Future HomePod Could Feature 3D Hand Gestures and Face ID

[omihek]

Interestingly, the HomePod could have LEDs woven into the fabric to provide visual feedback for the hand gestures. The LEDs could also be configured to display alphanumeric characters through the fabric that change depending on time of day.

I just had an idea. Eventually they could even change the casing from fabric to glass that you can touch to interact with and then not only could it display alphanumeric characters but even let you play games or pull up a calendar or call a person, all just using your fingers. Then you wouldn't need to talk to Siri at all. Awww... the thought of progress gives me hope.

 

[triangletechie]

It won't die as long as AppleMusic exists. HomePod doesn't have to be the next iPhone to be successful.

Except people with Apple Music can access it on more affordable Echo devices. How many people ever expected that to happen? I certainly didn't.

I just got an Echo Plus recently for $149. The Homepod might sound better but I don't think most people think it's worth $200 more. The Echo Plus sounds pretty damn good imo, and having access to Apple Music is a huge bonus.

 

[currentinterest]

Love my HomePods. Whatever Apple can do to take it to the next level I am for. It is one of the best things I have purchased in a long time. Siri is wonderful and has become integrated into my daily life.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

The future of computing is natural communication. Verbal communication is only a part of how we talk to one another. Seeing and interpreting expressions and hand gestures are an important part of how we communicate.

True, but identification of faces and interpretation of hand gestures requires proximity... unless the device has an always-on 360 degree camera watching the room at all times. That's a feature for which I have zero desire.

For comparison, although I have virtually Apple everything, I bought into the Amazon Echo devices. They are either mounted on a wall/ceiling or are places where it can hear me without being obtrusive. I can't imaging wanting to walk over to a device just to interact with it. If I'm doing that I'll just just my phone.
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Who says that you have to stand in front of it? When you’re talking to someone, do you have to carefully position yourself in front of them?

A HomePod with a high definition camera could identify the speaker anywhere in the room and interpret its facial expressions and other non verbal cues like nodding, shrugging, pointing, etc.

This technology already exists. It just hasn’t been implemented into a consumer product. If there’s a company that can create simple, intuitive, frictionless experiences out of very complex technology, it’s Apple.

Very true. Does that mean I have to put on pants? I don't want Siri making rude comments. 🙂

 

[producer26]

hahaha. Imagine Siri trying to interpret your pantomime

 

[japanime]

Scene: Night, inside living room, man and woman cuddling on couch.
Man: "HomePod, play some sexy mood music."
HomePod: "Sorry, I don't recognize your face. You're not her husband."
Man: Gives HomePod 3D hand gesture.
HomePod: Begrudgingly begins playing sexy mood music.

 

[ipedro]

True, but identification of faces and interpretation of hand gestures requires proximity... unless the device has an always-on 360 degree camera watching the room at all times. That's a feature for which I have zero desire.

For comparison, although I have virtually Apple everything, I bought into the Amazon Echo devices. They are either mounted on a wall/ceiling or are places where it can hear me without being obtrusive. I can't imaging wanting to walk over to a device just to interact with it. If I'm doing that I'll just just my phone.
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Very true. Does that mean I have to put on pants? I don't want Siri making rude comments. 🙂

You have to take into consideration generational values and culture. When I was a kid, my grandfather used to insist that the government could bug our phones and to be careful with what we said near it. Now, we voluntarily place listening devices in our homes.

A generation up, my father always warned me to never ever get into a car with strangers. Now, we literally summon a stranger with a car to drive us away.

Having always on cameras in our homes is not going to be a problem for upcoming generations. It may be weird for you and me, but then we’ll just be the grandfather or the dad to the newer generations.

Personally, I think I could trust a 360° always on camera if only Siri has access to it and the images are siloed in an isolated chip and processed locally. May I remind you that you already have a camera on your phone, tablet and computer, if you really want to get paranoid.

 

[npmacuser5]

See it now. The music has gone bonkers! Cannot figure it out. Honey where’s the dog? Bad dog gestures!😀

 

[alexnyc8]

Orwell was right. the only difference is that people accept big brother in their lives willingly for convinience ofcourse.

 

[macduke]

I think HomePod would be more useful if it responded contextually to different users in my iCloud family. I don’t want everyone in my family to be able to send and receive my messages and email. But the problem is any time Apple adds FaceID to something it goes way up in price and whatever system the HomePod uses would need to be able to work 360° from 25ft away—so probably two orders of magnitude more advanced than the FaceID we have today. I would be shocked to see something this advanced this year. But if Apple could pull it off for the same price and could make Siri a lot better, then I might consider it. Maybe.

 

[Imdougurnot]

All that brilliant tech, no Bluetooth? No aux in? Doesn’t work with anything but Apple music (unless you use airplay)

Cool idea, Tim - you can still shove it.

I’d love to comment on this, but I already received one “bad boy” email this week.

