Google has become embroiled in a new war with Apple by updating its voice-based search technology, which it hopes will usurp Siri as the market leader. Using the new update, consumers are able to perform a range of tasks, including basic things like checking the weather forecast.
The firm has confirmed that it is currently testing a new service that will fuse Gmail, Google's own email system, and its search engine. Most tech experts accept that the launch of the voice-recognition service forms part of Google's long-term effort to combat Siri, which poses a very real risk to the future of its search engine function.
Relations between the firms have become strained in recent weeks, with Apple confirming that Google's YouTube app will not appear on future versions of the iPhone handset. Google, though, has insisted that it doesn’t have any ulterior motives behind the launch of its new service. Instead, the firm has claimed that it is simply determined to provide the best possible customer experience.
Amit Singhal, the Senior Vice-President of Google Search, explained that the new service will "have all the information that humanity has put on the Web and information that's your information". It remains to be seen, though, whether the new Google service is able to usurp Siri, which has proven to be popular with consumers since the launch of the iPhone 4S.
