Amazon Developing Echo Speaker With 7-Inch Touchscreen to 'Fend Off Competition' From Apple and Google

[MacRumors]

Amazon's next iteration of the Echo speaker will be a "premium" model that includes a touchscreen measuring around seven inches, marking "a major departure" from the tall, cylindrical design of the Echo currently on sale. The company is said to be upgrading Echo for two reasons: to capitalize on the device's success, and as early preparation to "fend off competition" from Google Home and Apple's rumored entry into the smart home speaker market (via Bloomberg).

The logic behind adding a touchscreen to Echo is reasoned as a way "to make it easier to access content," like the weather and upcoming calendar events. Currently, Echo is a voice-activated device with limited volume and mute buttons on its topside. While the exact design of the speaker wasn't pinned down, people familiar with the plans said it will be larger and "tilt upwards" so users can read the screen when the Echo sits on a kitchen counter or desk.

The new device will have a touchscreen measuring about seven inches, a major departure from Amazon's existing cylindrical home devices that are controlled and respond mostly through the company's voice-based Alexa digital assistant, according to two people familiar with the matter. This will make it easier to access content such as weather forecasts, calendar appointments, and news, the people said. They asked not to be identified speaking about a product that has yet to be announced.

Amazon's planned expansion of the Alexa-powered line coincides with growing competition from Alphabet Inc.'s Google Home speaker and Apple Inc.'s interest in building a home device using its Siri digital assistant.

The upgraded Echo is also believed to get a major boost to speaker quality and "sound much better" than the current line of Echo speakers. One version of Amazon's prototype of the upcoming device placed the speakers below and behind the screen, which is said to help the new generation of Echo "play high-quality audio at all volume levels." The current Echo was designed to sound better at only moderate volume levels.

In total, Amazon is now selling the Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Echo, for $50, $130, and $180 respectively, and the upcoming speaker -- believed to be announced as early as Q1 2017 -- is expected to be the most expensive Echo in the line.

On Apple's side, the most recent reports placed the Cupertino company's Siri-fueled, Echo-like device in the prototype phase. The Siri speaker is expected to include the usual support for music playback, search queries, and dictation, with additional potential for new technology, like facial recognition.

Article Link: Amazon Developing Echo Speaker With 7-Inch Touchscreen to 'Fend Off Competition' From Apple and Google

 

[okboy]

Sounds like a desktop computer?

 

[A MacBook lover]

Really never understood these products. Why have a stationary device (now with a touch screen)?

So now it's a speaker, a digital assistant, and a touch screen?
Will be another crappy amazon OS, except stationary.

It's kinda the reason I got rid of my iMac. It just stays in one place and my MacBook could do everything the iMac could.

 

[gnipgnop]

"Fending off competition" sounds like a euphemism for "these aren't really as popular as the tech press thinks".

 

[DaveOP]

"Fending off competition" sounds like a euphemism for "these aren't really as popular as the tech press thinks".

I don't know, I am pretty surprised how many of my non techy friends have these. Alexa has become really mainstream. I don't know anyone with Google home, and I certainly wouldn't be interested in a Siri device unless she becomes much more intelligent.

My $39 Echo Dot has been a lot of fun to have. At the very least, shes a fantastic alarm clock and weather bot. Her voice recognition is much better than my iPhone 7+, and can hear me from much farther away.

 

[Romy90210]

Competition from Apple?? WHAT COMPETITION???????? HANDICAPED SIRI???????

 

[jmgregory1]

I'm not convinced that there is a need for yet another so-so quality speaker / stand alone internet query device - because isn't that what an iPhone / Android phone is?

Everyone in my family carries their own device, and we have both a Bose speaker and a multi-room home stereo for listening to music, so what's the point of having yet another device sitting out on the counter?

 

[mpetrides]

And I want a voice-controlled device I can use from across the room to be equipped with a screen I need to be next to in order to see/use because?????

I love my Echo and Dots to the extent that I have one in every room, allowing me voice control of lights and so forth wherever I go. That said, I'm having trouble seeing the vision here. Anyone else doing better at envisioning what possible use such a device could possibly have?

 

[Koodauw]

I loved my Apple hifi, but apple would be much better served focusing resources on making siri more useful, and once that has been completed sufficiently, looking at making a speaker.

 

[Romy90210]

I loved my Apple hifi, but apple would be much better served focusing resources on making siri more useful, and once that has been completed sufficiently, looking at making a speaker.

I will ge back to you in 30 years when Tim Cook is funally gone.. In the meantime let's hope Amazon Make an even much better Alexa...

 

[iPhonetherefore]

I have been waiting for a Siri speaker since the idea was first proposed, also thought about wall mounting my iPad Air as a Siri and home controller device.
I bought an echo dot on Black Friday. Really impressed with it and will get more when I get round to it. Even the wife uses it(Siri doesn't understand her) so it gets the thumbs up from me. Would think about an echo with a screen but would have to see what advantages it gave over a regular echo. Would prefer amazon to improve echos skillset and using the phone app to display info if echo couldn't finish the task.

 

[macTW]

I like it. I don't have an echo, but I'm not a big fan of strictly talk-based navigation. It's mainly too slow but the benefits of hands free don't outweigh the cost of time and mistakes it makes for me.

 

[Jakexb]

The beauty of the Echo is that it has no screen. It forces all apps to work 100% with voice. Once you're using a combination of voice and screen, then I might as well use all screen.

