Amazon Working on Echo Successor to Rival Apple's HomePod

[DNichter]

This new speaker from Amazon could easily be the result of a partnership between Amazon and Sonos. That would answer the sound quality (Sonos) question and the smarts of the assistant (Alexa) question in one fell swoop. Sonos with Alexa integration has already been in private beta for some time. Slotted between the Play 3 and Play 5 @ $300 - $350 you have an immediate direct competitor on sound quality, smart assistant, and price. Win/Win for Sonos and Amazon. No longer is the decision do I want a less intelligent smart speaker with good sound or a more intelligent smart speaker with lesser sound. An Amazon/Sonos amalgam offers both. Pure speculation by me, but not unreasonable speculation.

Everything you mention totally makes sense. Competition is always good. People will just need to choose whether they value privacy or not. Amazon makes money by selling you products, I don't feel comfortable putting that in my home. Apple Music will also play a factor as you'll only be able to get that integration from the HomePod. It's good to have choices, I don't think it'll eat into Apple much though.

 

[weave]

This is awesome news. I love Apple but they've dropped the ball on Siri. I have Alexa devices all over my house and have all my stuff controlled by it. I'm not throwing all of that away just to get HomePods.

 

[69Mustang]

Everything you mention totally makes sense. Competition is always good. People will just need to choose whether they value privacy or not. Amazon makes money by selling you products, I don't feel comfortable putting that in my home. Apple Music will also play a factor as you'll only be able to get that integration from the HomePod. It's good to have choices, I don't think it'll eat into Apple much though.

I'm thoroughly confused by this: "People will just need to choose whether they value privacy or not. Amazon makes money by selling you products, I don't feel comfortable putting that in my home." Instead of me assuming you mean something you don't (99% sure I'd be wrong), I'll just ask. What does that mean?

 

[Kabeyun]

That's pathetic.

Google Assistant, for comparison:
View attachment 708418

Of course, Peter Buck didn't play drums for REM, but obviously a better answer than Siri's!
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View attachment 708421

So if you happen upon the secret way Siri likes the question phrased, you may or may not get a useful answer. I think I'll pass.
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View attachment 708425

Siri = Total Crap

Lmao!

 

[tongefactor40]

Just please build mesh wifi into it and ill give it serious consideration

I like this idea... maybe why airport stations are no longer being made?

 

[Rettun1]

Amazon already has the hard part taken care of: a good virtual assistant. Apple used the existing Siri and made a great home speaker for it. Apple has to upgrade Siri, so Amazon will still have the advantage once this new speaker releases.

 

[DevNull0]

They couldn't pay me to take one of those things.

https://www.theinformation.com/facing-new-rivals-amazon-may-open-up-alexa-data-for-developers

 

[Moonlight]

Me dictating a text to siri via Carplay yesterday:

Me: "I already have four couches"
Siri:"I already have the couches"
NO!
Me: "I already have four couches"
Siri:"I already have the couches"
NO!!!!
Me: "I have four couches already"
Siri:"I have the couches already"
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: "I already have FOUR couches"
Siri:"I already have the couches"
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Me: "I already have FOOOOOOUUUUUR couches"
Siri:"I already have the couches"

To hell with all digital assistants, I almost had a coronary trying to get Siri to understand the word "four"

 

[DNichter]

I'm thoroughly confused by this: "People will just need to choose whether they value privacy or not. Amazon makes money by selling you products, I don't feel comfortable putting that in my home." Instead of me assuming you mean something you don't (99% sure I'd be wrong), I'll just ask. What does that mean?

I feel that Amazon will use their devices to sell me things before Apple will. I’d prefer not to be marketed, if possible. If all things are equal between the two in terms of a product, I’d choose the one that is already in my ecosystem and keeps my information private.

 

[Heltik]

Apple really needs to stop announcing products before they are ready.

 

[iMi]

I have the Echo. It's okay. Amazon hardware has always been subpar in my opinion. The sound isn't particularly impressive.

I suspect Apple's device will deliver superior sound and integration into the Apple ecosystem.

