Disagree. If the third party speaker provider also demands access to data about the user, then I am glad when Apple refuses to partner. I doubt Amazon got what they really wanted out of this deal (which is the data).
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Amazon Confirms More Alexa-Enabled Speakers Will Eventually Support Apple Music
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Disagree. If the third party speaker provider also demands access to data about the user, then I am glad when Apple refuses to partner. I doubt Amazon got what they really wanted out of this deal (which is the data).
Well there’s a trade off here too like Apple promoting a competing voice assistant. I would have rather seen Apple make a cheaper HomePod mini and/or allowing native Apple Music w/Siri on 3rd party devices before porting Apple Music to Amazon. Making Siri better may not have an immediate impact to the bottom line but I think it’s more important than the few extra AM subs they’ll get with it being available on Echo devices.
Didn't even realize Sonos doesn't yet support Apple Music through Alexa. Expecting two Sonos Ones this afternoon to expand into kitchen and bathroom, and completely assumed I would be able to benefit from the integrated Alexa services to control Apple Music. If not, they may go back to Sonos...
HomePod has only captured 6% of the market share and that Apple has been discounting Homepod. So are these signs that HomePods are selling "successfully"?
The big money is in the monthly fee, not so much in the one time purchase of a speaker.
So maybe a million alexia users sign up for Apple Music, maybe they then pickup an iPhone , imac, etc.
So maybe a million alexia users sign up for Apple Music, maybe they then pickup an iPhone , imac, etc.
Last edited:
yeah, but they're not really mutually exclusive. they should be improving Siri constantly as well.
[doublepost=1545250179][/doublepost]
you're about to be inundated by "IT'S THE BEST SELLING > $350 SPEAKER SO IT'S OBVIOUSLY SUCCESFULL!" Comments...
ignoring the fact that > $350 smart speakers are not selling in great volume as a whole.
I mean... Why would they be in the business if it wasn't profitable?
[doublepost=1545252076][/doublepost]
I don't see what Siri has to do with any of this. Why do you keep mentioning Siri?
Bottom line, the more devices your service can work on the more opportunity you have to gain customers. Apple is not telling customers to use Alexa instead of Siri. They are just allowing their service to work on as many devices as possible. Alexa has a huge install base as it is. Isn't a huge selling point of Spotify how many devices it works on? This just gives Apple an opportunity to compete more directly with them in this space.
[doublepost=1545252237][/doublepost]
Offering your paid service on additional devices =/= death of the HomePod.
Sure, and people can drill in as much as they want. Example, Market Share for Smart Speaker, that are >$350, that are white in colour, that has 4 speakers etc etc...
Another way to look at this, is perhaps, ask the question of whether Apple has created enough value in HomePod for customers to justify its premium price tag.
iPhone always come with a premium price tag, and yet, they dominate the Smart Phone market. This is because people (or at least in the past) can justify the premium in exchange for the value they are getting from their iPhone. But do you think that the same could be said about the HomePod?
If the answer is 'no', then can we label HomePod as "successful"?
Ahh, but the whole point of Apple in the past was to use great software to make beautiful but expensive hardware that was greater than the whole.
So this move is also a sign that HomePod hasn’t been successful on pulling people into the ecosystem. You can bet the smart speaker/Siri teams knew nothing about this move.
Yes, this is clearly part of a transition to Apple services as a major revenue source. It is a sign that the faction pushing hardware into the high end luxury end of the market in order to perfect the supply chain, with revenue from services is winning out in the boardroom and executive suites.
I love my HomePods, but I absolutely agree that it likely is not selling well. If it was we wouldn't see $100 off sales routinely this holiday season and less than a year after it was introduced. Even I who owns 4 of them wouldn't pay $350 for one of them, $250 is likely the sweet spot with the occasional sale for $199. A HomePod mini, as much as I would like something along these lines for the bedroom, just doesn't make sense financially. People that want a smart speaker device are likely already invested in one and aren't likely to ditch it to buy Apple's version.
They are going to need to rely on services moving forward so this move makes sense, imo. These devices are so powerful these days that people have no need to replace them every year or even every other year. They are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Everyone wants the devices to be as powerful as possible, but with that it means people will not need to upgrade as often.
I’m guessing most people aren’t buying iPhones because of Apple Music. You don’t see iMessage on Android (or the web).
[doublepost=1545254507][/doublepost]
According to this podcast those teams didn’t know anything about this and they’re not happy about it.
http://vector.libsyn.com/bonus-conversations-with-ai-featuring-brian-roemmele
Apple have been venturing out of their hardware ecosystem for a while now... https://www.apple.com/lae/apple-music/android-download/
Does Apple Music have to be native to Echo devices to work with them? Siri matters way more than streaming music Apple doesn’t even own. Make a cheaper HomePod; give Siri way more skills and maybe allow Siri to be used on Sonos devices. Much better than allowing Alexa to control Apple Music.
[doublepost=1545255042][/doublepost]
Beats Music was already on Android. Plus I highly doubt Apple Music is driving iPhone sales. We’ll really know Apple is transitioning away from hardware if they port iMessage to Android and the web.
I really do not understand your obsession with bringing Siri into this. Alexa is controlled via voice for 99% of tasks outside of setting it up so of course Alexa will be used to dictate what you want it to play. Why would Siri matter more than Apple Music? Apple Music is bringing in $10/user/month. At this stage in the game a cheaper HomePod would have no chance to be as big as the Echo products. Echos are routinely given away for free and for less than $30. Apple would never sell a cheaper HomePod for anywhere near those prices.
