Amazon Working on Echo Successor to Rival Apple's HomePod

[Winni]

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.

It's actually very, very simple:
When you're (locked) in the Apple ecosystem, then the HomePod OF COURSE is the only choice you really have.
For people who do not want to lock themselves into the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod simply is no choice at all.
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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.

You miss the whole point of the game for Amazon: It's about getting their SERVICES into EVERY home out there - and those services go well beyond music or video streaming. Amazon's strategy is NOT about making huge amounts of money with the device itself -- which traditionally is Apple's ambition. Amazon wants you to order all the products you need for your daily life from them -- through the Echo, the Kindle, their web interface - heck even through your iPad. They actually don't care. They sell these products at a low price to make sure that everybody CAN use Amazon services. Apple is now in the market of producing status symbols for average worker class incomes -- you have to save up some money to buy them (or burn through your credit card), and since their stuff is expensive for regular income people, they feel like they're something special. Apple has always been in that vanity game - and most arguments why people choose Apple fall into exactly that category.

Why the heck would I buy ONE HomePod when I can have SEVEN Echo Dots or TWO Echos for the same price? Beats me. I don't have the first world problem of not knowing what to do with my money -- I have a family, dogs and a house. Naturally, I tend to buy what gives me "the most bang for the buck" - and not just an illusion of it. So I usually do not buy Apple - I'm down to a MacBook Pro as a secondary notebook for work. The Echo Dot with an Anker Sound Core Mini connected to it serves me extremely well in the places where I use it; that combo costs only half of the regular Echo and sounds more than good enough for listening to music during the day. I have hearing aids -- even if I wanted to, I couldn't even pretend to be an "audiophile" (the word alone is just another vanity game; no wonder Apple used it in their product announcements).

The HomePod will be a success for Apple, I have no doubt about that. There is a market for it (which I basically described above). People that are already locked into the Apple ecosystem will buy it -- if they also want to have a smart speaker in their house, like their neighbors with the Echo Dot, that's the only choice they have to say "me too - and mine sounds sooooo much better than yours".

Let's wait until the Echo Show hits the international masses and then let's see what Apple will release in two years down the road to compete with that. And then let's hear the same arguments from everybody again how superior the Apple solution is to what others have already been using FOR YEARS.

 

[BuffaloTF]

Siri can't compare to Alexa, at all. What good is the sound quality of the speaker if it doesn't do what you want? Most of the people I know have a Dot they link to their pre-existing high end audio systems anyway. Where exactly is the market of people who would spend $350 on a smart speaker that don't already have such a system?

On the other hand my 70 year old mom has an Echo and loves it. She would never buy a HomePod. So there's another market demograhic that isn't going to go Apple on this.

I'm way behind here... but to me, Apple's goal here is to capitalize on its position in Music. And Siri plays music tracks just fine. I don't think they're trying to directly take on the Echo head on, but rather sit in a space it currently is fairly absent in -- and I say that with a Dot in my theatre room plugged into my audio system.

 

[Applebot1]

A big pull will be which music service you subscribe to. Know doubt Home Pod will be a good product...if you just want to be tied in the Apple eco system. Once upon a time that would have been me but I tend to diversify more these days as there is better value and functionality else where in certain catergories.

One advantage of say an Echo Dot you can connect to any Hi-Fi you want.

 

[Applestock]

How do you have the old fashioned signal bars (next to AT&T)? Ever since an iOS update a few years ago — iOS 7, maybe? — I've had 5 dots instead of the traditional bars.

He/she is showing the results from iOS11 beta. iOS11 goes back to the bars rather than dots.

 

[mt8]

It's actually very, very simple:
When you're (locked) in the Apple ecosystem, then the HomePod OF COURSE is the only choice you really have.
For people who do not want to lock themselves into the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod simply is no choice at all.
[doublepost=1500024596][/doublepost]

You miss the whole point of the game for Amazon: It's about getting their SERVICES into EVERY home out there - and those services go well beyond music or video streaming. Amazon's strategy is NOT about making huge amounts of money with the device itself -- which traditionally is Apple's ambition. Amazon wants you to order all the products you need for your daily life from them -- through the Echo, the Kindle, their web interface - heck even through your iPad. They actually don't care. They sell these products at a low price to make sure that everybody CAN use Amazon services. Apple is now in the market of producing status symbols for average worker class incomes -- you have to save up some money to buy them (or burn through your credit card), and since their stuff is expensive for regular income people, they feel like they're something special. Apple has always been in that vanity game - and most arguments why people choose Apple fall into exactly that category.

Why the heck would I buy ONE HomePod when I can have SEVEN Echo Dots or TWO Echos for the same price? Beats me. I don't have the first world problem of not knowing what to do with my money -- I have a family, dogs and a house. Naturally, I tend to buy what gives me "the most bang for the buck" - and not just an illusion of it. So I usually do not buy Apple - I'm down to a MacBook Pro as a secondary notebook for work. The Echo Dot with an Anker Sound Core Mini connected to it serves me extremely well in the places where I use it; that combo costs only half of the regular Echo and sounds more than good enough for listening to music during the day. I have hearing aids -- even if I wanted to, I couldn't even pretend to be an "audiophile" (the word alone is just another vanity game; no wonder Apple used it in their product announcements).

