Doesn't that mean that Siri on the HomePod won't activate if you've got your iPhone in your pocket?
That can't be right.
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HomePod Should Launch 'Soon' as Inventec Begins Shipments to Apple
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That can't be right.
Google assistant is better than Siri but for basic tasks the difference is minimal
Asking about the weather, sport scores or play a song on the HomePod would do the same things
Asking about the weather, sport scores or play a song on the HomePod would do the same things
Apart from basic tasks what else do you really need an assistant for? As you can still control lights, heating with home kit so for that there’s not much difference.
What things do people generally do with google and Alexa that you don’t do with Siri?
The only thing i bother using Siri for is setting alarms / timers on my watch. More of my stuff is Alexa enabled than HomeKit compatible.
As someone that is less worried about audio quality, and more concerned with kitting out my entire home with smart speakers to enable more control over lights, AV, Thermostat and view camera feeds, all for a reasonable outlay, Amazon has already won.
I have Echos across all three floors of the house at a total cost of under £250 (2 x Echo Show, 2 x Echo Dot & 1 x Echo 2nd gen). I’ll be adding a Spot later this month once released in the UK.
The HomePod just doesn’t do as much to fill my requirements regardless of how good a product it may be (and that is yet to be seen), and the cost and lack of diversity in the product line is prohibitive to have them throughout the house in the same way I can with Amazon’s offering.
As someone that is less worried about audio quality, and more concerned with kitting out my entire home with smart speakers to enable more control over lights, AV, Thermostat and view camera feeds, all for a reasonable outlay, Amazon has already won.
I have Echos across all three floors of the house at a total cost of under £250 (2 x Echo Show, 2 x Echo Dot & 1 x Echo 2nd gen). I’ll be adding a Spot later this month once released in the UK.
The HomePod just doesn’t do as much to fill my requirements regardless of how good a product it may be (and that is yet to be seen), and the cost and lack of diversity in the product line is prohibitive to have them throughout the house in the same way I can with Amazon’s offering.
Last I checked, Airplay doesn't lock you into Apple Music. Also, check out Roon.
And this is what they are competing against: https://www.sonos.com/en-us/alexa-on-sonos
You still haven’t answered my question..what do people generally do with google assistant or Alexa there you can’t do with Siri?
People buying the HomePod aren’t buying it just for a voice assistant. You know that , right?
Apple is directly competing with Sonos and Google (their larger smart speaker) mostly on price and because people don't consider Amazon and Google to be spying on them. They consider it to be the price of convenience.
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Sonos and Google's Max speaker are both more expensive than HomePod but I don't think any of these speakers are designed to be spread across a home. They are designed for common areas and family rooms.
There are 10x more Siri devices in use than Alexa but all of those Siri devices are not sharing specific data with the cloud. In some cases Apple's differential privacy is perfect for AI. In other cases it is just not enough to keep Siri competitive so I think it will be a few more years until we know Siri's overall place in this AI race. BTW, the starter pistol hasn't even shot off yet.
I think people are forgetting that this is fulfilling a very specific need/niche/area/whatever you want to call it.
It's not a voice assistant that plays music (ala Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc.). It's (supposed to be) a very good sounding speaker that uses beam forming technology to deliver excellent sound quality and full dynamic range to all ears within a room regardless of where it's placed....and it also has a voice assistant built in.
It's a (supposed to be) better sounding version of what Sonos just came out with on their Sonos One. That's $200. So if it has the volume/sound quality at or exceeding the Sonos Play 3 (which is what people who heard it describe it as being in the same range of) which is $250, then a more tech rich, better sounding version for $100 more isn't unheard of.
This isn't a voice assistant with a speaker. It's a kick ass speaker that also has a voice assistant. That's a significant difference.
It's not a voice assistant that plays music (ala Google Home, Amazon Echo, etc.). It's (supposed to be) a very good sounding speaker that uses beam forming technology to deliver excellent sound quality and full dynamic range to all ears within a room regardless of where it's placed....and it also has a voice assistant built in.
It's a (supposed to be) better sounding version of what Sonos just came out with on their Sonos One. That's $200. So if it has the volume/sound quality at or exceeding the Sonos Play 3 (which is what people who heard it describe it as being in the same range of) which is $250, then a more tech rich, better sounding version for $100 more isn't unheard of.
This isn't a voice assistant with a speaker. It's a kick ass speaker that also has a voice assistant. That's a significant difference.
Agreed
Some seem to think it’s just a google home or Alexa Apple version when it’s clearly not.
I agree. I'm really tempted to sell my Sonos One and buy the Pod when released.
But with Airplay 2 (and possibly Siri) on the Sonos One, do you think we'll be able to use voice control to select songs in our itunes play lists on the iPhone or iPad by asking Alexa?
Is it? Like it was too late when Apple finally released am mp3 player? Like it was too late when Apple finally released a mobile phone?
