Apple's Siri-Based Smart Speaker Has 'Over 50% Chance' of Debuting at WWDC in June

[StoneJack]

It might include functionalities like
1. appleTV
2. home router
3. Speaker (music) - thats why the article mentions woofer/tweeters. In case of voice, you don't need either tweeters or woofers, just a normal small speaker
4. home kit manager
5. microphone (voice memos, music memo app)
6.mesh router
7. alarm, etc
8. siri

 

[happyslayer]

It's Apple. The whole family uses Apple laptops and iPhones and Apple TVs on an Apple Time Capsule. I'll buy it just for the continuity aspect if nothing else.

 

[malexandria]

they did define them - but they weren't the first - there were many smart phones, mp3 players and tablets before apple got into those markets. SIRI may have been the first, but, Apple didn't invent it, they bought the company that did. Apple didn't create the first all in one - during the 80's they were very popular - the TRS-80 Model II came out in '79.

Now you are just splitting hairs to be argumentative. I said they defined the form factors and features really. Yes there were numerous "smart phones" and mp3 players and yes those "smart" phones even had apps. The Palm Pilot was really and Windows CE were really the first ones and all of those phones failed at being smart phones. It wasn't until the iPhone came out that brought all of that together and made it easy for consumers and developers alike.

The iPhone, iPods, iPads, iMacs (hell for better or worse even the first Aluminum Macbook Pros) DEFINED the FORM factor for and feature set and to argue they didn't is just stupid, willful ignorance. It just is. And if you've seen any of my other posts you'd know I'm not an blind apple lover anymore - even though I have all their stuff. But give credit where it's due.

 

[nwcs]

I'm sure everyone's experience/expectations are different. But it's not just me and my friends who found the Echo fairly useless... the web is littered with people who consider the Echo a gadget and/or an expensive alarm clock.

For hands-free home automation, setting reminders/timers, controlling music, Apple Watch is still the best way to go IMO. It does everything most Echo users use Echo for and a whole lot more.

I have an apple watch and using it for home automation is really poor. There interface on the watch is just sub optimal and not all my devices are HomeKit compatible. It's not for everyone but I think it's still very much in the early adopter stage but growing. I think it's ultimately going to be more useful than the watch.

In any case, the watch costs much more than an Echo.

 

[Glavin]

They're going to persist with this imbecilic cloaca shape?

 

[Tech198]

If Apple introduced a cube-like Siri speaker now-days it would throw every Apple user off. Thy see the design of a cylinder and they go for it. I'm wondering how many will switch away from Amazon, with this "good" sound.?

 

[x-evil-x]

A Siri based hub won't work as well as amazon echo. Apple won't integrate nest/wink products into the line so what's the point. Only thing I use my echo for is home automation for the most part. HomeKit stuff is scattered. I don't see this as something going far unless they allowed products in on HomeKit.

 

[Tiger8]

If only Apple and IBM would let Siri and Watson get married... lol

I heard Watson is a playa,,, he'd have an eaffair with Alexa, Siri finds out and Erases all his reminders in revenge

 

[Mtmspa]

Love all these "it will do X" comments. Yeah, no... NONE of you know what it will do, won't do, or what it'll look like. Stop pretending to have info, you're members of the public like we all are, YOU DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING.

What a ray of sunshine.

 

[shiseiryu1]

You know what Siri really is a disappointment. The other day I was driving to pick up a friend, and asked Siri to "share my location with X friend," she had no clue what I was talking about. I tried other variations to no avail. Honestly, the only thing Siri is good at is to create calendar events.

Overall I agree. I use Siri to ask where my wife is and it's handy for that. Ironically, when I ask the same thing on my watch she says, "You'll have to use your iPhone for that"...even though the watch has a "Find my Friends" app built into it. Doh!

 

[6foot5foot]

What a ray of sunshine.

It's the harsh light of reality matey.

 

[shiseiryu1]

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.

Haven't tried Chromecast yet, however the UI on the Roku looks straight out of the 90s or something. Ironically even the same apps (like HBO) look a ton better on the AppleTV vs Roku.
[doublepost=1493687516][/doublepost]

Love my 1st generation apple watch Sport, fantastic device, highly recommended.

My wife and I have an Apple Watch Series 2 and like it overall. However, my biggest gripe has been that the dictation only seems to work if you have a solid internet connection. Therefore when I've been on the go it's been super unreliable; it just looks like it's going to work but then doesn't. It's crazy to me that they just don't build those type of commands into the watch itself. For example, if I'm in a crappy network area replying to a text, let me dictate now and just keep trying to send the text once the network it better.

 

[6foot5foot]

Haven't tried Chromecast yet, however the UI on the Roku looks straight out of the 90s or something. Ironically even the same apps (like HBO) look a ton better on the AppleTV vs Roku.
[doublepost=1493687516][/doublepost]

My wife and I have an Apple Watch Series 2 and like it overall. However, my biggest gripe has been that the dictation only seems to work if you have a solid internet connection. Therefore when I've been on the go it's been super unreliable; it just looks like it's going to work but then doesn't. It's crazy to me that they just don't build those type of commands into the watch itself. For example, if I'm in a crappy network area replying to a text, let me dictate now and just keep trying to send the text once the network it better.

What does it matter how the icons look? You're watching video, not gazing in wonderment at the icons. If you have seen ANYTHING from the 1990s that looks as clean and functional as the Roku UI, please, post images here.

