Google is Prepping a Tabletop Smart Screen Device to Rival Amazon's Echo Show

[dan110]

Nope. Those are more complex devices suited to a wide variety of tasks that the user generally has to be seated for.

(Your stance would make the HomePod redundant, too, since iMac or MacBook can be used to play music & podcasts.)

A general-purpose screen that hooks into the home Wi-Fi network and offers Siri interaction to the whole family - without passwords, user accounts etc. - would find lots of use, I’m sure.

Similar stand alone communication/information consumption devices formerly known as "internet appliances" have been thrown on the technology dung heap for the past twenty years.

They seem "ok", but only for a very narrow niche market such as grandma and grandpa. However, they fail quickly because the mass market never buys them. Why because it's such a narrow use case. Here's one example, the original "iPhone", before the Apple iPhone that we know of today ...

http://www.internethistorypodcast.com/2015/06/the-forgotten-story-of-the-iphone-released-in-1998/

 

[JRobinsonJr]

Let me get this straight, and please think about this before you reply.

You are saying, electronic devices that operate by listening and understanding your speech are just a fad ?

Ha! Not at all. I love this new technology and am already taking advantage of it. Instead I was suggesting that APPLE is treating this like they do the TV... a hobby. Several Apple interviews have suggested that they see things like the Amazon Echo as a solution-looking-for-a-problem because we already have the iPhone in our pockets.
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I think Apple missed the opportunity here. They didn't see what it could turn into, they though oh, we have time, we'll do something better and then TA-DAH! But while they were uninspiringly moving to where the puck was, Amazon took it further. If Google is scared so much that it shifts the release of its device half year ahead of time, that says something.
I see a huge potential here. A device that sits on your table always ready to answer/show/tell you whatever you need, answer your calls or call someone and all you need is just raise your eyes and look at it or ask! There's no need to take it in your hand or mess with unlocking like it happens with a phone. It's just a much more easier and intuitive process. You can continue to work on your desktop or do something else while talking. You don't even need to get up off your couch, you can do it even across the room, hands free. Personal video assistant, it seems so obvious now.

Spot on!

Apple SHOULD have lead this market. They’ve got the resources and the R&D dollars. Instead, they’re out goofing off around with electric cars and emoji. Yeah... I know it’s not quite that simple, but surely with all of their billion$ they could have invested a few people to push the envelope. This type of technology should be built into the TV where we can interface with it as a voice-only, or it can show responses on-screen. Heck... even the calling / video calling capabilities should be built into the TV.

Apple will get there. Hopefully it won’t be too late.