The HomePod will be a success for Apple, I have no doubt about that. There is a market for it (which I basically described above). People that are already locked into the Apple ecosystem will buy it -- if they also want to have a smart speaker in their house, like their neighbors with the Echo Dot, that's the only choice they have to say "me too - and mine sounds sooooo much better than yours".

Let's wait until the Echo Show hits the international masses and then let's see what Apple will release in two years down the road to compete with that. And then let's hear the same arguments from everybody again how superior the Apple solution is to what others have already been using FOR YEARS.

[doublepost=1500050456][/doublepost]

I'm way behind here... but to me, Apple's goal here is to capitalize on its position in Music. And Siri plays music tracks just fine. I don't think they're trying to directly take on the Echo head on, but rather sit in a space it currently is fairly absent in -- and I say that with a Dot in my theatre room plugged into my audio system.

Amazon Echo only works in the US and UK. Not much use for us in other countries. I'm sure Siri will be more global.

 

[Woyzeck]

All those complaining about Siri's mediocre quality should know that English speakers are privileged regarding to Siri. For other languages it's almost unusable or not available at all, while i.e. Google's speech recognition and assistants work pretty well.

Apple has totally dropped the ball in software in recent years.

 

[levitynyc]

I've been using the new Echo for a few days now. Its amazing. Its only "weakness" is that the speaker for music isn't top of the line.

If Amazon releases a new model in the fall with a better speaker, I'm all over it as well. I'm sure it still won't cost nearly what the Homepod costs.

Alexa works way way way better than Siri ever has on my phone.

I have no doubt that the HomePod will sound better than the Echo that is out now. I also have no doubt the voice recognition won't be nearly as good.

At $249, I was all in on the Homepod even being $70 more expensive than the Echo. $349 is a disgrace.

 

[Foggydog]

All those complaining about Siri's mediocre quality should know that English speakers are privileged regarding to Siri. For other languages it's almost unusable or not available at all, while i.e. Google's speech recognition and assistants work pretty well.

Apple has totally dropped the ball in software in recent years.

We are not privileged because Siri doesn't work worth a darn. Even in English. I open google maps and say go, how far to such and such, or find this place. Google is right on every time.

 

[Foggydog]

I'm really wondering why more high end speaker makers aren't into this field. More so being wireless and wifi.
I was looking through other speaker makers and all their wireless speakers are Bluetooth.
If anyone has any thoughts, send them my way

 

[Shasterball]

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

Because, if he is like me, he already had one and, for $90, decided to get another since it's so reasonably priced. We have 3 now and, even though it is not perfect, it listens, helps make lists, plays music, turns on and off lights, adjusts the a/c, connects as an intercom to any other Echo in an instant, etc...

So, that's probably how he knows...

 

[Caliber26]

He/she is showing the results from iOS11 beta. iOS11 goes back to the bars rather than dots.

Trivial as it may be, I'm thrilled for this small change. I was never a fan of the dots.

 

[DoctorTech]

I would bet the vast, vast majority of customers will see HomePod as competing with Google Home and Echo, rather than Sonos, and will immediately be turned off by the price.

69Mustang has a signature line that reads "Personal use case. Nothing else matters." I tend to agree with that. I love Apple devices but I already have 5 Amazon Echos in my home (1 original and 3 Echo Dots connected to decent desktop speakers and 1 Echo Dot operating by itself). Alexa is way ahead of Siri in voice recognition (I hope Siri catches up in iOS 11 but I am not holding my breath). I personally don't want a HomePod for Siri but I would be interested in one for AirPlay, especially if it works well with Apple TV. I am OK paying $349 for HomePod if it can replace my current sound system on my TV. As 69Mustang says, it is all about the personal use case.

 

[Raj Char]

Amazon Echo Thumbs up! On the prime day, I picked up two echos, two echo dots, 1 fire hd 8 for kids, 1 fire hd 8 (regular), and 3 tp link switches for around $500.00 (for the Price of 1 basic ipad?) and the fire hd 8 comes with unlimited videos, music and books for kids...

Btw, how did people judge that homepod will be better than any other speaker? The model shown in the unveiling was not even working!!

 

[wirelesspeakersss]

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

Agree with too many features Apple seems to be not user friendly

 

[Phonephreak]

Does it do wireless distance charging?
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Or they're fearful of HomePod?

Who cares if it doesn’t have wireless charging. The echo would most likely be plugged in and left alone.

 

[ke-iron]

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.

It’s posts like this, you don’t seem to understand how small Sonos and amazon echo is outside of the US and how big Apple is worldwide! Apple can afford to take its time and focus on sound quality, specs and build quality if they like because they can hit many markets with simultaneous releases once they deem their product ready. They have shown us this with practically every product they release, the ball is in their court and they own the court!