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Apple's Echo-Like Smart Speaker With Siri and AirPlay Could Debut as Early as WWDC
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I bet you're right. The only advantage Siri has is that I have more trust in Apple in keeping the data private, which is especially nice for an always-listening device. Sometimes I wonder if Apple pushes privacy so hard so that they have an excuse to not perform as well...
"Who wants this?" - does anyone want the Echo? Really asking, I don't know if Amazon gives sales numbers.
I use my iOS devices at home for Siri, so I see what you mean there. But I could see having something with a more sensitive mic. I'm not always (or even usually) carrying my phone around the house, and being able to say "Hey Siri, Turn the lights to Energize" (Philips Hue) wouldn't be a terrible thing to have.
Amazon Echo's and Dots are available from amazon.co.uk ALSO from most major retailers including John Lewis, Currys PC World, Argos etc in the UK
The Google Home is not available from amazon.co.uk for obvious reasons.
If it's just a knockoff of what's already on the market, sure. But there were smartphones and tablets long before the iPhone and iPad and Apple skated to a whole other rink when they debuted those...
Sorry Apple, in my case, you're about 3 months too late.
I consider myself a former "Apple fanboy". I already bought one Amazon Echo and 4 Amazon Echo Dots , I equipped every single corner of my apartment with Alexa and I absolutely love her ... Siri is a Joke, Siri is dead. Echo dot was the best invention since the original iPhone and it works so flawlessly.
It is true that you don't have to be the first as a company to come up with a new idea, a new device, but it just has to be better than everything else the competition has to offer. And I didn't see that coming from Apple since Jobs is gone...
I consider myself a former "Apple fanboy". I already bought one Amazon Echo and 4 Amazon Echo Dots , I equipped every single corner of my apartment with Alexa and I absolutely love her ... Siri is a Joke, Siri is dead. Echo dot was the best invention since the original iPhone and it works so flawlessly.
It is true that you don't have to be the first as a company to come up with a new idea, a new device, but it just has to be better than everything else the competition has to offer. And I didn't see that coming from Apple since Jobs is gone...
Maybe you missed how popular Echo was last Xmas? It got a lot of buzz and even my tech-clueless aging boomer sister knew what the Echo was. I wish Apple made routers still too but conflating this as an "either/or" dillema is incorrect. Who knows why Apple stopped makes routers but I doubt it was to push staff to make an Echo-like device. I'm guessing this has been in the works for sometime now. A stand along Siri device is long overdue. I just wish it was done with ATV as a hub -- maybe Apple will launch that too. I don't really need a speaker. I have an A/V system.
The problem here is cost. Will Apple price competively with Echo? If not it's a dud out of the gate.
Agreed, these devices are really in their infancy though.
The only way I could see Apple Siri or Google Home beating amazon is if the device can send text and make and recieve phone calls.
Amazon as we know dropped their smartphone so they may lose out on this important function.
MS Cortana Home with Skype may shake things up.
Airplay is the main reason Apple's sold so many Apple TVs but it's also the reason why no affordable speakers have adopted Airplay instead of or in addition to Bluetooth.
Strange, I first took it to mean that this speaker would work as an Airplay receiver like Apple TV but that would mean it has an HDMi output to TV. But that makes no sense because if there is no display or controls on the actual speaker, you should still be able to do everything from any iOS device.
So that leads me to believe it will be a smart speaker that supports Airplay. But then what is the use case for Airplay since most people stream music from the cloud and not directly from their devices. Seems unlikely that Apple would care about a minority of customers that are not using iCloud.
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I can't even get Hey Siri to work from my own voice. How do you get a Youtube video to trigger it?
Stop, you're embarrassing yourself.
https://www.google.com/search?q=app...i59j69i60l2.2316j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Ladies and gentlemen, we may have finally found the cure for Siri for she has to give it a proper try now for once.Wonder how she will suggest to search the web without a screen
Glassed Silver:win
What do you use Echo for? I've had mine for a few years and besides playing random Amazon Music playlists and converting teaspoons to tablespoons, I find it useless. Siri is practically worthless too but at least Siri connects to my actual music collection and is geographically and contextually aware. I find Alexa really good at being dumb and limited.
