Apple's Siri home speaker said to complement voice controls with physical touch panel

AppleInsider

Whether it has a dynamic screen or simple buttons, Apple's anticipated Siri home speaker will likely offer physical controls with some kind of dedicated touch panel, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities revealed on Saturday.

Kuo offered new details on the rumored Apple competitor to Amazon Echo in a note to investors, a copy of which was obtained by AppleInsider. The leak comes only days after Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller argued that voice assistant devices should have screens to complement the audible input.

"[There are] many moments where a voice assistant is really beneficial, but that doesn't mean you'd never want a screen," Schiller said. "So the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations."

Kuo's note simply referred to the physical input on the Siri home speaker as a "touch panel," so it is unclear whether the device will boast a dynamic screen or something much simpler. Separate rumors, not from Kuo, suggested the hardware will feature a design akin to the Mac Pro, with a concave top where physical controls could be included.

As for when the accessory could be released, Kuo gives it 50-50 odds for an announcement at next month's Worldwide Developers Conference, which will kick off with a keynote on June 5. He said Saturday he believes it is more likely that Apple's anticipated 10.5-inch iPad Pro, with a larger display achieved with a thinner bezel, will be unveiled at the conference.

Given that Apple does not currently sell a dedicated Siri speaker, it's possible that the company could pre-announce the hardware for launch later this fall. Doing so could give developers time to prepare for the new platform, and could also stifle sales of competing devices, namely Amazon's forthcoming $230 Echo Show and other Alexa-powered devices, in the interim.

In terms of suppliers, Kuo believes Inventec and Longwell will be the main beneficiaries from Apple's new Siri speaker. Inventec is a key supplier of acoustic products for the company, while Longwell is believed to provide the power cord for the new device.

cali

Put a touch at on that thing. I've been saying it.

Still not convinced this thing exists though.

hmurchison

Gonna need room for all those tweeters, woofer and touch control.  Maybe the Apple Siri Speaker is going to look like this. 

PabloTresUnoSeis

Check this out.. what if the Apple "speaker" is actually a true speaker, not personal assistant device, that happens to have Siri capabilities.

Soli

PabloTresUnoSeis said:

Check this out.. what if the Apple "speaker" is actually a true speaker, not personal assistant device, that happens to have Siri capabilities.

1) So a speaker without Siri. So the iPod Hi-Fi but BT-only? What exactly does Apple bring to the table since these exist in droves already?

2) How does have Siri make the speaker untrue?

3) The Echo is a great device because it can pair with any iDevice with a single "Alexa, connect" command. The only limitation is that it can only remember the last device. With Apple's W1 chips, iOS and iCloud connectivity they make it connect to any source you wanted and switch sources with a single command by talking to the digital personal assistant. Apple has a clear opportunity to out maneuver Amazon here.

lito_lupena

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Soli

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Alexa is with you all the time, and it's been using your mobile device and browser for the Alexa interface since its inception. One great feature is being able to report any query that was either heard incorrectly or queried incorrectly so that Amazon knows where issues may reside. I wish Apple had anything even remotely this handy.

gmgravytrain

Better to wait for an official announcement instead of guessing about some future product as the analysts are always doing. I'm sitting on the fence about getting some digital assistant as I really don't need one. Digital assistants have a few nice features, but whether it's worth having another electronic device in my house for such occasional use, I don't think so. I'll see what Apple has to offer but I feel certain it's not going to be price-competitive with all the other similar devices on the market. If I do get such a device I'd definitely want a touch screen included and I'm willing to pay more for that feature.

ireland

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Yeah, I think he's referring to things such as: show my images of frogs and the speaker will say, "I've sent them to your iPhone". Use cases such as this and the fact that it will know you own a phone and can pick up from where you left off on the speaker.

wreighven

Just checking in to see if anyone else has put it out there that this fabled home speaker and the new 10.5" iPad may be the same device.  Or, maybe this home speaker is just a software upgrade (next gen Siri) for this new 10.5" iPad and other newer iPads...

k2kw

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

To out echo the echo Apple will have to have better microphones and much better software running SIRI.  
Apple needs to start from there.    Anything else needs to build on it and not be a substitute.

fallenjt

Soli said:

PabloTresUnoSeis said:

Check this out.. what if the Apple "speaker" is actually a true speaker, not personal assistant device, that happens to have Siri capabilities.

