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Amazon Reveals $230 Touchscreen 'Echo Show' Launching in June

I think this is a interesting idea that has a lot more potential. All of the features are very useful. For all of the people talking about using an iPad. Think about this; do you always carry your iPad around the house and set it up in every room you are in? One of these cost less than half of what an iPad does.

Imagine if Apple improves upon this by creating an OS for developers to put custom apps on it, include wireless charging for future i-devices and add tri-band Wi-Fi meshing to improve your home Wi-Fi network by utilizing a dedicated channel for communicating from device to device like the Orbi does.

It could be pretty cool.
 
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These things will sell well if priced right, which Amazon usually does. Amazon's voice assistant is nothing special, but having a device in a fixed location in a busy home is a HUGE feature. Here's a comparison of a video call to Grandma from the two devices:

iPad: Figure out which car a kid left it in, go get it, plug it into the wall because the battery is dead, set up the stand so everyone can see it, make sure it is connected to wifi and not the cell network so FaceTime doesn't eat up the whole month's data plan, place FaceTime call.

Echo Show: Walk to kitchen, say "Alexa, call grandma"

Of course you could buy an extra iPad and never move it, but the cost will be several times higher than the Echo Show, the microphone is not nearly as good at picking up sounds from across the room, and the speaker is much quieter.
 
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kdarling said:
Meh, it happens with any kind of advertising or lookup. Even the old paper Yellow Pages depended on bigger paid ads to catch our eye first :)

When I search for a tool on Amazon, yes I think sometimes it first shows me ones from a company I've used before. And/or from one having a promotion. If so, that makes perfect sense. My local hardware guy would do the same!

I still have plenty of options though, which includes sorting by price and rating instead. Or going shopping somewhere else. (I often compare prices between eBay and Amazon, for instance. When they're close, of course, Prime shipping is often the winner. And gawd I love having same day delivery to my tiny town sometimes! )

As I've always said, it's no different than back when we all shopped in the same neighborhood (as many people still do). In my small town, the deli knows what sandwich I want (so it's ready almost as soon as I walk in), the pharmacist knows all my ailments and allergies by heart (and gives extras if needed), the local stores know my brand and price preferences (and keep my favorites around), and our local restaurants know what I like (even if it's no longer on their menu). These are all huge benefits because my shopping is not all private.

This latest fad towards absolute "privacy" seems to me to just be another result of the non-social behavior of today's device-raised generations. Kids don't even call anyone any more. Grump grump etc :p
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That's an interesting perspective, truly. I have a different way of going about things.

The guys that work in my local small hardware store are mostly retired contractors or inspectors (other than the teenagers stocking the shelves). They usually recommend what tool they think is best, even if its not the one currently on sale or not from a brand I would typically buy.

I don't like going to the same restaurant often, and I love it when they change management or chefs resulting in a menu change. I will always prefer a new experience over one I have already had. The same applies to sandwich shops - the guy at the deli knows my name but doesn't know what I want because I always get something different. If anything, he knows I will ask what they have in that is new or fresh.

I like trying new brands of normal things. For example, I find that if I wear the same deodorant for too long, I start to get used to it's smell and notice it less. So I switch it up. Thus I rotate through 4 of so brands, and I would absolutely try a new scent or a new brand if it seemed compelling. The same applies to soap, or whatever other expendable things I buy at the pharmacy.

To me, privacy is an issue certainly. But it's not the end all - as long as it's a clear quid-pro-quo, I'm ok with data collection. For example gmail - the best browser-based email server by far, and it costs me $0 provided I allow google to scan and index all my emails for advertising purposes.

The bigger issue I worry about, particularly from Amazon and Facebook, is how it will affect newcomers to the market. When Amazon makes it easier to just say, "Alexa, order me soap" and Amazon knows you mean Dove soap and instantly processes the order, it becomes that much harder for a small business to enter the soap market. At least at a your local pharmacy the other brands stand a small chance of being noticed on the bottom shelf, with Alexa, they have no chance.
 
npmacuser5 said:
One it has great hearing compared to an iPad. Two has great sound compared to an iPad. Three one could buy four Echo Looks for the price of one iPad. Four, as of today, Alexa is far superior to Siri in all aspects. Not the coolest looking device, but very functional. I would sacrifice form for function any day. However, Apple may offer both, maybe a nice win.
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I think it was 9to5 mac that had a poll as to what would drive people to buy a siri home device like an Echo, and something like 90% of those polled said "a better Siri" I'm off on the numbers I'm sure, but it was overwhelming. (I also would need to see a much better Siri).

Step up your game Apple.
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oneMadRssn said:
The bigger issue I worry about, particularly from Amazon and Facebook, is how it will affect newcomers to the market. When Amazon makes it easier to just say, "Alexa, order me soap" and Amazon knows you mean Dove soap and instantly processes the order, it becomes that much harder for a small business to enter the soap market. At least at a your local pharmacy the other brands stand a small chance of being noticed on the bottom shelf, with Alexa, they have no chance.
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This is a big danger for the market in general, but as a consumer, this is awesome. We re-order so many things through Echo with a simple voice command. The convenience is nearly untouchable. I am sure we are paying a premium price, but the time saved, for now, balances it out.



HAVING SAID all of that -- I only find the Echo useful in the kitchen. The nerve center of the house. If I lived alone I MIGHT be interested of one in the bedroom for music/alarm clock/news, but my spouse and I do not get up at the same time, so voice control is not really something that is that useful, and the audio (and now video) in the bedroom just seems too invasive to me.
 
