Gene Munster Shares WWDC Predictions: Beats Product With Siri Integration, Improvements to AI and AR

[interessiert]

WWDC will be same boring as Siri is a big stuff - regarding AI Apple is far behind.
E.g. dictation in iMessage is not able to write a clear pronounced name found in Contacts... they announce and talk too much instead of working on the right topics.
Not worth to spoil time with "live" event - first I will read summaries, then we see...

 

[647156]

How about Mac updates! You know, the platform that runs Xcode which developers use to develop.

Maybe instead of actually updating them/making Macs that developers want to buy, they will shock us all and announce something for Xcode that we know is possible as it existed years ago... :-O

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Wow, I almost spat my coffee out with laughter when I read this headline !

Beats speaker (renowned for the ultimate in sound quality and great value pricing)

Combined with:

Siri (renowned for being the best AI system there currently is)

Put them together for the ultimate combination..... Oh dear god, you could not make it up could you!

Maybe it's relative thinking: if you put Siri in an inferior speaker, does it make Siri seem better?

And I find it funny to be thinking $249 for a Siri-driven speaker really makes much of a difference. Take almost all of the economics-based rationale used against HP pricing and it almost all still applies at $249 too... only here- presumably- the ability to spin "best quality speaker" also- presumably- slides (Apple is not going to try to argue that a Beats-branded speaker sounds as good as HP, right?). Is $249 Beats + Siri better than $349 HP + Siri?

IMO: the focus is wrong in both. In HP, a very strong attempt has been made to push "best quality speaker" while somewhat acknowledging Siri as inferior: $349 for a not-so-smart, best-quality speaker. In this (still hypothetical) Beats product, the bulk of the push is- presumably- "$100 less" while somewhat acknowledging NOT best quality speaker and inferior Siri. Is that better? It's still apparently a $249 less-than-best-sounding speaker leaning on the same Siri for it's "smarts."

The HP push focuses on the commodity portion of this kind of product (there is ALWAYS a better speaker available). The Beats push will presumably focus on lower price, yet this price is still farrrrr higher than a variety of competing products generally viewed as having somewhat-to-much smarter "smarts" and not quite "best" quality speakers. Will this turn into the usual suspects trying to spin HP as #1 and Beats #2 for sound quality, with all of the competing, arguably smarter smart speakers far inferior to both? Else, if Beats is 'beat down' for sacrificing sound quality such that it's harder to argue "better than" Alexa/Google/Sonos/etc, what's left to make the Beats product very appealing at a still relatively high price?

 

[redheeler]

Gene Muster doesn’t know squat. He has zero inside information.

This prediction is clearly coming from someone with an agenda, and someone who probably wouldn't care less if Apple discontinues the Mac. Not sure why MacRumors decided it was worth posting to the front page.

 

[TrentS]

Apple innovation.... moving at a snail's pace.....

 

[eVolcre]

You do realize that WWDC is a software developer conference not a consumer hardware event, right?

You do realize that a year ago Apple released a new IPP with a different screen size and chassis at WWDC, right?

 

[Chupa Chupa]

This prediction is clearly coming from someone with an agenda, and someone who probably wouldn't care less if Apple discontinues the Mac. Not sure why MacRumors decided it was worth posting to the front page.

Maybe, but why would his personal options on Apple products matter? His job as analyst requires him to be objective as opposed to a review site where opinions are OK. Munster probably would be alarmed if Apple suddenly discontinued Mac and didn't have another revenue source to pick up that 8% of revenue that would go "poof." Now whether he has reliable industry intel to make consistent predictions, his is a mixed record like most. But a Beats with Siri product does seem like a no brainer and not surprising. Whether it's next week or next half of the year who knows because Apple has been known to change launch dates even hours before a keynote.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

After seeing what others like google can do with voice and integration, apple have a lot of work to do. Slapping the existing Siri into a beats product sounds like a waste of time.

Particularly at the $250 price point!

 

[PaulRustad007]

Siri:

Set a reminder. Check.
Set a calendar event. Check.
Ask for directions: Check.
Ask for weather: Check.
Hand free in the car: Check.

Have her count to 100. Silence. Not even a witty (though face-slapping) reply. Dead silence.

 

[JRobinsonJr]

100% true. Apple isn't marketing the HP as a home assistant. The problem is, from a public perspective, it doesn't matter how Apple is marketing the HP. Public perception says the HP competes with products from Amazon and Google. The HP has the better sound, but Amazon and Google have better assistants. That's consensus from pretty much every review. Fair? Not really. Generally speaking, no one cares though. If the HP becomes a HomeKit hub, the assitant comparisons are going to be even more pronounced.