1) So a speaker without Siri. So the iPod Hi-Fi but BT-only? What exactly does Apple bring to the table since these exist in droves already?

2) How does have Siri make the speaker untrue?

3) The Echo is a great device because it can pair with any iDevice with a single "Alexa, connect" command. The only limitation is that it can only remember the last device. With Apple's W1 chips, iOS and iCloud connectivity they make it connect to any source you wanted and switch sources with a single command by talking to the digital personal assistant. Apple has a clear opportunity to out maneuver Amazon here.

The problem with Echo is that even with many capabilities, not many of them are useful or well executed. Echo is a toy, not really a real assistant gadget. 

fallenjt

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

And with that, Apple release a Speaker dock station. 

Soli

fallenjt said:

Soli said:

PabloTresUnoSeis said:

Check this out.. what if the Apple "speaker" is actually a true speaker, not personal assistant device, that happens to have Siri capabilities.

1) So a speaker without Siri. So the iPod Hi-Fi but BT-only? What exactly does Apple bring to the table since these exist in droves already?

2) How does have Siri make the speaker untrue?

3) The Echo is a great device because it can pair with any iDevice with a single "Alexa, connect" command. The only limitation is that it can only remember the last device. With Apple's W1 chips, iOS and iCloud connectivity they make it connect to any source you wanted and switch sources with a single command by talking to the digital personal assistant. Apple has a clear opportunity to out maneuver Amazon here.

The problem with Echo is that even with many capabilities, not many of them are useful or well executed. Echo is a toy, not really a real assistant gadget. 

No more a toy than Siri, Google Now, or Cortana. I've been using my Echo/Alexa every day (I'm home) for 2.5 years. I don't play with toys.

Soli

fallenjt said:

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

And with that, Apple release a Speaker dock station. 

That wouldn't come close to what the Echo offers. You at least need to add microphones—if you want a speaker dock there's a million wired and wireless options available.

SpamSandwich

If Kuo knew anything, in this instance, he'd be able to do better than a 50/50 guess. Looks like he's just making stuff up at this point.

Notsofast

Soli said:

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Alexa is with you all the time, and it's been using your mobile device and browser for the Alexa interface since its inception. One great feature is being able to report any query that was either heard incorrectly or queried incorrectly so that Amazon knows where issues may reside. I wish Apple had anything even remotely this handy.

People are finding out the hard way the downsides to using a non-secure platform like Amazon's and Google's, yes it is a much greater burden on companies to comply with Apple's stringent security requirements for HomeKit, etc., but it is well worth it.  There is also the tremendous the privacy you give up when you allow Amazon and Google to collect and store everything you say, which is frightening with hackers the world over learning the value of having a microphone into people's homes collecting everything that is said.  The next "ransomware" hack is going to be to let folks know that everything that has been said will be released if you don't pay a few hundred dollars.

Now, on to the good news.  Expect the new device to have Next Gen Siri, which takes the already most used voice assistant in the world, and adds the capabilities from companies like VocalIQ, and adds the missing multiple microphones so Siri can understand you better, to a fantastic speaker with a built in router.  All of this contained in device that you can order with or without a screen as you will be able to set your iPhone, iPad, etc., into it to serve as a screen and charging device for your iPhone/iPad.  This way you will be able to afford to have a screen in every room without having to move the screened version of Apple Hub from room to room.  This will be a smash hit, so get your orders in as soon as they open up for orders as it will sell faster than it can be built.

gatorguy

Notsofast said:

Soli said:

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Alexa is with you all the time, and it's been using your mobile device and browser for the Alexa interface since its inception. One great feature is being able to report any query that was either heard incorrectly or queried incorrectly so that Amazon knows where issues may reside. I wish Apple had anything even remotely this handy.

