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Apple Is Getting Ready To Take On Google and Amazon In a Battle For The Living Room (qz.com)
An anonymous reader writes: Siri may soon be making the jump from your pocket to your end table. Apple has been working on a standalone product to control internet-of-things devices for a while, but a new report from Bloomberg suggests that the company has moved the project from a research phase to prototyping. It would theoretically be pitted against other smart-home devices, including Amazon's sleeper hit, the Echo, and Google's forthcoming Home Hub. According to the report, Apple's device would be controlled using its Siri voice assistant technology. It would be able to perform the same functions that it can complete now on iPhones, Macs, and other Apple products, such as being able to tell you when the San Francisco Giants are next playing, or possibly send a poorly transcribed text message. The device would also be able to control other internet-connected devices in the home, such as lights, door locks, and web-enabled appliances, as Google and Amazon's products can. It would also have the same ability to play music through built-in speakers.
2.) Anybody who voluntarily puts an Orwellian televisor device into his home that transmits everything he says to Google or Amazon or Apple, is mentally retarded and should relieve the world off his presence.
Thank you for your attention!
IoSTWRC.
Internet of shiny things with rounded corners.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
To heck with talking to my light switches and thermostat. I would like to see some new Mac desktop hardware already. Please?????
Among slashdotters, how many of you have bought any of this landfill fodder? and how long before failure to properly participate in the "internet of things" and "voice assistant" markets along with facebook and twitter isnt considered simply unorthodox, but criminally suspicious?
Good people go to bed earlier.
... including Amazon's sleeper hit, the Echo...
The Echo is a hit? Citation, please.
Some things could use Internet connectivity and be useful. Like home security systems, garage door openers.... Let's say I was at work and my kid returned home but nobody was there. He could text me, I'd from my cell phone open the house so that he could get in, w/o having to disrupt my meeting and come home. Or my car could be internet enabled and update the maps the GPS unit uses (to date, I haven't figured out how to update the maps of my Subaru Starlink system) when Apple or Google or Bing update theirs.
But I agree - the idea of internet enabled coffee makers or fridges or microwaves is a fantasy. I don't need to start cooking my food from the minute I get into the car for the commute home. I can manually do it once I get there
One of the things driving this is the desire of companies to automate everything, and get rid of the few jobs we have left.
fuck 'em all!
How can I get the latest apps on my Internet-enabled milk package in my mom's basement without leaving the basement? Does anybody know how? Can I use my magic golden Apple bracelet for it?
I was considering buying a echo dot but discovered it couldn't control the fire tv.
Will apple have better luck making their own stuff work together?
Minimum threshold fixed. Thanks!
Well, a gay man would be afraid. Steve would already be in there!
True! A!! true!
Many people have converted from Apple to Android but Google should also promote conversion therapy to prevent these users from reverting to Apple.
I've already kicked all three of them out of the house.
Suckas!
Apple Is Getting Ready To Take On Google and Amazon In a Battle For The Living Room
All three are already on our bedrooms and bathrooms. Is there no where left with a little privacy?
I don't trust any of these companies (Apple, Amazon, Google) to safeguard my privacy.
Why would I let you into my living room with a 24/7 microphone?
If they're going to do this, I'd like to see if they can do better than Microsoft (low bar, I know).
Right now, if I happen to be on my Win10 laptop while watching Netflix on the Xbox One, I could say "Hey Cortana, pause!".
The Xbox One pauses the show.
The laptop says "I'm sorry, but I can't do that right now."
It is like they really didn't expect any Xbox One owners to have a Windows 10 laptop.
Grammer Nazis - I mod you "troll" unless you actually add something on-topic. Yes, I know I have mispellings in my sig.
These stories are always submitted by "Anonymous" claiming obliquely that the Echo is a "sleeper hit". There are a lot of "research" companies that claim that Amazon has sold a bunch too. All lies.
Notice these two links ALSO claim a "sleeper hit" (exact words):
http://www.usatoday.com/story/...
https://www.theguardian.com/te...
I call PR bullshit here. I doubt they have sold many Echos at all.