I've been waiting to buy one (probably, subject to a listen to one) because I have an Apple Music subscription, and I like the approach of it being a great speaker first, and voice assistant second.
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Exactly this. That's why I was interested in one, where I had no interest in the Google or Amazon ones.
One thing I'm not sure of though - can you play normal digital or internet radio through it? Ideally it will replace an ageing Sony mini thing in the kitchen, but we do still listen to the radio on that quite a bit too.
Essentially, would it stream radio broadcast online from a phone?
Your comment on Amazon/Google spying is correct. People don’t think that there ARE being spied upon, and if you show articles proving they are these people usually respond with “I didn’t say anything that could get me in trouble” or “if you don’t do anything wrong you’ve got nothing to fear”. This ignores businesses buying and selling your information, including health and family and economic information, and it assumes that business and government agencies are all honest.
[doublepost=1516312959][/doublepost]Apple has some heavy lifting to do. I received an Echo from work as part of my wellness program and have added 7 more. They work well and other than the speaker in the Dot being tinny and small, they are nice. The Dot is a gateway drug, to Amazon. I'm hoping that Apple will do a better job with Homekit because Amazon is eating their lunch.
HomePod supplier Inventec has begun shipping the smart speaker to Apple, with an initial shipment "of about 1 million units," according to industry sources speaking with the Taipei Times. Apple is said to have sent out a shipment notice to companies in the HomePod supply chain in early January, and now that the first supplier has answered the notice one source stated that HomePod should be launching "soon."
As the first batch of HomePods makes its way to Apple, a release date for the delayed smart speaker has yet to be confirmed by the company, although it did state HomePod will debut in "early 2018." Traditionally, Apple's definition of "early" is January through April.
Inventec's revenue from the HomePod is expected to be "limited" this quarter due to the low quantity initial shipment. This falls in line with Inventec's own statement from last August, when it warned that supplies for HomePod might be limited at launch, similar to most Apple product launches. Following the launch, HomePod shipments for all of 2018 are expected to grow to between 10 million and 12 million units.
Industry sources said that Inventec and second HomePod supplier Foxconn will fulfill an even half of these orders. Furthermore, the HomePod's delay was said to be caused by "fine-tuning of software and hardware integration."
When it does launch, HomePod will be Apple's first entry into the smart speaker market, currently dominated by Amazon Echo and Google Home. During its unveiling of the product, Apple said that HomePod is more music-focused than its rivals with high-quality sound and microphone technology, spatial awareness, touch controls, and more, all powered by an A8 chip.
Article Link: HomePod Should Launch 'Soon' as Inventec Begins Shipments to Apple
I think Apple's approach of only harvesting data on-device is a good compromise for most people. But that means it's also Apple's job to educate people on this approach. These privacy and security provisions need to naturally fold into any cybersecurity conversations without sounding like marketing or sales pitches. Unfortunately, Apple is known more for their marketing muscle than for their customer protections so it's a hard for them not to come off looking like a commercial sometimes.
Yeah I mean if I got one it would go near my TV there my watch/ iPhone/iPad will be closer to me than the HomePod would be
Sorry, I should have said "the device that makes the most sense”. Obviously if you are in a room with a HomePod it should give the HomePod the preference.
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Literally no one has answered this question.
The truth about “home assistants” is that they have a much more limited range of usefulness than people seem willing to admit. Like a smart watch, it does a few specific things well: controlling smart appliances, timers, music control and adding things to shopping lists. Maybe play the news for you and the occasional unit conversion.
Siri is fine for all of these. So the question still stands: what are you using Alexa / Google for that you can’t use Siri for?
Yet, Apple are ones that spend the least on marketing compared to Samsung, MS, Amazon and even I think Google.
They get a huge amount for the revenue spent. They get a lot of unpaid media exposure though (PR), which can be good or bad depending on the way it goes.
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If it has airplay it can stream well anything. Not sure if you order Siri through the speaker to get another device to stream or being able to a internet radio by itself (not sure what Apple Music offers in that regard which the speaker will directly support).
Everyone in my home including visitors can use Alexa to control things regardless of which room of the house they are in across all 3 floors whether I’m there or not. At the moment, that would not be possible in my home using Siri / HomeKit, and I’m not about to spend out on 5 or 6 HomePods to give less smart home functionality but better sound quality.
You don't give a hoot about audio quality and you think Alexa, which I find as useless (or more a very limited utility) as all other assistants myself, is da bomb.
You're not the target for this thing at any price obviously, so good for you. Want some door prize now?
I answered a specific question about what Alexa can do that Siri / HomeKit currently can not.
I’m sorry you don’t like the answer.
I’d far rather add more Apple products to the house so just because I’m not currently the target market while they only offer one product that doesn’t suit my needs compared to the multitude that Amazon offer that do, doesn’t mean I can’t have an opinion.