Roku WORKS, the remote is solid, tough and highly ergonomic, and the UI is a no nonsense get-on-and-do-it design, without any unnecessary guff or fluff, whereas the ATV 4 is a slippery mess that can't wait to slide out of your hands and down a crack between the floorboards, never to be seen again! Never mind the ATV 3 remote... wow, that WAS a joke, sheesh baleesh!

I had an ATV 4 last year to see what all the fuss was about... and returned it after a month, and not one second have I spent remorsefully regretting its absence. Very nice - very pretty - but I am sitting in front of my TV to watch TV, not to watch how pretty icons are, and how they glide and rock about. Oh, and that tactile trackpad... nooooo... totally gratuitous and not needed at all.

Mirroring:

~ Roku: Windows, Android, BlackBerry OS 10 can mirror to Roku via Miracast. You can use Roku Remote app to share iOS device videos and photos to the screen - yes, it's not whole screen mirroring, but I can't recall the last time I needed to do that.

~ ATV: Apple devices can mirror to ATV... and that's it... :/

 

[sir1963nz]

Please Apple, don't release any Siri hardware without fixing the software first.

And get Siri working on the ATV4 in countries where it is not supported. Siri works on my Mac and my iPhone in New Zealand, so why not the ATV4 ?

Which why I have just bought my 2nd set top box from China, I gave up waiting and I will be selling off my ATVs over the next couple of months to replace them all with Android based units.

 

[Wipeout]

Repurposed Mac Pro trash cans that ape Amazon's foolish Echo.... wheee.

 

[Mtmspa]

I have an apple watch and using it for home automation is really poor. There interface on the watch is just sub optimal and not all my devices are HomeKit compatible. It's not for everyone but I think it's still very much in the early adopter stage but growing. I think it's ultimately going to be more useful than the watch.

In any case, the watch costs much more than an Echo.

Which is easier to use for fitness tracking? I would rather wear a watch than run carrying a Siri speaker.
[doublepost=1493688245][/doublepost]

And get Siri working on the ATV4 in countries where it is not supported. Siri works on my Mac and my iPhone in New Zealand, so why not the ATV4 ?

Which why I have just bought my 2nd set top box from China, I gave up waiting and I will be selling off my ATVs over the next couple of months to replace them all with Android based units.

Enjoy.

 

[sidewinder3000]

Please Apple, don't release any Siri hardware without fixing the software first.

What, exactly, is the problem with the software that's any different than the problems with other voice assistants? I use Siri daily for dozens of tasks of all shapes and sizes, and I find it to be great. Of course they evolve it every year, and I'd expect nothing less than another leap in accuracy and functionality this year. But I think all this to-do about Siri being "bad" is more a category issue than an Apple issue. And since there are more iPhone users in the US than any other platform, there is more scrutiny.

 

[dannyyankou]

What, exactly, is the problem with the software that's any different than the problems with other voice assistants? I use Siri daily for dozens of tasks of all shapes and sizes, and I find it to be great. Of course they evolve it every year, and I'd expect nothing less than another leap in accuracy and functionality this year. But I think all this to-do about Siri being "bad" is more a category issue than an Apple issue. And since there are more iPhone users in the US than any other platform, there is more scrutiny.

There's just a ton of bugs that pop up all the time. A lot of unresponsiveness, and at times it's incoherent. I mean the fact that the post you quoted has the most likes in this thread might mean there's some merit to it, haha.

 

[dazz87]

late to the party and charging more than others......The way........
[doublepost=1493690676][/doublepost]

idk why people want these ridiculous in home assistant bases like echo and google home etc. They seem like such a waste of money and are near worthless. why do people want to speak to a speaker to ask about the weather when they have it on their phone? Who wants to hear music out of a tiny speaker system when they have a stereo? These things really can't do anything your smart phone / watch already can do. I get the whole connected home thing but honestly its just not there yet and the tech is stupid expensive. Smart thermostats just waste your home oil. I keep my house at 55 in the winter when I'm not there. I walk in and turn it up and start the wood stove. I don't need to set it for before I get home and waste oil/heat. I guess this whole thing just doesn't excite me. Let me know when a smart light bulb costs under $5

Because Im able to turn on and off lights and able to turn my Ecobee while in bed. Also turn off and on my entertainment system.

 

[sidewinder3000]

In true Apple form...last to the party.

Last to the party with the Mac/personal computer?
Last to the party with the LaserWriter?
Last to the party with official networking?
Last to the party with Newton?
Last to the party with the all-in-one PC/iMac?
Last to the party with iPod?
Last to the party with iPhone?
Last to the party with iPad?
Last to the party with Apple Watch?
Last to the party with AirPods?

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

Your post is just griping for griping's sake, with no fidelity to reality. Haters gonna hate.

Guarantee: Apple enters this market and is a major player within a year.

 

[dblackwood72]

I have a 100% chance of not caring!

 

[Naaaaak]

I don't understand the point of these devices. You pay to install an always on high-quality mic for the state and in return you get to use Siri?

 

[Abazigal]

In true Apple form...last to the party.

Ask Nokia and Blackberry how that turned out.

 

[Virinprew]

More like stupid Siri speaker. It's way behind Google in this department.

 

[dan110]

Apple crapped the bed on this one. I think a big mistake was killing their Airport Extreme line. This would've fit seamlessly in with that kind of hardware. But even before that, letting Siri go to crap has allowed Amazon to rule this market niche.