Also 100% accurate!

I would add, though, that 'the market' has apparently decided that AI-based assistants are a desired product... and thus 'we' - those who have chosen to go the Apple route - want an equivalent. Is Apple selling the HomePod as an AI Assistant? Nope. That's the first / underlying problem. They are selling a product that the market doesn't want.

Of course Apple will sell a million of these. They're APPLE! However, even at the high-end price points if they nailed the AI Assistant and gave us great sound they could sell many millions more.

 

[leicaman]

Ahead of next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster today shared his predictions for the features and services that Apple will unveil during the event.

Munster expects Apple to debut new Siri, AR, AI, and Digital Health functionality, including a Beats-branded accessory (presumably a speaker) that includes Siri integration, much like the HomePod. Some of Munster's predictions have been previously covered in rumors shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but Siri integration in a lower-cost Beats product is a new prediction.

According to Munster, Apple may be planning introduce a $250 Beats-branded product that will offer Siri integration similar to the HomePod, allowing Apple to "advance its digital assistant ambitions" with a more affordable option. Apple currently sells a Beats Pill+ speaker for $179.95, and the device has not been updated in some time.

Apple is going to announce a new "Decade Collection" at WWDC according to a Best Buy leak, but that collection is limited to existing headphones in new colorways and does not appear include new products or a new speaker. It's possible that Apple does have a new Beats product ready to unveil, and a recent somewhat sketchy rumor did suggest that Apple's "low-priced" HomePod would be under the Beats by Dre branding.

That rumor would make some sense if Apple is indeed planning on introducing a Beats-branded speaker product that includes Siri integration. Siri competitor Alexa is available as an option on many speakers outside of Amazon's own, and Apple could be planning to follow in Amazon's footsteps. Obviously, though, it's not clear if the rumor and/or Munster's prediction are accurate.

Munster has several other predictions for features and services coming at WWDC. Specifically, he expects Apple to introduce new Siri domains, with support for "things like navigation and email" and integrated Spotlight Search to better improve Siri's performance compared to Alexa and Cortana, the AI assistants used by Amazon and Microsoft, respectively.

Munster also believes Apple will introduce new domains for CoreML, the machine learning SDK that Apple introduced with the launch of iOS 11. Munster doesn't offer details on what the new domains might be, but at the current time, CoreML offers features for developers like real time image recognition, search ranking, text prediction, handwriting recognition, face detection, music tagging, text summarization, and more.

Previous rumors have said Apple plans to introduce support for multiplayer augmented reality games, and Munster believes Apple will also introduce "subtle new developer tools" to improve AR development and lead to more compelling AR apps.

Similarly, rumors have indicated Apple is working on a Digital Health tool that will let parents better monitor the amount of time children are spending on iOS devices. Munster says Apple could also include additional features that notify users when data is being shared with developers and new device management features aimed at curbing "screen time and digital anxiety."

Munster's full range of predictions for WWDC can be read on Loup Ventures, and our iOS 12 roundup contains all of the other iOS-related rumors that we've heard thus far.

Article Link: Gene Munster Shares WWDC Predictions: Beats Product With Siri Integration, Improvements to AI and AR

[doublepost=1527689035][/doublepost]So what you're saying is, it's a HomePod wannabe that sounds crappy?

 

[Apple Corps]

Apple innovation.... moving at a snail's pace.....

Hey - there is no need to insult snails by comparing their speed to Apple's innovation pace.

 

[Carlanga]

Apple has done nothing to position the HomePod as a home assistant. That's not the market they're going after at all. Did you bother to watch the Keynote or look at the HomePod page on the Apple website? If you had, you'd have noticed that they talked about music for 90% of the presentation. It wasn't until the very end that they quickly mentioned some Siri pieces. If you go to the website, you see the exact same thing. 90% of the webpage is devoted to music and sound quality. It's not until the end where they mention Siri.

It's very clear that Apple is not marketing the HomePod as a home assistant. It's about music first and foremost. Yes, it has Siri capabilities but it's not at all meant to be used in the ways the Alexa and Google Home are. Apple hasn't positioned it that way at all.

Did I even mentioned the HomePod in my comment? nope
[doublepost=1527691125][/doublepost]

I would assume it is also portable.

By my personal experience the Amazon Tap is great, portable, has a easy dock and its MSRP is half the price of this new product.

 

[2010lexus]

Ahead of next week's Worldwide Developers Conference, Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster today shared his predictions for the features and services that Apple will unveil during the event.