 

[H. Flower]

How about we fix Siri first?

 

[hobocamp456]

For the millionth time, just fix Siri. That's all it needs. Siri not being garbage. Simple

 

[Pupi]

Sure. Just add line-in, bluetooth and a removable power cord and I’m all-in. Assuming Siri improves until then.

 

[dan110]

Honestly, Apple needs to go back to the drawing board and really commit to making a compelling device or sunset it altogether.

 

[abrantes09]

Imagine that Alexa commercial where the dog barks and orders dog food, but with the dog just swinging its paw in the air. That freakin innovation Timmy Cook.

 

[CapeCodApple]

Kill this already. What a total waste of resources and the worst purchase I've ever made.

 

[Kangastu]

HomePod will die. And join Apple HiFi in the big junk pile in the sky.

I own and love both of these products (but I’m not blind to the fact they were/are wildly overpriced and lacking features)

Homepod needs to be cheaper and at the very least have Bluetooth support if it’s to gain any real traction.

I love mine and long for a second one but I can’t justify $1000(au) on two speakers. Spending $499 was bad enough - 40th birthday money for the win though. 🙂

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

You mean, like just others were saying the Apple Watch would ‘fail’ and ‘Flop’ in its first year, and now it’s the worlds most popular smart watch? MacRumors anecdotes always don’t mean what will really happen in the real world.

apple watch WAS a big flop, only apples brand power, money and foremost its close followers brought that product into life. you can not bet always on that.

remember how often watch os was adopted with suggestions made from this forum and elsewhere - they completely redesigned the thing AFTER launch.
hardware was underspeced too, at the beginning - which is kinda apple style
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They are building a 'HomePod Home Hub'!

Think about it...
- Apple already has multitouch patents,
- this patent claim doesn't specify what type of display (it even says it might have pixels based on LED).
- phrasing might be purposefully vague to blindside competition... and journalists.

I bet this device will be like an iPad with better speakers that stays in one place... or like Google Home Hub... 😉

for that thing apple takes a GRAND ... you ll have to go to vegas and win big to afford that piece of master crap!

 

[MultiMan]

"Welcome home, Mr. Anderton."

Yes, these new discussed features makes me want one if implemented creatively, and together with bluetooth and 3,5mm input.

Make it a centerpiece, gesture (and still voice of course) controlled together with your TV. Face ID with 360 degrees view and capable to resolve a crowd. Could be awesome. Will buy at an even higher pricepoint than today.

 

[BvizioN]

We didn’t even need the first HomePod, let alone one with FaceID. I can’t even imagine how/what/why you’d use it...

By us you, of course, must mean You, right? Because you can not speak for others.
As for the use of the Face ID, why don't you wait and see, then go all supernova with the whining? I know for many people here this is close to impossible, but still 😉

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Really, they didn’t lose enough on the HomePod the first time around?

Stick an hdmi port in it, plug it into your tv, and merge it with the Apple TV, and time capsule, and you may have something.
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"Welcome home, Mr. Anderton."

Yeah those things are real neato, until you try a glove system, and realize how tired you get holding your arms out and waving them around all the time. It’s like the most work you can possibly make just viewing your files. I mean suppose you could build a sit-up based filebrowser interface, where you do 1 sit-up to select a file, 3 sit-ups to view it, 5 sit-ups to advance to the next file, 7 to close a file, 11 to add it to a selection set, 13 to remove it, and maybe punctuate each sit-up instruction set so it can tell you’re done, by a set of crunches. Or maybe jumping jacks, or lunges.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

The future of computing is natural communication. Verbal communication is only a part of how we talk to one another. Seeing and interpreting expressions and hand gestures are an important part of how we communicate.

Yeah well that's all well and good but people want a speaker to, you know, play their goddamn music collection easily (would it kill Apple to add an AUX-in socket).
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A generation up, my father always warned me to never ever get into a car with strangers. Now, we literally summon a stranger with a car to drive us away.

I think they're called "taxis" we've had them since the days of the horse-drawn carriage.
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Orwell was right. the only difference is that people accept big brother in their lives willingly for convinience ofcourse.

To quote the Dead Kennedys "Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death" (oh, and of course "California Uber Alles").

 

[UCBarkeeper]

FaceID? No. HomePod will have VoiceID.

that would be great. i want be able to either "multiuser" or only me.
i don't want my gf to be able to let siri snoop around in my stuff. i know you can turn that stuff off, but that makes it even more dumb as it already is.

 

[TheFluffyDuck]

Gestures and faceID. Any other solution BUT improving Siri and voice recognition, they must be more behind than we think. The point of a smart speaker is to TALK to it. Hell Google can even tell who's talking to it. Meanwhile Siri is only good at setting an Alarm, plus the smoke and mirrors of "shortcuts". Which is essentially a "run script" on voice command. Thats not making it smarter.