Amazon has “unveiled the Echo Show, which features a seven-inch touch screen that can pull up calendar appointments, display music lyrics, play videos and a lot more,” Mark Gurman reports for Bloomberg. “The Echo Show will cost $229 when it goes on sale in late June.”
“Amazon has managed to outflank Google, which began selling its Home device two years after the Echo debuted, and Apple, which is still working on its own Siri-based version,” Gurman reports. “This is the first Echo speaker with a built-in camera. [sic the Echo Look was the first with a built-in camera – MDN Ed.] The five-megapixel sensor makes possible a new video conferencing service that Amazon is rolling out alongside the new hardware. Similar to Apple’s FaceTime, the service lets people make video calls from one Echo Show to another, or between the Show and an updated Alexa app on a smartphone. The service doubles as an intercom, allowing a person to call an Alexa speaker in another room without a camera.”
“The new Echo will stream music from Amazon’s own service, Spotify and Pandora, but not Apple Music. “‘We’d love to have Apple, but they’re not super big’ on opening up Apple Music integration, [Amazon devices chief Dave] Limp says. (Apple Music subscribers can do a workaround by streaming audio from their smartphone to the Echo device via Bluetooth),” Gurman reports. “Plus Apple, maker of beautiful products even when they aren’t hits, potentially could leapfrog the Show. In a recent research note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple may debut an Echo rival next month at the company’s annual developer’s conference. Apple employees have been testing a device at home for several months, according to people familiar with the matter. While marketing chief Phil Schiller recently talked up the benefits of having a screen on a voice-activated device, it’s not clear whether the Apple version will in fact have one.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: At this relatively late date, Apple’s going to need to jump like Michael Jordan in his prime in order to leapfrog Amazon’s burgeoning line of Echo devices in one fell swoop. We hope to see an amazing leap from Apple at WWDC 2017 next month!
SEE ALSO:
Amazon unveils ‘Echo Show’ with a display for video calls and more; ships June 28 – May 9, 2017
Phil Schiller on Amazon Echo-like devices and more – May 6, 2017
Apple’s Amazon Echo echo rumored to borrow trashcan Mac Pro design cues, could arrive at WWDC – April 28, 2017
Following debut of Echo Look with built-in camera, Amazon likely reveal new Echo device with a built-in display – April 27, 2017
Apple said to be working on a Siri-based Amazon Echo rival – April 27, 2017
Apple’s Amazon Echo echo: What if AirPort Extreme becomes the Siri speaker? – December 1, 2016
Apple abandons development of wireless routers – November 21, 2016
Apple’s Amazon Echo echo – September 26, 2016
Apple’s Amazon Echo rival said to include includes built-in cameras to read users’ emotions, recognize faces – September 23, 2016
Apple’s Siri-powered Amazon Echo-like device reportedly now in prototype testing – September 23, 2016
Why an ‘Apple Echo’ would be a hit – June 15, 2016
New Apple TV to take on Amazon’s Echo, source says – May 26, 2016
Apple preps Amazon Echo rival, opening up Siri – May 24, 2016
Apple should make a stationary voice command device like Amazon’s Echo – May 19, 2016
Google unveils its Amazon Echo knockoff called ‘Google Home’ – May 18, 2016
Where’s Apple’s answer to Amazon Echo? – March 31, 2016
Amazon Echo leads mindshare in smart home platform war – February 29, 2016
Why did Apple buy a startup whose tech can read emotions via facial recognition? – January 7, 2016
Apple buys Emotient, maker of artificial-intelligence tech that reads emotion by analyzing facial expressions – January 7, 2016
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
So now having outflanked the opposition by doing a standalone device Amazon is bringing it all main stream into phones and mobile devices which despite making those devices and the concept staring them in the face, Apple never bothered to truly develop/include such a service even though the press were talking about them launching it at least 4 years ago. Hell they can’t even get the message when it’s spelt out to them.
Remember these are the same slumbering giants who also didn’t pay attention to a pro machine few wanted and did nothing to correct it for 4 years.
Much as many defended Tim Cook it’s looking more and more that the Cupertino Emperor has no clothes, only the uncharismatic gift of “it’s coming, eh heh” gab. (Or has been taking too many siestas while Rome was burning.)
With great Apple CEO power comes great responsibility to not only stay awake and attentive to user’s needs but ahead of the competition and market things people want across the product line board.
Remember Amazon or Netflix aren’t making a profit, it isn’t Apple’s job to make them profitable.
Ummm, So Amazon released a tablet-in-a-speaker-stand device and somehow they’ve jumped ahead? This is Amazon’s answer to their failed “Fire” tablets and phones. This is not leaping ahead. This is just trying to save their investment in their platform.
Apple doesn’t need an answer to these stupid devices. The iPhone and iPad are much more versatile and powerful devices.
Actually, this is Amazon intelligently repurposing their Fire concept and IP into a more useful device with a better-defined purpose in a market space that Apple hasn’t moved into yet, which is pretty savvy. And having all of the Amazon resources behind it makes it even more useful.
This is a place that Apple could have been years ago, as has been said. The AppleTV withered on the tree. Now a company with resources that even Apple can’t match has gotten there first. Even if Apple shows up now, it can’t/won’t offer everything that the Amazon ecosystem does (and certainly not for the same price).
Go ahead, Apple. Prove me wrong.
So basically this “innovative” Amazon device is even more intrusive and annoying than ever before into you home. In other words listening and watching your family’s every move and tendencies. The device is nothing more than a bugging video device (which by the the way you purchased and planted into your own home) that will inundated your family with ads for shite products that your family does not NEED that fuels China’s economy, only to enhance the already razor thin margins that the Bezo THE Clown touts as his claim to be some type of tech visionary? What a crock of …. yeah SHITE.