I will be replacing the Eco with a HomePod when it becomes available. I already subscribe to Apple music, so having a device that will tap into that without having to pair a phone will be awesome. The sound will likely be superior as well.

 

[canyonblue737]

HomePod isn’t trying to compete with the Echo, it’s competing with Sonos.

And that's why it will fail. Sonos's CEO last fall announced big layoffs and said they missed the future which was smarthome voice helpers in speakers and were turning course and putting 100% of their effort behind a relationship with Amazon Echo that will start and be clarified later this year. It appears Sonos will be fully controllable by existing Amazon Echo devices and are likely to announce a ground up revamp of all their main lines of speakers to include built in Amazon Echo Alexa technogy by this holiday.

Apples high price and focus on sound quality while ignoring the huge accuracy and functionality weaknesses of Siri and the weak and growing weaker HomeKit support vs. 15,000+ and growing Amazon Echo 3rd part services (like apps) and links to every smarthome devices sold and you see a huge problem for Apple.

Apple is skating to Sonos while Sonos is skating to where the puck is.... Amazon.

 

[iMi]

I bought an Echo for 90 bucks on Prime day and Apple is trying to get $350 for Apple Home or whatever. Get lost.

Echo does everything I need it to.

This is like saying "I bought a kindle fire for $69 and Apple is asking $399 for an iPad. Get lost"

Sure, the Kindle will do everything you need it to do, but one is clearly superior to the other and offers better quality components. Price reflects those differences.

 

[joueboy]

What do you mean "to one-up" when an unproven product to be a any better needed to upped by Echo. Besides Siri is really terrible on understanding us humans. Echo is already ahead of the game imo and it's really good to what it's design for. SMH!

 

[DNichter]

I think Siri will be improved on the HomePod. With more microphones and the improvements in iOS 11, I expect better results in the end.

 

[mabhatter]

Prime day was 2 days ago. How can you know it can do everything you need it to?

For starts all the HomePods are growing in a nursery at a secret safe Apple site.
Secondly, you can't BUY a HomePod yet so an Echo is going to have to do all the things.

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

I love how Apple enters a product category and raises the bar 10 levels, then other companies have to try to catch up (and sometimes surpass). Without Apple we'd only have clumsy, unrefined devices (though we'd probably be ignorantly blissful), and without competition we would never be able to afford these better products.

Granted Apple falls short sometimes (Siri).

It's not raising the bar if it's almost twice the price . . . .

 

[subjonas]

It's not raising the bar if it's almost twice the price . . . .

It is if enough people are willing to pay it *shrug*

 

[KeanosMagicHat]

It is if enough people are willing to pay it *shrug*

You're not comparing like for like then though.

Truly raising the bar is achieving more for the same price or less than the competition.

In this case the article is talking about the Echo which is significantly cheaper than the HomePod but which, by the sounds of it, will be upgraded to eat away at some of the potential purchasers of the Apple speaker.

Will they take them all, of course not. Apple have a very loyal customer base and also there will be others who will be prepared to pay more for a difference in sound quality (assuming there will be one between the HomePod and the new Echo).

 

[Karma*Police]

I bought an Echo for 90 bucks on Prime day and Apple is trying to get $350 for Apple Home or whatever. Get lost.

Echo does everything I need it to.

That's good for you but not everyone has the same needs. Just because you got something on sale or for cheap doesn't make it a good value. An $80 door stop is still a pretty expensive door stop.

That's how I view the Echo because it doesn't do anything well which is why I returned it. Music sounds like crap and it's an assistant that, like all digital assistants, is pretty dumb, and can only be used when you're close to it.

With my iPhone or Apple Watch, I can turn my lights on/off from half way around the world, get directions, get reminders at a specified time or location, get sports scores for all NFL teams on screen, etc.

HomePod sounds like it has the potential to be the best speaker in its class if early "reviews" are accurate, and Siri is just an added bonus.

When looked at it that way, I would argue that HomePod looks like a much better value.

