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Apple to Debut New AirPods This Year With Handsfree 'Hey, Siri' Voice Command Feature, 'Water-Resistant' Models Coming in 2019

newyorksole said:
Why can’t I adjust Siri’s settings so it activates when I say “Hello Siri” when it comes to my HomePod and “Hey Siri” when it comes to my iPhone etc.
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Why not simply allow us to use the various Siri products by their generally odd names? "Hey Siri" depends on a human brain to call out the "Hey..." As such, that brain knows which device it is calling. So instead of trying to make the devices best guess which one the brain wants to respond, why not let the brain do that processing- getting it right 100% of the time- and call out a unique name either given or assignable to each device? For example,

"Hey Homepod" would not be confusing to Macs, watch, phone, tablet or AirPods. The human wants Siri on HP to respond. And- like Siri- Homepod is an odd enough name, it's not going to accidentally come up in daily conversations to then accidentily activate Siri on Homepod.

"Hey AirPods" would not be confusing to Macs, watch, phone, tablet or HPs. Same benefits.

"Hey iPhone"

"Hey iPad"

"Hey iMac"

Or, how about getting really crazy and allow us consumers to rename Siri on select devices, encouraging us to choose odd names so that we are not accidentally summoning Siri in casual conversation. "Hey Joe" might not be a good name but "Hey Rasputin" probably works. Maybe Stark's "Hey Jarvis"? "Hey KooKooKaChoo"?

Bottom line: the summoning brain ALWAYS knows which device it wants to respond. So shift that AI to just BI (biological intelligence already debugged & fully functional) and use it. No need overthinking the obvious.*


*Important disclosure: I do NOT "have $2XX Billion in the bank," nor did I stay as a Holiday Inn Express last night.
 
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jonnyb said:
The current AirPods sound surprisingly good when you attach some silicone tips like the Earskinz. Without them, the AirPods lose so much sound information - especially bass. Of course, the AirPods can’t be charged with them on, so it’s a fiddle taking them on and off.

I’d love for a new version of the AirPods to come with changeable tips like the old Apple in-ears so that sound is similarly improved and so that they give some level of noise isolation. At the moment, the AirPods are poor for listening in even slightly noisy environments.

Hey Siri functionality would be nice, but what’s most important for me is the sound quality, and so many people are missing out on what the AirPods can actually achieve - to an extent I think many would be surprised at.
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I agree. Didn't like my AirPods until I tried dodocool silicone tips. I agree with you, better sound - warmer, more bass and (very) slightly improved noise isolation. Not to mention more comfortable to wear and less likely to lose the AirPods.
 
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Lilok said:
So this happens to everyone? Glad to hear that...i actually didn't believe that this is the common way Apple does this....killing the process in the most ugly way possible, as if it would have hiccups o_O
Google doesn't do that, so i thought it's a bug or something like this :/
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Yeah. Does the same for all my devices. iPad, watch, and iPhone. They use Bluetooth I believe if i remember reading about it so they talk to each other.
 
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pat500000 said:
How about a different colors?
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MrGuder said:
How about a black version?
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How about any color without waiting on Apple to get around to doing something: http://www.colorware.com/p-743-apple-airpods.aspx

airpods_apple_coloreware.jpg
 
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Guy Clark said:
So explain to me how the batteries have a longer life on the iPhone 4s than the iPhone 6. planned obsolesce is a relatively recent phenomenon. From Macs with soldered in RAM and SSD to throttling the performance of earlier generation iPhones.
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Because it’s either that or random shut downs, battery’s degrade over time and they will not last over time, most people upgrade their phones on a 2 year cycle anyway, as for the iPhone 4S I’m pretty sure it’s battery life doesn’t last longer than a 6.

There is no planned obsolescence it’s just some people finding yet another thing to complain about.
 
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recoil80 said:
I wish we could chose the activation command.
Hey iPhone, hey Watch, hey HomePod etc.
Hey Siri should be the general way to invoke Siri, and only one device should answer, like now. But I'd like to be able to address a particular device as well.
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Thats what is great about Echo's. The mics are so good in them and I have 1 in living room, and one each in bedrooms. At least one of the bedroom ones if not both would pick me up when talking to living room device. Fortunately Amazon allows me to give them all different names, dont have to say Alexa to all so its really great.
Honestly the best thing is being able to name one "computer" I love Imagining I'm on Star Trek TNG when I walk into my room and say
"Computer, turn on lights" Of course I need to mute the device whenever I'm watching Trek, otherwise it would be responding constantly.
 
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Considering Apple’s push for Siri to become central in the home @ HomePod and now on the go @ handsfree AirPod Siri ... it seems to me that Apple is seeking to make the use of Siri more ubiquitous, or central to our lives.

I think it’s safe to say that there will indeed be a major Siri update at this year’s WWDC.

------

I noticed that AirPods aren’t listed in the MR Buyer’s Guide. I wonder why.
 
