Fair enough. I was thinking along the lines of wearing the Apple Watch at all times at home, even when sleeping. I mean, I have to rinse it with water once a week just to get rid of the smell of sweat and loosen up the crown. Can't imagine wearing it for practically the whole day, much less to bed.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Echo-Like Smart Speaker With Siri and AirPlay Could Debut as Early as WWDC
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Fair enough. I was thinking along the lines of wearing the Apple Watch at all times at home, even when sleeping. I mean, I have to rinse it with water once a week just to get rid of the smell of sweat and loosen up the crown. Can't imagine wearing it for practically the whole day, much less to bed.
Wish Apple should just open up AirPlay and launch AirPlay Direct that was rumored a couple of years ago.
I'm not that fussed about the music component, as I will be installing in-ceiling speakers in our new home, and a smallish device that sits nicely on a shelf/counter is unlikely to offer the same audio quality as a pair of 6 or 8" speakers driven by a dedicated amp.
Someone else mentioned that with AirPlay an Apple device could bring your TV into play, but I guess it could also bring your iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch/Mac screen into play using HandOff. If the question answer to your question is image/video based, or you asked for a recipe, the system could say, "I found the recipe for you, just unlock one of your devices.
The ability to identify the voice and link to the correct devices/iCloud account will be a big factor. The last thing I want is millions of reminders or voice memos from my kids!
Someone else mentioned that with AirPlay an Apple device could bring your TV into play, but I guess it could also bring your iPhone/iPad/Apple Watch/Mac screen into play using HandOff. If the question answer to your question is image/video based, or you asked for a recipe, the system could say, "I found the recipe for you, just unlock one of your devices.
The ability to identify the voice and link to the correct devices/iCloud account will be a big factor. The last thing I want is millions of reminders or voice memos from my kids!
And when they introduce a feature that might have been introduced by a competitor, Apple tends to put their own personal spin on what makes it unique and appealing from what other manufacturers might be doing. That's what I really like about Apple, even if they are late to the game, they make it worthwhile.
So Apple lets their low end and high end desktop computer divisions, their low end notebook divisions, their pro software divisions, and I'm sure a few other divisions fall behind the competition but a speaker you can talk to is high on their priority list now? Whats the point of another company jumping in to make one more device like this? Don't we have enough cameras and microphones inside our homes and in our pockets already? We need tools that empower people to enhance their individual talents, not devices that assign us a number and tie us into databases. Some of these things may be fun and amusing now. But the generation of kids who know nothing else but this and have not been grounded to a reality without them will end up being that much more chained to them than we are today.
It isn't meant to replace an iPhone or iPad. The point of these type of products is convenience. For example, having a stand alone device in your kitchen that can tell you the weather, play music, add stuff to your calendar or reminders list, turn on/dim/change color of lights around the home, check the traffic, set alarms, check the news, etc. is very convenient. The Apple Watch is great because it controls your iPhone from your wrist, but it is not a stand alone device that has a speaker you would want to hear play music in the morning.
The big selling point for me will be the Apple ecosystem and how it integrates. I don't know that it will be an obvious purchase for people that do not use Apple products or services, but it doesn't have to be.
It is a device for a house which anybody should be able to use. Google added this feature shortly after the MBKHD video.
Remember when Apple was "late" to smart watches? Guess who owns a significant portion of that pie today. You don't always have to be first mover in a category.
I wear it from wake to sleep, take it away for the shower.
[doublepost=1493397018][/doublepost]
Pure comedy. A brilliant parody.
Honestly, thank you.
Well if Apple can do Echo with access to my iTunes and my Apple Music then bring it on. I do love my Echos for what they do and for the convenience they bring but they don't bring me my vast iTunes collection of music.
That's the sort of stuff I was thinking. Nothing I couldn't do with my Apple Watch, so I guess it's not for me.
I am pretty sure they will have a custom chip in this that does something like the W1 in regards to their Airpods. It will do something the others don't so if you have all Apple gear anyway Alexa and other won't creep their way into your house.
I think Apple's strategy of making an API like SiriKit instead of Amazon's Skills will eventually win.
Alexa 3rd party skills are crap because you have to speak "command line". You have to "enter" apps, and speak the exact commands that they programmed or else it doesn't work. Allowing apps to hook into intents, managed by the OS is going to be much better as long as Apple can keep adding intents fast enough. The current set is very limited.
I have a couple of Amazon Dot's they are very useful, but not life changing.
Looking forward to SONOS integration.
The market is very price sensitive and to get full benefits folks really need more than one device, so at least two rooms covered - say main living room and bedroom.
I paid approx £40.00 each for the Dots on Black Friday so £80.00 approx total.