Give it time. Once the novelty fades, the true value becomes more apparent. There's a reason why a lot of people are calling Eho the most expensive alarm clock they've ever owned.

 

[Cloudkicker]

How can they "one up" a product that hasn't even been released (& won't be until maybe December)? More like-- Amazon releasing their next gen speaker. Can a smartwatch competitor say "Apple is releasing a new smartwatch to one-up [say, Samsung]" in a CNet or Ars article. Don't be an interloper, Apple.
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Apple claimed it honed the technology over many years, so Amazon's next smart speaker has plenty to live up to.

WTH? Is this Alice In Wonderland? Echo is king & it's the HomePod that has to live up to the competition. Let me put it to you this way: If Google gets into the wireless headphones (a la AirPods), can they say "Google knows tech, so the newest release of AirPods has a lot to live up to (based on the specs of upcoming GBuds)"?

 

[rocknblogger]

I agree. I bought a refurbished echo and echo dot (for $90 and 30, respectively) when they were on sale a few days before prime day (so I could use some of Alexa's exclusive deals for prime day). I'm surprised how much I love it. Sound on the Echo is more the sufficient for me (a non-audiofile) and honestly even the echo dot is sufficient sound for a bedroom. I already have prime music (and just paid the $.99 for 4 months). It really does about everything I need for it. I got a second dot on prime day so now I have an echo and 2 dots, which sufficiently covers my home for $145.

That's exactly what we have. The primary Echo is in the dining room/kitchen are. The dot in the livingroom is connected to a pair of Audioengine A5's which are hard to beat for better sound. And in the bedroom we just use the speaker built into the dot which is loud enough and fine for that room.

All in all we could not be happier. There's no way I'd buy 3 HomePods to replace the Echos. Too expensive and Siri. Alexa really is much better than Siri. It always understands exactly what we ask it and rarely is unable to answer the query. Plus the grandkids absolutely love talking to it.

 

[ke-iron]

Your comment makes you sound a bit arrogant. Just because a product is less expensive does not mean it is cheap as does an expensive product always be a great one. Yes, the Echo is not a high end speaker. Thus the point of this rumor. If this rumor correct, Amazon will have products that fit nicely into more users needs. From a users perspective, a good thing.

I don’t sound arrogant at all. If you took the time to read the original poster comment you would understand. He was the one who complained about the price and made direct comparisons stating the current price of both products, then went on to say the current echo does everything he needs it to do. Fine. But like I said, just because it does everything you need it to do, that does not mean other people like myself does not want a smart speak that will out perform the echo in every way. He sounded cheap for attacking Apple and throwing direct price comparisons, plain and simple. I am not making any comparisons with prices of any products, your comment is not relevant. You assumed I called the echo cheap which I clearly did not.

 

[Foggydog]

Gosh, I just don't know.
We have 2 iPhones and 4 iPads in our house now.
As a trucker trying to use Siri for hands free calling and texting it's terrible. Phone calling is ok, but try to send a text when I cannot think like a computer, or where I only have three bars of reception, Siri is utterly useless.
I'm sure that the homepod will sound very good, but what am I going to ask Siri over loud music? She is useless using a Bluetooth with 10x noise canceling.
Now looking at a sonos play 5 is quite expensive. And I know that homepod is being marketed to the sonos play3. But if Amazon and sonos can pull this off, I'm probably going to go with Amazon. I'm not terribly worried about Amazon trying to sell me something. Heck, just surf and google is in my face with ad anyway.
My wife like clear sound, but I will at least see where Apple is going.

 

[Bawstun]

I love how Apple enters a product category and raises the bar 10 levels, then other companies have to try to catch up (and sometimes surpass). Without Apple we'd only have clumsy, unrefined devices (though we'd probably be ignorantly blissful), and without competition we would never be able to afford these better products.

Granted Apple falls short sometimes (Siri).

Siri, Apple Music, Maps...iOS 11 (every iteration becomes clunkier with more and more menus and less user-friendly interface) etc...

Apple is not what it once was. IMO