“Taiwan-based OEM Inventec reportedly has landed orders from Apple to produce a connected speaker device, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News report,” Steve Shen reports for DigiTimes.
“The connected speaker will be Apple’s first AI-based smart home device powered by Siri and is expected to take on Amazon’s smart home assistant Echo, said the report, citing Kuo Ming-chi, an analyst at Taiwan-based KGI Securities,” Shen reports. “Apple is expected to unveil the smart speaker during its annual WWDC 2017 conference to be held in June, Kuo said, adding that the connected speaker will be priced higher than the US$179 for Echo.”
Shen reports, “Inventec is the sole assembler of Apple’s wireless AirPod products…”
MacDailyNews Take: “Inventec is the sole assembler of Apple’s wireless AirPod products…” Meaning there likely won’t be any of Apple’s Amazon Echo echo units available to buy 6 months after launch either.
Operations Genius
Something along the lines of Amazon Echo is what Apple should have done if run by competent, forward-thinking management. When Apple finally does do their version of Amazon Echo (and they will get around to doing such a product eventually) they will rightly be called a follower. The company had all of the ingredients to make their own Echo, before Amazon, except for the vision, it seems. — MacDailyNews, March 29, 2016
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There could be a psychological component to this that leads people use Alexa over Siri precisely because they know the Echo is there (it’s a physical object), but forget about Siri being everywhere, even on their wrists (because Siri is embedded inside devices that are “for other things” in the user’s mind (telling time, watching TV, computing, phone calls, etc.) and therefore “hidden” to the user. Hence, Siri gets forgotten and goes unused while people use Alexa…
Again: We believe people use Alexa because Amazon Echo is a physical manifestation of “her,” while forgetting about Siri even though she’s on their wrists at all times and/or in their iPhones and iPads because Siri is hidden inside objects whose primary function is something other than “personal assistant” in people’s minds (watch, TV, phone or tablet, as opposed to “Siri.”) Alexa is present thanks to the Amazon Echo. Siri is absent because she has no such counterpart; no physical manifestation.
Siri is a ghost. Alexa is that cool, fun, glowing tube right there on the counter.
Apple would do well to not discount the psychology behind why people use certain features, even though cold, hard logic tells them it’s a redundant and unnecessary product.
An “Apple Echo” device would sell in the millions of units per quarter and boost Siri usage immensely. — MacDailyNews, June 15, 2016
i want Siri on my phone to be able to answer things . I getting tired of the response that she can’t answer that .I don’t care if Apple is first . If its better that ok. But I want them to start innovating more- and maybe they are and we just don’t know about it yet
I have an Echo on my kitchen counter. In the midst of dinner conversations, esoteric questions come up, So, we ask Alexa. Then after I get “I don’t know the answer to that “, we ask Siri. Siri is far superior, although often the answer pops up on the phone display rather than being a voice answer. e.g Last night we asked, which pro teams did Doug Collins coach. Alexa pulled a blank. Siri popped the names and logos of the four teams.
You must obviously have a different or “special” version of Siri. Siri is in NO WAY more capable. I would venture to think Siri brings someone to the web 60% or more of the time. Siri IS NOT a good product. May someday but NOT today.
Don’t want to bash Siri too much, but I just don’t use it very much. I will ask her math and measurement questions, find an address every once in a while. But typically Siri doesn’t understand what I want.
Plus I HATE the pause I have to use between pressing the button and before I can start talking. Very frustrating.
Totally agree about the pause. I now don’t bother with the button—I just say “hey siri blah blah blah” since it eliminates the need to pause. It takes a second for siri to catch up, but it reliably pulls in everything you say even if you speak naturally and don’t pause.
I have many apple products but I bought an echo primarily so I can tell Alexa to turn on and off my lights. Siri has the functionality, however there are far fewer companies that support Siri because Apple has strict security requirements. Some day we will be thankful for that but at this time in my life I want to use affordable switches that work. I’m not so concerned if someone hack my light switch and turns it on and off. I always have my phone or watch with me and if I had switches that worked with Siri I may have never spent the money on echo.
This is the first Apple product I’m not excited about. I’ve been using Alexa for 2 years… my whole home is voice controlled, with an Echo and 2 Dots, and for me Alexa is much smarter and more accurate than Siri. CarPlay is a total mess and I find myself using my Ford Sync with Waze more than CarPlay. HomeKit was way late to the party and it’s still minimally functional compared to Alexa. Apple’s new speaker is also way late to the party — I’m sure it will sound great but will of course be overpriced, and it’s obviously nothing new or innovative. Then we’ll have to wait another year for all the “coming soon” partnerships to develop. I’ll buy it on day one because I’m a freak, but my pre-review is a giant MEH. To be continued…
MDN should change its name to HubristicHairyTubThumpersEchoChamber.com
Such a lot of Multi-$Billion company ceo’s here, posting their deep knowledge, experience and business acumen.
Riiight…
I used to enjoy reading MDN’s takes. Regardless the missteps Apple may have taken and may take, they are not as bad a company as MDN states; MDN’s constant negativity of late is draining.
Firstly, I do rather hope they build Siri into an wifi router rather than just making a speaker. It means we still get airport units and there is something value added. That said an additional speaker would be nice too.