People are finding out the hard way the downsides to using a non-secure platform like Amazon's and Google's

In what ways? Both iOS and Android are VERY secure, especially compared to traditional desktop systems like Windows and even Mac.  I don't know enough about Amazons' to comment much but as their's is also Android based I'd guess it's also quite secure. 

lorin schultz

Soli said:

PabloTresUnoSeis said:

Check this out.. what if the Apple "speaker" is actually a true speaker, not personal assistant device, that happens to have Siri capabilities.

1) So a speaker without Siri. So the iPod Hi-Fi but BT-only? What exactly does Apple bring to the table since these exist in droves already?

2) How does have Siri make the speaker untrue?

3) The Echo is a great device because it can pair with any iDevice with a single "Alexa, connect" command. The only limitation is that it can only remember the last device. With Apple's W1 chips, iOS and iCloud connectivity they make it connect to any source you wanted and switch sources with a single command by talking to the digital personal assistant. Apple has a clear opportunity to out maneuver Amazon here.

The W1 is what has me thinking about this.

With nice weather upon us I've been looking for something to listen to music on the patio. So far I haven't found anything that persuaded me to pry open my wallet. In my Apple-centric home a Beats product seems like the most convenient option, but I was surprised to discover that the teeny little Pill+ is all they offer. I expected Beats to have some kind of beefy, bass-heavy monstrosity because, well, that's always sorta been their bread and butter. I was also surprised by the price of the Pill+. Maybe it's awesome, I haven't heard it yet, but it seems kinda spendy for a baby speaker. What surprised me most though was that I can't buy a portable speaker with a W1 chip. Having experienced the convenience of simplified device switching with the Solo3, I'm now spoiled and won't buy something that doesn't have it.

I don't really expect the rumoured Siri speaker to overcome ANY of those objections -- particularly regarding big-speaker sound quality -- but I'm hoping that maybe there will be a new portable product this summer. The old Apple HiFi with rechargeable batteries, AirPlay and a W1 would be PERFECT!

JinTech

gmgravytrain said:

Better to wait for an official announcement instead of guessing about some future product as the analysts are always doing. 

Yes, better to wait for an official announcement rather than speculating on a rumor forum dedicated to Apple products¡

Notsofast

gatorguy said:

Notsofast said:

Soli said:

lito_lupena said:

i think when schiller said "the idea of not having a screen, I don't think it suits many situations" he was actually referring or alluding to all of apple's exisiting products. as long as siri is updated, the ipad, iphone, apple tv and apple watch will do the work alexa is doing and it won't even be bound at home permanently but rather with you all the time.

Alexa is with you all the time, and it's been using your mobile device and browser for the Alexa interface since its inception. One great feature is being able to report any query that was either heard incorrectly or queried incorrectly so that Amazon knows where issues may reside. I wish Apple had anything even remotely this handy.

People are finding out the hard way the downsides to using a non-secure platform like Amazon's and Google's

In what ways? Both iOS and Android are VERY secure, especially compared to traditional desktop systems like Windows and even Mac.  I don't know enough about Amazons' to comment much but as their's is also Android based I'd guess it's also quite secure. 

It sounds like you are just at the starting stage of doing research if you think that Android is anywhere near as secure as iOS, but suffice it to say that the vast majority of malware is found on Android versus iOS, the vast majority of Android systems are embarrassingly out of date, Apple has much more stringent requirements for its App store, etc., to name just a few starting points for why there is a big tradeoff in privacy and security when you choose Android.  Ditto for home automation where it's much more difficult  and time consuming to meet Apple's stringent security requirements, e.g., special secure chips, etc., but that's the tradeoff if you want the security.