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jsmith189 said:
i don't know about "just fine". I was standing in the same spot today trying to activate my HomePod, but my iPad and iPhone were taking turns at answering me instead lol.
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Are they all up to date? Are any of them running beta OS? Are they all properly logged into iCloud?

Devices that are properly managed don't have this problem you speak of. They are really good at suppressing all but one device to respond to you.
 
Would just love a pair that fit in my ears. The current version is too slippery and loses grip in my ears after 10 minutes and fall out. I've tried every hack out there from nexcare tape to foam covers and none of them work. My ears seem to be too small :(
 
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"The new 2018 AirPods are said to come with an upgraded wireless chip that will let users summon Siri using the "Hey, Siri" voice command without having to physically tap the headphones"

Sounds like recognizing two extra words ("Hey Siri") can not be implemented in the current AirPods because they required a new chip (Buy a new pair), since already works with two taps and also recognizes voice, why would two extra words require buying new hardw.. ohh wait... I get it.
 
Dave245 said:
Because it’s either that or random shut downs, battery’s degrade over time and they will not last over time, most people upgrade their phones on a 2 year cycle anyway, as for the iPhone 4S I’m pretty sure it’s battery life doesn’t last longer than a 6.

There is no planned obsolescence it’s just some people finding yet another thing to complain about.
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The newest Apple product I use on a daily basis is a 2011 iMac and the oldest a 2005 Mac mini G4 both of which are user repairable.
Explain to me how the user is to repair a modern MacBook or iMac without sending it to Apple then being charged almost as much as it would be for a new Mac.
 
SIRI isn't smart enough to do a lot of basic stuff so adding her to airpods hands free isn't going to help. Until Apple gets on the level of Amazon/Google with their assistant... it's not worthy of anyone's time. Apple needs to get out of software issue hell before making anymore hardware changes. Of course I know they won't.. and that's why it's easier then ever to work on projects that aren't IOS related. For me I've always loved Apple products but they've done slim to no enhancements in software. Adding some animated emoji's doesn't cut the mustard when shelling out 1k for a device. Oh but we added a new screen too.. yeah old tech.. but new to Apple. Come on fellas, time to work on something that actually makes sense! SIRI needs an overhaul.. IOS needs an overhaul.. APPLE.. needs an overhaul.

And I love Airpods, SIRI is already there.. a double tap away. I just don't use her like I do Amazon/Google.. those assistants get me more than what I need.. SIRI can't get the basics right.
 
tkukoc said:
SIRI isn't smart enough to do a lot of basic stuff so adding her to airpods hands free isn't going to help.
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Such things are why it seems obvious that there will be a major Siri update. They're pushing Siri too hard when it's lacking, to not update it.
 
I am deaf in my left ear. I would like to use AirPods but I really don't want to purchase a left one that i can never use. I really wish that I could purchase only a right one or a pair of right ones. Please Apple think about this. In the past Apple was the company that offered Mono playback for people like me and I really appreciate that. That made it possible for me to use any earphones. It was a tremendous breakthrough for me.
 
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chas_m said:
Also: apparently most of you are unaware that the HomePod introduced technology that has all paired devices “converse” about which one is going to answer a “hey Siri” command. I expect to see that refined in future software updates, but HomePod owners are enjoying it already.
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My HomePod and iPhone answer to “Hey Siri” at the same time.
 
BulkSlash said:
I think my biggest wanted feature would be auto-switching between devices rather than having to go into Control Centre each time I jump from my iPhone to my iPad. It's admittedly a minor annoyance but it would be a big time saver for me.
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I also would like to see this, its a minor issue switching between my MacBook and iPhone but it feels like it should be automatic.

Glad to see they are working on updates, would love to have a space grey colour option to match everything and also be a little less obvious that I'm wearing them.
 
npmacuser5 said:
Apple will learn from Alexa. Alexa does a very good job of identifying the distance ones voice is from each speaker that receives the wake word. Then responds to the nearest voice. In a room with three speakers, say Alexa, all three wake and listen, and the one responding, the nearest the speaker. Not perfect, but not bad either. I am sure Apple has thought if this also. In your situation, wearing the AirPods, they should respond first. Now if your sweetie whispers in your ear, that could be an issue. ;) Actually solved by voice recognition, Alexa has that feature for security in ordering. Again Apple is sure to be working on all of these issues.
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That would defeat the HomePod mic that is supposed to pick you up across the room.
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Arty6 said:
Yeah cuz Steve never updated the ipod. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_iPod_models
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It’s been 2 years since 2016.
 
Doesn't the "Hey Siri" feature technically already exist? If your phone has the always on feature and you connect the AirPods, it works with just saying it rather than having to tap the AirPod. It was working at some point.
 
I splurged on some AirPods earlier this year and like them more than I thought I would. If I were to do a version 2 I would not do what is rumored here. I would make the fit just a bit better with maybe a bit of rubber or grip at the end to help keep it in the ear and maybe help with sound isolation. A little better bass response would be nice, though hard to expect. And available in black...
 
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