In the not-too-distant future, you’ll step out of the shower and, like Harry Potter without a wand, speak your wishes to the air: “Vox, send me shampoo, toothpaste and razors.” And, lo, the universe will provide.

 

Except, of course, there’s no magic involved. “Vox” is what Forrester Research is calling the ubiquitous voice interface it predicts we’ll soon use to interact with our digital devices. Rather than being tied to a single device, like Siri on an iPhone, analyst James McQuivey says we’ll live in homes with a microphone in every room connected to a hardware-independent voice-powered platform. Unlike Siri and similar apps, McQuivey says the voice-control platforms of tomorrow will always be listening, making computing as simple as opening your mouth.