and tablets already in consumers’ hands for which developers can build voice-powered apps. At the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, Apple executives said Siri on its new iOS 10 operating system can be used to hail vehicles through Uber, Lyft and China’s Didi, or make voice calls over the Internet through Skype.