I imagine the Apple Siri Home will be £199.00, so £398.00 for two rooms.
A lot if folks will steer clear at these prices.
I think only Google Home can catch Alexa now. These devices will be common place in a few years without doubt.
Looking forward to SONOS integration.
The market is very price sensitive and to get full benefits folks really need more than one device, so at least two rooms covered - say main living room and bedroom.
I paid approx £40.00 each for the Dots on Black Friday so £80.00 approx total.
I imagine the Apple Siri Home will be £199.00, so £398.00 for two rooms.
A lot if folks will steer clear at these prices.
I think only Google Home can catch Alexa now. These devices will be common place in a few years without doubt.
I gotta laugh at the people that think Apple won't catch Alexa. They'll do that within 18 months of launch.
The mistake you're making is thinking in a US Centric manner. Alexa only supports like 5 languages, Amazon
can't roll it out globally until they support far more languages like Mandarin and Cantonese. Siri already supports
those languages and more. If Apple delivers a competitor it will ship world wide and blow Alexa away.
As for Siri quality. FFS they acquired VocalIQ two years ago to beef up Siri. Integration takes time. Siri
is about to get far better and with Homekit Apple has a strong offering.
If you doubt me...out me.
The mistake you're making is thinking in a US Centric manner. Alexa only supports like 5 languages, Amazon
can't roll it out globally until they support far more languages like Mandarin and Cantonese. Siri already supports
those languages and more. If Apple delivers a competitor it will ship world wide and blow Alexa away.
As for Siri quality. FFS they acquired VocalIQ two years ago to beef up Siri. Integration takes time. Siri
is about to get far better and with Homekit Apple has a strong offering.
If you doubt me...out me.
Nope. Amazon doesn't even provide sales numbers which I assure you aren't that good because they have limited distribution.
Put a light fixture on top so it can also be a lamp and I'll buy two for each end table...stereo.
Apple is widely rumored to be working on a Siri-based smart home device with a speaker, and Australian leaker Sonny Dickson has shared new details about its possible design and features on Twitter and with MacRumors.
Apple's smart speaker could take design cues from the Google Home
Dickson said that Apple is currently "finalizing designs" for the Amazon Echo and Google Home competitor, which he expects to be marketed as a Siri and AirPlay device. "It is believed to carry some form of Beats technology," he added, while noting that the device will run a variant of iOS software.
Dickson later told MacRumors that the device, allegedly codenamed B238 internally, will feature a Mac Pro-like concave top with built-in controls. His source, which he told us is "someone inside Apple," described the device as "fat" like the Google Home with speaker mesh covering the majority of the device.
Dickson was told Apple's smart speaker could be unveiled at WWDC 2017 in early June, but as always, the company's plans could change.
In September 2016, Bloomberg reported that Apple's smart home device had entered prototype testing, including both a larger and a smaller model in line with Amazon's current Echo lineup. However, at the time, the report cautioned that Apple's early efforts do not guarantee that a finalized product will be released.
The report said Apple's smart home device would be able to control appliances, locks, lights, and curtains through Siri voice commands. It added that some of the prototypes in testing include facial recognition sensors, backed by an earlier CNET report claiming the device could have a built-in camera for facial recognition.
Dickson is best known for leaking various iPhone and iPad parts from overseas sources, such as these iPhone 5c rear casings in 2013, but his latest information supposedly comes from a source directly within Apple, an area where his track record is less established. His sources have proven incorrect at times.
Article Link: Apple's Echo-Like Smart Speaker With Siri and AirPlay Could Debut as Early as WWDC
The carrot here is going to be Apple Music. Right now you only get Apple Music on iOS or MacOS or Sonos.
Another problem with Alexa or Google Home is that they don't access local content easily. Apple need only bridge this gap easily, offer multi-user support and make as one poster said above "remove the need to use specific commands"
If we're talking about AI being a big thing I shouldn't have to be explicit in my command to get a "smart" product to deliver what I want.
Another problem with Alexa or Google Home is that they don't access local content easily. Apple need only bridge this gap easily, offer multi-user support and make as one poster said above "remove the need to use specific commands"
If we're talking about AI being a big thing I shouldn't have to be explicit in my command to get a "smart" product to deliver what I want.
Sometimes these pages seem to be populated by a hired army of Apple-bashers. Seriously, who do you people work for? Personally, I'm willing to at least wait to see what they actually propose before I leap to my armchair and rain down my fiery righteous judgement. But oh well, its the internet, and haters gonna hate. Of course, the one thing Siri has going for it is that it has a much higher standard of privacy than bloody Alexa. Personally, I'll happily wait and see what Apple's investment in machine learning can produce before I give that clown Bezos another damn cent.