"Hey Siri, what's Joe's phone number?"
"Which Joe do you mean?" (shows list)

Now the interaction doesn't work as an ambient Star Trek computer and is just a regular computer that I'm talking to instead of typing.

 

[jimbobb24]

I don't know, I am pretty surprised how many of my non techy friends have these. Alexa has become really mainstream. I don't know anyone with Google home, and I certainly wouldn't be interested in a Siri device unless she becomes much more intelligent.

My $39 Echo Dot has been a lot of fun to have. At the very least, shes a fantastic alarm clock and weather bot. Her voice recognition is much better than my iPhone 7+, and can hear me from much farther away.

Siri more intelligent than Alexa? You jest. Alexa is no smarter than any other assistant. They are all completely stupid to people who use them every day and absolutely brilliant to the people who don't or envy the competitors product. Hound was pretty impressive though.

 

[Childs]

Really never understood these products. Why have a stationary device (now with a touch screen)?

So now it's a speaker, a digital assistant, and a touch screen?
Will be another crappy amazon OS, except stationary.

It's kinda the reason I got rid of my iMac. It just stays in one place and my MacBook could do everything the iMac could.

I dont get it either, but my mom has wanted once since they first came out so I'm getting her one for Xmas. Whats kinda funny is she uses the dictation on her iPhone to send text messages, and they are always nonsensical, but she likes doing it. I felt like a crazy homeless person talking to their shopping cart when I tried using the Siri.

 

[BornAgainMac]

It would be nice if you can configure your voice assistant to match the voice of the Star Trek the Next Generation computer. That would be better than adding a touch screen.

 

[x-evil-x]

Only way I see this working is a mountable home automation type thing. I'd think that's why they want a screen for this reason. Not just another tablet.

 

[rbrian]

I bought an echo dot for £39, and I'm very impressed. The voice recognition is far better than Siri; on a par with Cortana, but it works from across the room. It's a bit limited in the UK, no IFTTT for example, but it controls my heating, which is the only smart home product I have at the moment, answers simple questions, reads out the news, and streams audio. I'm so impressed I'm thinking of buying the full size echo, but now that I hear there's one with an even better speaker, I'll wait.

 

[TallManNY]

And I want a voice-controlled device I can use from across the room to be equipped with a screen I need to be next to in order to see/use because?????

I love my Echo and Dots to the extent that I have one in every room, allowing me voice control of lights and so forth wherever I go. That said, I'm having trouble seeing the vision here. Anyone else doing better at envisioning what possible use such a device could possibly have?

I agree that they are nice devices. I have an Echo and a Dot. I think the screen would useful to see what the device does. But that said, the App could be set up to do all that stuff as well.
But even if it does very little, screens are cheap. The Amazon Fire tablets sell for $50. The Dot sells for $40. Amazon can put those two together and still sell a very reasonably priced product.

 

[macduke]

I don't know, I am pretty surprised how many of my non techy friends have these. Alexa has become really mainstream. I don't know anyone with Google home, and I certainly wouldn't be interested in a Siri device unless she becomes much more intelligent.

That's an interesting thought. I like Siri, and I like my iPhone. But would I pay for Siri? No. No I would not pay for Siri.

It would be nice to have an Alexa type device made by Apple, but like you said, Siri is going to have to get a whole lot better before it becomes a successful standalone product.

My ideal device would be one with Siri that lives plugged in on the wall. It can listen to a whole room of audio and respond, it's a WiFi and BT range extender for HomeKit relays, and it covers the room with wireless power for charging mobile devices. It would also have a few sensors that could be used as triggers for HomeKit, such as temperature, humidity, light level, and motion. The tricky part is getting the price down. The Apple TV is a good comparison here. They might be able to create such a device in the $99-199 range. The problem is a typical home would probably need at least three of them, if not more. An apartment could get away with one or two.

Perhaps Apple is getting out of the AirPort business because they want to start selling something like this instead and AirPort is just a feature. But looking at the pricetag on an AirPort and you can see the problem. Maybe it's more like a basestation and the smaller sensors with microphones positioned around the house are cheaper and relay Siri commands back to the main hub for processing?

 

[kdarling]

And I want a voice-controlled device I can use from across the room to be equipped with a screen I need to be next to in order to see/use because?????

For those who live with others, there's plenty of times that speaking aloud will disturb someone. That's why remote controls are rarely just voice activated, but also have buttons as well.

Also, sometimes you just want to be able to glance at a screen and see the latest news / weather. And again, a lot of us do NOT constantly carry our devices all around the house all the time

 

[zepfhyr]

Looks like this rumor was accurate, though it's not a product Amazon built in-house.

https://nucleuslife.com/

Maybe this is just a stepping stone and they'll buy the whole company, or maybe they'll just let these guys figure out all the pain points while they make their own product, but it seems that the crux of the story was accurate. Not sure how popular these will be, though, since FaceTime already does all this.

 

[Applebot1]

I bought an echo dot for £39, and I'm very impressed. The voice recognition is far better than Siri; on a par with Cortana, but it works from across the room. It's a bit limited in the UK, no IFTTT for example, but it controls my heating, which is the only smart home product I have at the moment, answers simple questions, reads out the news, and streams audio. I'm so impressed I'm thinking of buying the full size echo, but now that I hear there's one with an even better speaker, I'll wait.

Same here for £39 probably best piece of tech I bought this year. It seems to have unified all my Smart devices and I really think the voice interface is the way forward. Hoping Amazon will improve the skills and UK will get more support.