BTW, I would LOVE for them to come out with a cheaper HomePod or for them to open up Siri to be used on Sonos products. I just don't see a vast market for a cheaper HomePod and Siri likely isn't robust enough for most people to want to use it over Alexa/Google Home. I just prefer HomeKit for smart home commands as it is IMO better and faster than Alexa.
People are missing the point. Alexa is not Siri’s competitor. iPhones, iPads, Watches and Macs will sell regardless of Siri. Echo does not sell without Alexa — it’s a product. They’re not direct competitors. HomePod is close but right now Apple markets it as a high end speaker, competing with Sonos, not Echo. It’s also a very minor product that Apple will continue to develop for a future when conversational computing is uniqutuous.
What Apple is doing here is conceding that Alexa is everywhere so they might as well be on it with Apple Music. Amazon gets to continue to dominate over its only other real competitor, Google Home and Apple gets to keep users on Apple Music and maybe gain some new ones. The only loser here is Spotify which is no longer the de facto exclusive on Alexa products.
Apple gets to grow Apple Music, continuing to eat at Spotify’s market share and when people are invested in Apple Music, they’ll buy more iPhones and Macs and iPads and Apple Watches. And yes, they’ll buy HomePods for the surpreme audio quality and a native, designed by Apple experience.
Meanwhile, Siri is being developed on the side, not to compete with Alexa but to improve the experience on Apple’s products, which sell regardless.
The future of home computers is in fact natural conversation, but it won’t get there until artificial intelligence is like the movie “Her” — and we’re still very far from that. Until then, Amazon isn’t a competitor, it’s a partner. And from the looks of it, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos are getting friendly and that can only mean good things for Apple customers.
What Apple is doing here is conceding that Alexa is everywhere so they might as well be on it with Apple Music. Amazon gets to continue to dominate over its only other real competitor, Google Home and Apple gets to keep users on Apple Music and maybe gain some new ones. The only loser here is Spotify which is no longer the de facto exclusive on Alexa products.
Apple gets to grow Apple Music, continuing to eat at Spotify’s market share and when people are invested in Apple Music, they’ll buy more iPhones and Macs and iPads and Apple Watches. And yes, they’ll buy HomePods for the surpreme audio quality and a native, designed by Apple experience.
Meanwhile, Siri is being developed on the side, not to compete with Alexa but to improve the experience on Apple’s products, which sell regardless.
The future of home computers is in fact natural conversation, but it won’t get there until artificial intelligence is like the movie “Her” — and we’re still very far from that. Until then, Amazon isn’t a competitor, it’s a partner. And from the looks of it, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos are getting friendly and that can only mean good things for Apple customers.
Last edited:
And won’t be for some time, until the Music Skill API is made available outside the US
I’ve got the Apple Music skill already on Alexa app. Just the linking Apple Music account that’s the issue, so waiting on Apple to allow it outside USA.
So Apple is treating Siri like a feature while Amazon is treating it like a product. Bad move Apple.
Getting a bit pissed off with being late at the party Amazon still waiting in the UK for you to turn on Apple Music on your Amazon Dot tbh really gettin fed up with it as after every update it gets worse and worse with my Philips hue lights I read in this site that Apple were offering Spple music subscribers £50 off a Apple HomePod never got that either in a email beginning to think were 2 nd class in the UK
Amazon has confirmed that Apple Music will eventually be supported on additional Alexa-enabled speakers, according to a tweet from Mashable's Raymond Wong spotted by AppleInsider. Amazon didn't provide a timeframe for the rollout.
A variety of third-party Alexa speakers and devices are available from brands such as Sonos, JBL, Ultimate Ears, and First Alert.
Apple Music went live on Amazon's line of Echo speakers last Friday in the United States. This allows users to link Apple Music with their Amazon account in the Alexa app for iOS and use Alexa voice commands to control playback of Apple Music songs and playlists and Beats 1 radio on Echo speakers.
To access this feature, simply use a voice command such as "Alexa, play music by Ed Sheeran on Apple Music" or "Alexa, play today's hits on Apple Music." Apple Music can also be set as the default music service in the Alexa app so that "Apple Music" does not need to be specified each time.
Apple and Amazon announced this new partnership in late November, with Amazon saying it is "committed to offering great music providers to our customers," and referring to Apple Music as "one of the most popular music services."
Article Link: Amazon Confirms More Alexa-Enabled Speakers Will Eventually Support Apple Music
HOLD YOUR HORSES! Looks like it may be coming quite SOON sources say!Didn't even realize Sonos doesn't yet support Apple Music through Alexa. Expecting two Sonos Ones this afternoon to expand into kitchen and bathroom, and completely assumed I would be able to benefit from the integrated Alexa services to control Apple Music. If not, they may go back to Sonos...
No. Sounds more like Apple is admitting that Amazon has long been the dominant leader in this field (smart speakers), with years of experience ahead of all others (Apple, Microsoft, etc). Which means it makes sense for Apple to position its own services within an established and profitable Amazon ecosystem.
What are the odds that we start seeing some sort of user backlash against smart speakers a couple of years down the road? In light of the recent Facebook scandals, I wonder if this will gradually lead to users being more mindful of their privacy and being less trustful of such devices. It’s Facebook today, it could easily extend to other companies such as google and amazon tomorrow.
Apple’s bet on privacy is starting to look more and more prescient by the day.
It feels a bit premature to write off the HomePod just yet, or assume that google and amazon have the smart speaker market all scooped up just because unit sales appear to be in their favour.
Then do not purchase their speaker, simple. Amazon did get data, more speakers sold because of Apple Music, the more possibilities they will get sales and thus data. Not the data collection the problem, sharing the data a problem. A consumer choice, not Apple or others dictating, my point.