Munster expects Apple to debut new Siri, AR, AI, and Digital Health functionality, including a Beats-branded accessory (presumably a speaker) that includes Siri integration, much like the HomePod. Some of Munster's predictions have been previously covered in rumors shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but Siri integration in a lower-cost Beats product is a new prediction.

According to Munster, Apple may be planning introduce a $250 Beats-branded product that will offer Siri integration similar to the HomePod, allowing Apple to "advance its digital assistant ambitions" with a more affordable option. Apple currently sells a Beats Pill+ speaker for $179.95, and the device has not been updated in some time.

Apple is going to announce a new "Decade Collection" at WWDC according to a Best Buy leak, but that collection is limited to existing headphones in new colorways and does not appear include new products or a new speaker. It's possible that Apple does have a new Beats product ready to unveil, and a recent somewhat sketchy rumor did suggest that Apple's "low-priced" HomePod would be under the Beats by Dre branding.

That rumor would make some sense if Apple is indeed planning on introducing a Beats-branded speaker product that includes Siri integration. Siri competitor Alexa is available as an option on many speakers outside of Amazon's own, and Apple could be planning to follow in Amazon's footsteps. Obviously, though, it's not clear if the rumor and/or Munster's prediction are accurate.

Munster has several other predictions for features and services coming at WWDC. Specifically, he expects Apple to introduce new Siri domains, with support for "things like navigation and email" and integrated Spotlight Search to better improve Siri's performance compared to Alexa and Cortana, the AI assistants used by Amazon and Microsoft, respectively.

Munster also believes Apple will introduce new domains for CoreML, the machine learning SDK that Apple introduced with the launch of iOS 11. Munster doesn't offer details on what the new domains might be, but at the current time, CoreML offers features for developers like real time image recognition, search ranking, text prediction, handwriting recognition, face detection, music tagging, text summarization, and more.

Previous rumors have said Apple plans to introduce support for multiplayer augmented reality games, and Munster believes Apple will also introduce "subtle new developer tools" to improve AR development and lead to more compelling AR apps.

Similarly, rumors have indicated Apple is working on a Digital Health tool that will let parents better monitor the amount of time children are spending on iOS devices. Munster says Apple could also include additional features that notify users when data is being shared with developers and new device management features aimed at curbing "screen time and digital anxiety."

Munster's full range of predictions for WWDC can be read on Loup Ventures, and our iOS 12 roundup contains all of the other iOS-related rumors that we've heard thus far.

Article Link: Gene Munster Shares WWDC Predictions: Beats Product With Siri Integration, Improvements to AI and AR

hi

 

[vipergts2207]

You do realize that WWDC is a software developer conference not a consumer hardware event, right?

So condescending. You realize this wouldn't be the first time Apple announced new consumer hardware at WWDC, right?

 

[bodonnell202]

While Siri is terrible compared to Alexa and Google, she is far, far, far better than whatever Samsung was trying to do with Bixby. I mean, I am kind of an Apple fanboy, and I enjoy almost all of there products. But I still see where they mess up. However, I also respect the competition. I like Samsung phones, but... Bixby... My God is it terrible. You think Siri is bad, but Bixby can't do a thing. It has problems with simple math equations.

I haven't tried Bixby personally, but my partner has a Galaxy S phone (S8 maybe?) and ended up disabling it within hours of getting the phone. I'd definitely believe the Siri is beating Bixby, but if Samsung is smart they will just look at better integration of Google Assistant (since their phones run Android anyway) rather than trying to develop Bixby further. Apple is way to stubborn to let go of Siri in favour of a better alternative.

 

[MacLawyer]

I miss the days when Apple announced new computers and MacOs software.

 

[redheeler]

Maybe, but why would his personal options on Apple products matter? His job as analyst requires him to be objective as opposed to a review site where opinions are OK. Munster probably would be alarmed if Apple suddenly discontinued Mac and didn't have another revenue source to pick up that 8% of revenue that would go "poof." Now whether he has reliable industry intel to make consistent predictions, his is a mixed record like most. But a Beats with Siri product does seem like a no brainer and not surprising. Whether it's next week or next half of the year who knows because Apple has been known to change launch dates even hours before a keynote.

The disclaimer is right there on the website, which is at least being more honest than most. It's clear he didn't bother to include the Mac in his prediction as it's not considered an area of interest; whether or not he would agree Apple should discontinue the Mac to focus on developing other products is irrelevant and only speculation on my part.

