Why hasn't Apple developed an "Echo" type device??

[parseckadet]

It's kind of hard to "beat" someone to something when you don't know why that something is a requirement to compete with in the first place.

Apple was beaten to the punch on toasters by Sunbeam as well, a shame really.

Focus now means running a "me too" product every time a competitor makes one that has nothing to do with your product categories?

Frankly, I find the echo-type products to be a smart move from Amazon, essentially tying your house into the Amazon purchasing ecosystem. As someone who rarely buys things however I see it as nothing other than an extension of runaway consumerism.

I think your definition of the product is too narrow. The speaker device is just an implementation detail. The true product is the intelligent assistant. In that context, Apple was ahead of Amazon by years and squandered it. Notice that what really makes the Echo compelling is the open API. If Siri had been half as open as the Echo, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Even now Siri Kit still feels like and afterthought and doesn't really cut it compared to the Echo.

Compatibility with what?

I see the silly commercials and I'm thinking "Siri can't tell me what a whale sounds like or pause my music?"

EDIT: I'm conflating two silly commercials. One is for some Google device, the other is Alexa.

In my experience, no it can't. If I were to ask "Hey Siri, what does a whale sound like?" I'm certain I would get one of two answers:
1: Probably 6 times out of 10 it would probably say something like "Sorry, I didn't understand 'what does sound like'."
2: The rest of the time it would respond "I searched the web for "What does a whale sound like?"

Other interactions I typically have involve me screaming at the top of my lungs "Hey Siri" with no response. Then I give up by saying, at a normal volume, "Seriously, what the f***," to which it will finally respond "Sorry, I don't understand 'What the duck?"

I used to be on the Siri/Homekit bandwagon, but I've given up. I bought a Samsung SmartThings hub, and will buy either an Echo or a Google Home in the next few months (just relocated and bought a house, need to get some expenses under control first). The things you can do with those two products make Apple's offerings look like a joke. The ship has sailed, and Apple hasn't even made it down to the dock yet.

 

[robwithtoast]

I think your definition of the product is too narrow. The speaker device is just an implementation detail. The true product is the intelligent assistant. In that context, Apple was ahead of Amazon by years and squandered it. Notice that what really makes the Echo compelling is the open API. If Siri had been half as open as the Echo, we wouldn't be having this discussion. Even now Siri Kit still feels like and afterthought and doesn't really cut it compared to the Echo.



In my experience, no it can't. If I were to ask "Hey Siri, what does a whale sound like?" I'm certain I would get one of two answers:
1: Probably 6 times out of 10 it would probably say something like "Sorry, I didn't understand 'what does sound like'."
2: The rest of the time it would respond "I searched the web for "What does a whale sound like?"

Other interactions I typically have involve me screaming at the top of my lungs "Hey Siri" with no response. Then I give up by saying, at a normal volume, "Seriously, what the f***," to which it will finally respond "Sorry, I don't understand 'What the duck?"

I used to be on the Siri/Homekit bandwagon, but I've given up. I bought a Samsung SmartThings hub, and will buy either an Echo or a Google Home in the next few months (just relocated and bought a house, need to get some expenses under control first). The things you can do with those two products make Apple's offerings look like a joke. The ship has sailed, and Apple hasn't even made it down to the dock yet.

Please preach! You hit the nail on the head.

 

[MTI]

Amazon, with a history of large scale failures with hardware, did the right thing by making the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) cloud based and by immediately partnering with 3rd party vendors with few strings attached. For me, they hit the sweet spot by supporting Insteon, Logitech Harmony and later this year, Sonos. Today, they added Plex. Google is rumored to be a little more heavy handed, seeking exclusive relationships that bar working with other voice systems.

 

[DaveTheRave]

Amazon, with a history of large scale failures with hardware, did the right thing by making the Alexa Voice Service (AVS) cloud based and by immediately partnering with 3rd party vendors with few strings attached.

Yes, the Fire phone was a bomb. What other hardware failures are you referring to? The success of the Kindle shows they do know a thing or two about hardware.

 

[I am Sampson]

I was waiting for a Siri home control device for ages it seems, and was using Siri to control over 20 hue lights.
I finally cracked and got six echo dots. And some Alexa smart plugs. I can't express how much better they are. It saddens me, I wish they weren't. But I ask Alexa to control my lights and 95% time she does exactly what I ask. I ask Siri and I'd guess about 40% of the time she does. Alexa's openess with skills is also fantastic, I have lots of funny skills set up and my son loves a fun "choose your own adventure" game on it too. I can't see Apple being this open, not by a long stretch, unless they do a Siri App Store perhaps.

For me, Alexa beats Siri in so many ways, especially being hands free. Having 5 dots (not set one up yet) around my house is fantastic, and they are so good I can even speak to Alexa whilst in the hallway walking up or down stairs where there are no dots at all, and one of the will hear me and do what I ask.

As a big Apple lover I do still secretly hope Apple will bring out a device that makes me sell them and get Siri "dots" instead though, but I find it hard to see they will.

 

[DaveTheRave]

I just received an Echo as a gift. I'm still exploring it but so far it's great. It almost always understands what I'm saying, sounds great, and I enjoy using the "flash briefing" feature.