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Apple's Siri-Based Smart Speaker Has 'Over 50% Chance' of Debuting at WWDC in June
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That is definitely true. It is fun to build custom extensions and it is relatively easy to use.
The hardware is basically not important.
The microphones are impressive, by the way.
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Apple cuts down hardware features left and right.
No 4k Apple TV, no Gigibit Ethernet, no Digital Audio.
Why inegrate something new, when you can get away with a cheap solution that works in your ecosystem.
Apple needs no BT 5, because people will buy it anyways.
What I meant in my post is that Alexa is successful due to the software first. I have it in every room.
Bad examples. 4K is just barely getting traction. At least content-wise. But getting better range and all of the other benefits of Bluetooth 5 are something EVERYONE can benefit from on day one.
I don't have a need personally for something like this but Amazon has certainly shown that others clearly do.
If this happens, Apple had better step up their SDK game. Siri is super limited.
Not a big AWS fan but as a comparison, if you create an Alexa "skill" Amazon will even let you host it for free on AWS. No software to install, it just hits the web service. Uses their Lambda compute services. They've even opened up the technology behind Alexa, parsing, lexicon, stuff like that. They are clearing pushing this thing hard. And you don't need a Mac to develop for it, which I'm sure some developers will find appealing.
It'll be interesting to see what Apple's approval process looks like if they do this. Apple has always been a product company, not "big data" company, which is why iCloud and Maps tend to lag behind others.
If this happens, Apple had better step up their SDK game. Siri is super limited.
Not a big AWS fan but as a comparison, if you create an Alexa "skill" Amazon will even let you host it for free on AWS. No software to install, it just hits the web service. Uses their Lambda compute services. They've even opened up the technology behind Alexa, parsing, lexicon, stuff like that. They are clearing pushing this thing hard. And you don't need a Mac to develop for it, which I'm sure some developers will find appealing.
It'll be interesting to see what Apple's approval process looks like if they do this. Apple has always been a product company, not "big data" company, which is why iCloud and Maps tend to lag behind others.
I meant the success is due to the software , hardware is okay, I fixed my post. I have Alexa is Every room. If apple produces an awesome looking box, I don't care, Siri is broken..,,
"Siri, please open the Mac Pro Upgrade Doors"
"I'm sorry Dave I can't do that"
Depends what you're building. If its just something using Sirikit then its the usual app review process, if you're talking about HomeKit integration then that is a different story.
I worked with some engineers that were building IOT devices last year and they were looking at Nest and HomeKit integration. All of the Nest documentation is publicly available so the approval process took a couple of days, most of the nest integration happens in the cloud.
With HomeKit you have to apply for MFi dev programme to access the documentation and it takes weeks. HomeKit also requires a a chip supplied by Apple to be added to the hardware so the devices have to be developed with this in mind, they then have to be sent off to Apple for device testing. Apple also requires devices to communicate over a local network which means device firmware has to be HomeKit ready.
Its no surprise HomeKit compatibility is trailing behind the rest.
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With the development of skills being an explicit process your functionality is essentially
limited by the talent of the developer and cloud. As cool as the 10 thousand Alexa skills are
there is a wide dynamic range in quality.
Apple's acquisition of VocalIQ changed the course of Siri. The expectation is that you no longer have to
to programmatically account for all variables. We've all seen these gaps where you ask for something
in a way that confused Siri or Google Home or Alexa. VocalIQ is attempting to use Machine Learning to
improve semantic understanding and context at a level that nothing approaches today. The key as always
is ...
Will it work?
We're going to see within this next year. If it does work...Apple will be 5 year ahead of the competition. Siri is about to become a neural network.
Value will be an issue. If they cost a lot more than nice Bose wireless Bluetooth speakers, then I'd go with a more affordable alternative. That's when the Google thing starts to look like an option.
I went with Google Chromecast even though I own an Apple TV because of it's simplicity. That's also an issue. I own an Apple TV, a fn Roku and the only one i never curse out is the Google Chromecast. And it's also the cheapest option.
So there are a lot of factors at play. Siri is the least of them for me. Sound quality, ease of use and value are much more important than asking Siri questions. I plan on using it for listening to music and home automation than anything else.
I went with Google Chromecast even though I own an Apple TV because of it's simplicity. That's also an issue. I own an Apple TV, a fn Roku and the only one i never curse out is the Google Chromecast. And it's also the cheapest option.
So there are a lot of factors at play. Siri is the least of them for me. Sound quality, ease of use and value are much more important than asking Siri questions. I plan on using it for listening to music and home automation than anything else.
Exactly.
"Hey Siri, play Ryan Adams"
-- up pops a dialog on the screen SHOWING popular songs. Sometimes it plays them.
"Hey Siri, stop"
-- no reaction.
Meanwhile:
"Alexa, play Ryan Adams"
-- "These are random songs from Ryan Adams"
"Alexa, stop"
-- the music quietly fades out.
--
Alexa is just smoother and less intrusive at practically every task. Unless Apple fixes the many, many times that Siri either requires you to look at or interact with a screen, this will flop.
I am the same. It would need to be something astounding for me to replace my current Echos and Google Home. But this is Apple remember. They have been known to astound in the past. I think a lot of Siri's bad parsing skills could be eliminated with better microphones. Then Apple also needs to bring something else to the table. If that thing is just "this is a more premium speaker" then I don't think it will succeed. Amazon could have an audiophile version of the Echo out within a few months to counter it. Most likely at half the price.
Amazon is DONE. Stick a fork in them in this space. If you can't ship worldwide then you're in deep trouble. Good news is this fall there will be a vibrant market for Echo devices on Craigslist and eBay.
thats way too big for a siri speaker, compared to Amazon Echo sizesUsing those left-over mac pro cases?
Tim's Apple has been late to the party on several occasions, and hasn't really been doing it better.
Apple recently has been good about releasing amazing conceptual tech but stagnates when it comes to keeping it relevant and ahead of the competition. Siri was amazing at release, but it became apparent that without the correct phrasing she would stumble, and she didn't evolve. She should be a living macro. don't tell me you can't do that function. If i can do it with my finger by tapping on things, she should be able to do it when i ask.
Of course i'm not. If you cannot ship a product to people who speak Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish your prospects are not good. Let alone not supporting German and French.
I'm not saying the Echo is going to die it's just that in 2 years this AI battle will be between Apple and Google.