Disclaimer: We actively write about the themes in which we invest: virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and robotics. From time to time, we will write about companies that are in our portfolio. Content on this site including opinions on specific themes in technology, market estimates, and estimates and commentary regarding publicly traded or private companies is not intended for use in making investment decisions.

 

[SteveW928]

I think this is a safe bet.

Apple has been taking a beating in the news and in every tech forum about Siri. Only some die hards on here still defend apple on it.
...
And I wouldn't hold out for any hardware updates. Tim Cook is in charge, so expect another snooze fest!

Yea, Siri has become the running joke, more or less. I just don't see any activity at Apple that would indicate they even know how to fix it, though. They can't even get basic search technologies down, which I think is one of the biggest reasons Siri sucks. Just try searching in the App Store for an app or podcast, etc. It's like search tech from the mid-90s, or worse. They should go talk to the FileMaker people, as I had better search tech on DBs I was working with in early 2000s.

As for hardware and keynotes, I'm hoping the problem is getting so big now that even Tim can't ignore it any longer. No doubt about snooze-fest... I haven't even watched the last 6-8 keynotes as they just started to depress me, or worse, insult my intelligence (i.e.: 3.5" jack a 'legacy port').

 

[Applestock]

lmao seems $250 is the cheap siri speaker and is beats branded... They clearly have no idea how to get into the home assistant market.

Totally agree. The current HomePod should be getting a price cut soon anyway, so a "cheaper" beats speaker costing $250 is laughable. The only way it would make sense is if the audio quality were on par with or better than the current HomePod.

 

[Braderunner]

How about this AirPower thing. I'm curious to see the price, for one thing.

 

[SteveW928]

What do you want them to do? Every time Intel puts out new chips, the Mac is updated.

Umm... maybe actually think about what you say and look into it before just repeating the lame excuse Apple and some tech journalists spout out? Look at each machine in the Apple Mac lineup and tell us which ones are using the most recent Intel chips, tech, and ports.

And, as someone else said, using the latest Intel chips (if they did) wouldn't fix stuff like the TouchBar, bad keyboard, or other such decisions they've made.

What do we want them to do? Get back to making the Mac a world-class computing machine... or at least one that isn't so far behind we're considering jumping to Windows or building a hackintosh.

Why do people keep complaining about emojis.

Because we're kind of sick of them being the main new thing taking up half of each keynote. They are fine, but I'd like to see a bit more out of Apple than emojis, hip-hop mixes, lame TV shows, and watch bands.

You do realize that WWDC is a software developer conference not a consumer hardware event, right?

Yeah... I just wonder if Apple realizes that. But, the problem is, they are so far behind with hardware, that they almost have to release new hardware at these events, or hold other events for it. Plus, I think most developers are just a tad bit concerned about the state of the Mac (which they use every day).

As going along with what I said above, I'm guessing most developers don't care much about the speculations of this article or dancing emojis, they want to know where the OSs are headed and what new hardware they can work with (both directly, and develop for).

 

[Chupa Chupa]

The disclaimer is right there on the website, which is at least being more honest than most. It's clear he didn't bother to include the Mac in his prediction as it's not considered an area of interest; whether or not he would agree Apple should discontinue the Mac to focus on developing other products is irrelevant and only speculation on my part.

Right but you are not understanding my point. He doesn't follow Mac because it's a small part of Apple's revenue. That is not the same thing as him not caring if Apple discontinues it. From a financial perspective he would care about whether Apple could replace that revenue. If it could, yes, he's not sentimental about any particular product. He's a financial analyst. Money is money. I doubt many analysts coving GE monitor light bulb sales.

 

[SteveW928]

Siri:

Set a reminder. Check.
Set a calendar event. Check.
Ask for directions: Check.
Ask for weather: Check.
Hand free in the car: Check.

Have her count to 100. Silence. Not even a witty (though face-slapping) reply. Dead silence.

Well if Siri understands where you want directions to, then it works. Even something like getting directions back home requires very specific syntax.

And, my biggest complaint is that Siri isn't even close to hands-free in the car unless you have a car with CarPlay (presumably, I don't). It can't answer a phone call, hang up the call, etc. It can't play my playlists on command. It often messes up with simple things like resuming 3rd party podcast players.

That's what I hate most about it, it messes up at the most basic of useful things that would actually be helpful. I don't need a trivial pursuit partner, nor some kind of horrible attempt at making a dinner reservation. I need it to do simple stuff that keeps me safe while driving and not having to pull over to the side of the road all the time.

 

[GregJohn]

im a bit dumb today, but if they added spotlight integration within Siri what would improve? how would we see it? just more accurate or?