Lidar said:
I think this is a interesting idea that has a lot more potential. All of the features are very useful. For all of the people talking about using an iPad. Think about this; do you always carry your iPad around the house and set it up in every room you are in? One of these cost less than half of what an iPad does.

Imagine if Apple improves upon this by creating an OS for developers to put custom apps on it, include wireless charging for future i-devices and add tri-band Wi-Fi meshing to improve your home Wi-Fi network by utilizing a dedicated channel for communicating from device to device like the Orbi does.

It could be pretty cool.
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An iPad is $100 more and is far more useful.
 
DNichter said:
An iPad is $100 more and is far more useful.
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True. I forgot they came out with a "new" iPad with last year's technology for a cheap price.

I am sure that once Jony Ive puts his touch to the thing it will cost more than last year's iPad...
 
Lidar said:
True. I forgot they came out with a "new" iPad with last year's technology for a cheap price.

I am sure that once Jony Ive puts his touch to the thing it will cost more than last year's iPad...
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I'm not sure what you mean, but apparently the low cost iPad works very well and people have been happy with it. I'm sure the specs between the two are comparable.
 
acctman said:
i have already pre-ordered two.if Apple made the exact same product people on here would be going on about how cool and different Apple is for adding a screen. Amazon a once book company, now online retailer has pretty much done what most tech companies can not.
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Did you use the code SHOW2PACK to save $100 ?
 
macsrcool1234 said:
Because Alexa is actually useful.
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This. I mean, I like Apple stuff and all, but Siri is a total joke vs. Alexa. Just is.

Everyone is fan-boying Apple products over this but Apple has absolutely no category to compete. No, Hey Siri and Facetime don't count. No your iPad doesn't count. No, etc.

For the target market (i.e. everyone who has Amazon) it's a brilliant idea. Not to mention Bezos doesn't give a **** what people here think. It'll do just fine.

If this was a prettier looking Apple product with the same internals, you clowns would be so smug and happy it'd make my eyes roll so far back in my head I'd fall backwards. It's as if nobody wants any other company to compete and all you want is Apple to be the sole source of everything in the world (i.e. terrible idea).

This place is so juvenile sometimes.
 
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coolbreeze said:
This. I mean, I like Apple stuff and all, but Siri is a total joke vs. Alexa. Just is.

Everyone is fan-boying Apple products over this but Apple has absolutely no category to compete. No, Hey Siri and Facetime don't count. No your iPad doesn't count. No, etc.

For the target market (i.e. everyone who has Amazon) it's a brilliant idea. Not to mention Bezos doesn't give a **** what people here think. It'll do just fine.

If this was a prettier looking Apple product with the same internals, you clowns would be so smug and happy it'd make my eyes roll so far back in my head I'd fall backwards. It's as if nobody wants any other company to compete and all you want is Apple to be the sole source of everything in the world (i.e. terrible idea).

This place is so juvenile sometimes.
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Everything you just said sound juvenile to me.
 
I am going to guess that Apple's device with have a screen as has been implied and it will cost $299. Gotta get the Apple tax in there. But Echo works fantastic compared to any current Apple offering and there is no way I would have an iPad as a Echo subsitute.
 
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sockdoggy said:
Why would someone use this over an iPad with a stand and enable 'Hey Siri?' (or a competitor equivalent tablet)?
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Alexa is faster. I think the user benefit is the idea that this doesn't move...it's always where you think it is. Like a toaster. The iPad could be anywhere in the house.
 
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Unlike the iPad, the echo was designed to be used at a distance. It has 8 microphones and much larger speakers.
 
Someone should just make an Echo like multi-directional microphone dock for iPad - instant Siri device. I don't even need a speaker, just the microphone to pick me up around the room and i'd use it instead of my Echo Dot already. Shame as I already have the iPad docked 24/7 as it is!
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cwwilson said:
I'm sorry but I just don't trust these kind of products. Why would I let an always listening device into my home? So corporations can eavesdrop 24-7 and market me even further than they already do? Same with those "security" companies that set up cameras and sensors all over your house. Only with those not only can they hear but they can watch you in the privacy of your residence at all times. Might as well leave your doors unlocked and windows open so everyone can check out what you're up to, or just invite the NSA or whatever other 3-letter agencies to set up shop inside.

This day and age, nobody cares enough about their privacy anymore, and the higher-ups are taking notice and taking full advantage of the situation to exploit us in efforts to further their own ends.
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You realise 3 of the devices you own have these features...
 
cerote said:
If you want to be seen then yes. Not a drone that follows you. But bet that will be a couple years from now.
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It was more of a rhetorical question, but what I mean is if this is a device meant to be carried around and placed wherever you happen to be, then a tablet with some sort of stand is a superior replacement for the product.

I have an echo dot, and it hasn't moved since I bought it. This kind of product is intended to be stationary, it seems. This would make the Echo Show work best placed on a desk where you sit and video call someone, but portability and video calling these days go hand in hand.

If Apple does incorporate a screen/FaceTime into the new Siri speaker, it would be awesome if they could enable handoff to a mobile device for portable FaceTime, even if you answer on the speaker.
 
sockdoggy said:
Why would someone use this over an iPad with a stand and enable 'Hey Siri?' (or a competitor equivalent tablet)?
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Because iPads start at $329. Then, that person would have to purchase a separate stand. Then, endure Siri's consistently inaccurate voice recognition.
 
Apple has been known to create some pretty ugly devices themselves in the past..the Lamp computer comes to mind along with early Macs. More recently they created what I refer to as the Quasimodo battery case...While this product isn't exactly pretty either, it's more of a case of pot meet kettle if you ask me. We have a Dot and that serves our purpose for now but I can see this being helpful for some. Not everyone lives only in an Apple ecosystem.
 
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