Apple founder Steve Wozniak thinks Amazon's new device is the next big platform (AAPL, AMZN)

AP

Apple founder Steve Wozniak loves the Amazon Echo, a smart speaker that users can talk to.

In an interview with CNBC that aired Friday, he said he thought it was "the next big platform for the near future."

"It's become such a wonderful part of our life, not having to lift anything up and speak to things, and just speak to it anywhere across a room," he said. "That is such a luxury and freedom."

"I fell in love with speaking because I hate to memorize," the Apple founder said, mentioning that he liked to use Apple's Siri voice assistant as well. "With the Amazon Echo, you can just say, 'Send me an Uber,' and it does it."

Wozniak is not the only one who thinks there's a lot of potential in the voice-controlled speaker. Tech Insider's Dave Smith says it's one of his favorite tech gadgets ever, and lots of other commentators agree. Though the Echo launched quietly in 2014, Amazon has recently been promoting its "sleeper hit" with television commercials as well.

It all adds up to a product with a cult-like following that regularly sells out.

AP

Though Amazon doesn't release sales data, some estimates peg Echo sales as outpacing speakers from established audio brands like Bose, Sonos, and Logitech.

Amazon released two new Echo speakers last week: the Echo Dot, which is a smaller version of the first Echo, and the Amazon Tap, a portable version.

Here's the whole clip of Woz's comments on the Echo:

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