FTFY from the summary: Apple/Google/Amazon are already taking the money from your pocket.
And that's all there is to it. The more, the better (for them).
As I seldom have pockets in the bedroom or bathroom, they are not welcome there.
If Apple keeps insisting to limit things to their ecosystem by making it frustrating if not impossible to use anything Apple doesn't make or sell they will never win. I recently had to start using an iPad Air 2 for a project and I just can't understand why anyone would like them if they weren't all Apple already. They are so annoyingly restrictive and pretending not to be a computer just makes it worse. Just trying to copy a couple of files Apple thinks it doesn't understand how to open (when there are apps that will) is an exercise in masochism. The alternatives have some problems as well but there is nothing worse than trying to use something Apple when you aren't 100% in their world.
As far as the kitchen goes, if kitchen IoT could tell me that the rotisserie chicken I'm preparing in the oven is getting overcooked or burnt, I can see the use. In fact, if IoT allows the oven to warn me about it burning while I'm busy watching videos on my iPad, that's pretty useful - that way, I can watch the whole thing w/o interrupting myself to go and turn off the oven, or remove the hen. But some of the things that have been promoted - like an alarm clock being used to trigger my coffee machine when I wake up - is pretty worthless.
Siri may soon be making the jump from your pocket to your end table.
Thankfully not, as Siri is not autonomous. Yet.
It isn't welcome on my person or in my house at all while I still have a choice.
I guess once Siri is not only autonomous, but armed, I'll become a statistic.
...The device would also be able to control other internet-connected devices in the home, such as lights, door locks,...
After reading that, I lost interest in even reading the article. NO!
How is a "hit" a tech product that only sold 3 million units in two years?
This will mean that Apple will necessarily have to interoperate with other home automation systems.... It seems unlikely to me for some reason...
My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
Apple tried several times - and lost (speakers, various TV and media servers, etc). The only way they become relevant in the living room is if they buy a major player in the living room, like Netflix (content) or SONOS (audio delivery) or Vizio (video delivery). Short of that - they're not going to make headway.
Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
The first time I heard this story was in 1995 or so. I'm sure we've heard it for longer than that. Apple was getting ready to take on the living room, fighting with Microsoft. We heard it again, over and over (the fight for the living room between Wii/Xbox/Playstation).
At the end of the day, no one is going to want ads on their thermostat.
"First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
The Echo is a hit? Citation, please.
I know one couple who has an Amazon echo. He and his wife are both morons, believe "W" was a genius, and are narcissistic sociopaths to boot (even easier than before to identify now that we have the orange example to observe and compare to on a daily basis). Their only saving grace? They are so boring to talk to, that the NSA probably won't be bothered to listen in.
All hands, evacuate to the kitchen! Hold the toilets! Don't get caught in the crossfire and get ready to defend yourself if attacked!
It's our only hope against giant-tech-company products.
I really don't get why, other than perhaps for the novelty factor, you'd want something that's only voice activated, that furthermore is surveilling every sound in your house the entire time it's plugged in? Honestly, is it really that much of an inconvenience in 2016 for people to get up and go to their computer (or grab their tablet, or their phone, or their laptop) and look things up on an Internet search engine? Or start some music? Or send an email? Honestly, have people become so lazy?
....apple is about to introduce some absurdly overpriced thing with a market that has absurdly overpriced content.
What you're really telling me is that Apple is getting ready to set sail for fail.
BeauHD. Worst editor since kdawson.
If Apple, Google OR Amazon want control of my "living room" they need to replace Comcast. I don't do "broadcast" TV at all, just internet. So "set-top" or other old-school "television" type devices are an anachronism at my house. Comcast though, I'd like to see replaced. Right now, my only options are Comcast or AT&T DSL, both of which really suck and are too expensive. And I have fiber to the curb which may have been supported by the city (not sure about that). I was really hoping Google would figure out an alternative but that's looking less likely last time I read something about where they were at with it. But attacking Google, Amazon OR Apple is goofy at this point, Comcast is in charge here.