I don’t like to bash Siri as it was the first but it is so dumb sometimes I want to pull my face off. It has been playing the tangled soundtrack fine for the last few months in the car (daughters request, not mine)! Now when I ask it to “play the tangled soundtrack” it come up with some total shite instead. It is also still far too hit and miss with phoning people.
Simply do not understand why anyone want a snooping marketer, Amazon or Apple listening to your every word said in a private home??? Certainly cannot be simply to have a speaker playing music….That’s what wired or wireless music system are for…
‘Can’t innovate anymore, my ass’
i want Siri on my phone to be able to answer things . I getting tired of the response that she can’t answer that .I don’t care if Apple is first . If its better that ok. But I want them to start innovating more- and maybe they are and we just don’t know about it yet
Siri is awful and I imagine won’t even be able to compete with the Amazon echo
I have an Echo on my kitchen counter. In the midst of dinner conversations, esoteric questions come up, So, we ask Alexa. Then after I get “I don’t know the answer to that “, we ask Siri. Siri is far superior, although often the answer pops up on the phone display rather than being a voice answer. e.g Last night we asked, which pro teams did Doug Collins coach. Alexa pulled a blank. Siri popped the names and logos of the four teams.
You must obviously have a different or “special” version of Siri. Siri is in NO WAY more capable. I would venture to think Siri brings someone to the web 60% or more of the time. Siri IS NOT a good product. May someday but NOT today.
Don’t want to bash Siri too much, but I just don’t use it very much. I will ask her math and measurement questions, find an address every once in a while. But typically Siri doesn’t understand what I want.
Plus I HATE the pause I have to use between pressing the button and before I can start talking. Very frustrating.
Totally agree about the pause. I now don’t bother with the button—I just say “hey siri blah blah blah” since it eliminates the need to pause. It takes a second for siri to catch up, but it reliably pulls in everything you say even if you speak naturally and don’t pause.
I have many apple products but I bought an echo primarily so I can tell Alexa to turn on and off my lights. Siri has the functionality, however there are far fewer companies that support Siri because Apple has strict security requirements. Some day we will be thankful for that but at this time in my life I want to use affordable switches that work. I’m not so concerned if someone hack my light switch and turns it on and off. I always have my phone or watch with me and if I had switches that worked with Siri I may have never spent the money on echo.
I don’t like Siri. I hope the voice assistant fad dies soon.
I don’t like assistants either, but the fad to die? Why? Just dint use it, what do you care if others do?
The new speaker is bound to lead the keynote address – highlighting Apple’s dominance in the tech industry.
Lol
This is the first Apple product I’m not excited about. I’ve been using Alexa for 2 years… my whole home is voice controlled, with an Echo and 2 Dots, and for me Alexa is much smarter and more accurate than Siri. CarPlay is a total mess and I find myself using my Ford Sync with Waze more than CarPlay. HomeKit was way late to the party and it’s still minimally functional compared to Alexa. Apple’s new speaker is also way late to the party — I’m sure it will sound great but will of course be overpriced, and it’s obviously nothing new or innovative. Then we’ll have to wait another year for all the “coming soon” partnerships to develop. I’ll buy it on day one because I’m a freak, but my pre-review is a giant MEH. To be continued…
You sound like a great fit for Amazon’s next iteration of the Echo which includes a camera and can give you fashion style advice.
https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2017/04/26/amazon-turns-alexa-style-assistant-new-echo-look-device/
How about enabling Siri for (my) 4 gen ATV remote first?*
* Those who do not have UK/USA apple id accounts, no Siri english speaking Siri in ATV. Disabled.
Might as well, Amazon already has Alexa on their Fire TV and Fire TV stick products.
MDN should change its name to HubristicHairyTubThumpersEchoChamber.com
Such a lot of Multi-$Billion company ceo’s here, posting their deep knowledge, experience and business acumen.
Riiight…
I used to enjoy reading MDN’s takes. Regardless the missteps Apple may have taken and may take, they are not as bad a company as MDN states; MDN’s constant negativity of late is draining.
Sorry but unfortunately MDN isn’t harsh enough Apple is a complete disaster with one lucky product….. iPhone
Truth hurts, huh? By the way, grow a pair.
Firstly, I do rather hope they build Siri into an wifi router rather than just making a speaker. It means we still get airport units and there is something value added. That said an additional speaker would be nice too.
I don’t like to bash Siri as it was the first but it is so dumb sometimes I want to pull my face off. It has been playing the tangled soundtrack fine for the last few months in the car (daughters request, not mine)! Now when I ask it to “play the tangled soundtrack” it come up with some total shite instead. It is also still far too hit and miss with phoning people.
Better yet, make it part of a mesh network router, then you could buy a few to place around the house at (hopefully) reasonable cost.
Simply do not understand why anyone want a snooping marketer, Amazon or Apple listening to your every word said in a private home??? Certainly cannot be simply to have a speaker playing music….That’s what wired or wireless music system are for…
‘Realized’ convenience vs. ‘possible’ security risk is probably a strong driver for Echo-type devices.
I don’t understand. Why not just work on a 5th generation AppleTV that has 4K video and a Siri speaker?