Me: Alexa, Tell Siri to turn off the hallway light.
Alexa: Siri, turn off the hallway light.
Siri: Alexa, Do you want me to search for the web on turn off the hallway light.
Alexa: No. Siri, hallway light off
Siri: I am busy at the moment. Try again later.
Alexa: Siri, turn off the hallway light.
Siri: Alexa, Do you want me to search for the web on turn off the hallway light.
Alexa: No. Siri, hallway light off
Siri: I am busy at the moment. Try again later.
they have been doing their usual "we will drag our feet for a long time" designing. Not a surprise they enter late
Anybody means registred and non registred users. I would imagine Apple's echo would allow anyone in the house to speak to it.
Maybe it's me but I don't see much appeal for such device. I looked at Alexa and Google and I see no desire to get one.
Apple seems to be trying to catch up on the competition but is this things really going to be a huge deal? I don't see the point. Sorry to say.
Apple seems to be trying to catch up on the competition but is this things really going to be a huge deal? I don't see the point. Sorry to say.
truthfulishly, I love my Sonos but it doesn't easily play my iTunes content...really its a PITA...so if I can have a speaker system that plays my library, it would be awesome. I mean, yes I can play whats on my iPhone over the Sonos, but I have a 700 gig music library that I have to go all the way to the laptop to play and the interface has to "update" my library all the time
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[doublepost=1493400065][/doublepost]the hate is thick in here today
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probably the funniest thing i have seen in a while. Nice
[doublepost=1493400065][/doublepost]the hate is thick in here today
Oh dear, if it's anything like iOS Siri then it won't be very good. My first gen Fire TV box got its new update including Alexa the other day, for free. So thanks to the way Amazon do AI, the smart way, I get it on an older device for nothing! You can only have Siri on the current Apple TV box I believe.
Hi
If you open a FREE Google Play Music account you can upload your iTunes music, up to 50,000 tracks and listen on SONOS.
I'm a Google Play Music subscriber so haven't tried the free integration with SONOS, but I've been told it works.
Confirmed here-
"What account type do I need to listen to Google Play Music on Sonos?
Sonos works with both the Free and Unlimited Subscription account types. Free accounts on Sonos only have access to your uploaded Library."
https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1884/~/google-play-music-and-sonos
Cheers
Also remember, home kit stuff is generally more expensive with fewer options. That alone would stop me from buying it.
What I would **love** to see - ask the speaker to play music from your Apple Music collection to any AirPlay speaker in the house (or multiple AirPlay speakers!). i.e. 'Play playlist foo on backyard speakers'.
Right now the iTunes remote app is hopelessly outdated. You can't play Apple Music/Apple Radio and you can't stream to multiple locations.
Right now the iTunes remote app is hopelessly outdated. You can't play Apple Music/Apple Radio and you can't stream to multiple locations.
Wonder how she will suggest to search the web without a screen
You laugh but my car has Siri Eyes Free -- it's supposed to let you keep you eyes on the road, not your screen, right. Oh, but how many times do I ask a question and I'm told the answer is waiting for me on my iPhone screen. Grrrr.
That could be what this Siri speaker does -- load it up on a nearby device. Even worse it says something like "you'll need to ask me with your iPhone."
As a side note -- if Siri Speaker can control HomeKit devices then will Macs finally be able to too? High time for that functionality.
Google just sent an email yesterday opening up Google Assistant to 3rd party. Raspberry Pi will be supported on launch. Google is operating very well in this space. This race will come down to Google and Apple and my reasoning is this. The mobile landscape is iOS and Android. Amazon doesn't develop a high volume OS they piggyback on Android and use Bing.
Google has done a great getting Google Cast integrated into high volume products like Sony, Vizo, Toshiba HDTV and more. Amazon was brain dead a couple years ago when they removed Apple TV and other devices that didn't support Prime Video. To date Prime Video is "still" not on the Apple TV.
TLDR version .
Google is well poised to be a huge factor in ecosystem play.
Amazon has absolutely screwed up their integration strategy
Apple is Johnny Come Lately but has a strong ecosystem and a buying base.