I personally do not have a need for a voice assistant w/a display nor do I want a fixed location display.
My HomePods and iPads work just fine and my new TV with the Apple TV app has replaced any need for new Apple TV hardware, finally down to one remote and never going back.
Not everyone needs one. For that matter not everyone needs some of the other Apple gear they buy. If Apple builds this, and IMO they will. I believe it will sell far better than Homepods ever have*
*Unless Apple prices this north of $300 which then potentially becomes a competitive problem depending on the level of hardware they use.
So you noticed increasing mentions of Thread? I don't think most here are yet aware of the implications. Interoperability is the endgame rather than devices specific to only Google Home or only HomeKit or only Amazon. Faster, more reliable, less power needed and more security. As far as I know every smart device I've purchased in the past 18 months is Thread-capable. To use a new device with my Home network it connects to an already secured existing device of mine to communicate with. Extreme security IMO. It did not use to be that way.
While this 2-year-old video discusses more about how Google Nest uses it and the advantages of doing so the same will apply to Apple and HomeKit. It's an excellent video if you want to understand why and how.
We've also talked about it repeatedly on the HomeKit Insider podcast and even had Eve and Nanoleaf executives stop by to talk about why Thread is a game-changer.
So you noticed increasing mentions of Thread? I don't think most here are yet aware of the implications. Interoperability is the endgame rather than devices specific to only Google Home or only HomeKit or only Amazon. Faster, more reliable, less power needed and more security. As far as I know every smart device I've purchased in the past 18 months is Thread-capable. To use a new device with my Home network it connects to an already secured existing device of mine to communicate with. Extreme security IMO. It did not use to be that way.
While this 2-year-old video discusses more about how Google Nest uses it and the advantages of doing so the same will apply to Apple and HomeKit. It's an excellent video if you want to understand why and how.
We've also talked about it repeatedly on the HomeKit Insider podcast and even had Eve and Nanoleaf executives stop by to talk about why Thread is a game-changer.
Thanks for that Andrew. So few forum members seem to have paid attention to those articles. The more explainers the better IMO.
Judging by the responses to this article alone, it seems the HomeKit ecosystem has to evolve more before it is hassle-free enough to not have to meddle with it after setup, Siri included. Maybe another year of third party hardware announcements and upgrades, and HomeKit updates, will do the trick.
Perhaps Google/Nest and Amazon/Ring are not quite there yet either, but I wouldn’t consider them even if they were evolved enough, primarily for security/privacy reasons.
Someone mentioned HomeKit needs to be redone from scratch - is this really necessary?
Judging by the responses to this article alone, it seems the HomeKit ecosystem has to evolve more before it is hassle-free enough to not have to meddle with it after setup, Siri included. Maybe another year of third party hardware announcements and upgrades, and HomeKit updates, will do the trick.
Perhaps Google/Nest and Amazon/Ring are not quite there yet either, but I wouldn’t consider them even if they were evolved enough, primarily for security/privacy reasons.
Someone mentioned HomeKit needs to be redone from scratch - is this really necessary?
At least with Google Nest who has been using Thread for years, security is not an issue. At all. Andrew gave you several links to read in order to understand why Thread makes it so, and I gave another one specific to Nest. You should at least take a few minutes to watch the video, or read an article Andrew linked.
Privacy? I don't see that as an issue either, but understand completely when others are distrustful. I'm pretty invested in home automation, but one place I won't go is a smart door lock. Yeah I know there's members here who have no issue with one at all, totally trusting.
There's so much new about connected homes, and so much misunderstanding.about the technologies involved.
If Apple is going to release a HomePod-like product with a display, it needs to do more than sound good and look nice. We examine some long-time rumors and the features Apple should incorporate to make a truly standout device.
A simple concept of a 'HomeHub' running tvOS
Spoiler alert:
—you forgot to include a picture of the device’s backside with the integrated cappuccino/slow juicer/egg boiler/soda stream multi-gadget!
Also: nixed the HomePod due to its price, and so...
I’m tired of people dismissing ideas like this or a soundbar with integrated Apple TV. A “multi-gadget” as you put it. Like they could never be successful with one product that combines many things together? Like a handheld device that makes phone calls, video calls, emails, text messages, accesses the Internet, acts as a calculator, camera, calendar, notepad, and a clock with alarms, timers, and reminders. All while allowing you to play games, listen to music, watch movies, and read the news. You mean a “multi-gadget” like that?
Yeah, you’re right…nobody will find any value in that.
Judging by the responses to this article alone, it seems the HomeKit ecosystem has to evolve more before it is hassle-free enough to not have to meddle with it after setup, Siri included. Maybe another year of third party hardware announcements and upgrades, and HomeKit updates, will do the trick.
Perhaps Google/Nest and Amazon/Ring are not quite there yet either, but I wouldn’t consider them even if they were evolved enough, primarily for security/privacy reasons.
Someone mentioned HomeKit needs to be redone from scratch - is this really necessary?
At least with Google Nest who has been using Thread for years, security is not an issue. At all. Andrew gave you several links to read in order to understand why Thread makes it so, and I gave another one specific to Nest. You should at least take a few minutes to watch the video, or read an article Andrew linked.
Privacy? I don't see that as an issue either, but understand completely when others are distrustful. I'm pretty invested in home automation, but one place I won't go is a smart door lock. Yeah I know there's members here who have no issue with one at all, totally trusting.
There's so much new about connected homes, and so much misunderstanding.about the technologies involved.
I had indeed read Andrew’s Thread explainer when first published back in November, and even commented on it, and re-read it again now. I stand by my comments, best to wait for Thread to roll out into more gear. (You essentially said the same thing back then as well.)
Maybe in a year I can evaluate and decide from several options, rather than the few Thread-less HomeKit SecureVideo compatible security cameras, video doorbells, etc. that are available today.
I just don’t trust Amazon or Google or Facebook, so Thread or no Thread I wouldn’t use their home gear on their platforms. I’d rather wait for Apple.
Agree that a smart door lock is not to be taken for granted when it comes to hacking.
The first step is to fix Apple Music. The search is broken, the folder management is incomplete, the suggestions don’t make sense and, it’s really unstable. Second step...Siri is the dumbest one. Not fixing those two things will make nothing will work properly.
Search in Apple Music does indeed suck. No fuzzy matches, often entering the *exact* artist and title together, or artist name or title alone often won't even turn up the result you're looking for even though it's in there. No advanced search. Drilling down into genres also sucks.
i would love a low cost dock that you can plug in an old iPhone or iPad in and make it into a Video HomePod
Why would you need a dock for that? Unless it adds features, old iPads and iPhones already have cameras and speakers.
A dock/stand of some sort would allow you to actually see the screen rather than it just laying on a shelf somewhere,
Also, the commenter's idea to re-appropriate older gear for this purpose would require constant A/C power and a dock would make the whole setup cleaner.
I knew there had been products like this in the past, but a simple image search shows a TON of variations on this idea that have been out there. The funny thing though is most of them appear to be from around the time of the oldest iPad models, 30pin and all. It's almost like the idea never took off... yet here we (well, not me) are clamoring for these exact products that failed in the past:
Comments
*Unless Apple prices this north of $300 which then potentially becomes a competitive problem depending on the level of hardware they use.
My individual explainer, with a focus on HomeKit, can be found here: https://appleinsider.com/articles/20/11/13/why-thread-is-a-game-changer-for-apples-homekit
We've also talked about it repeatedly on the HomeKit Insider podcast and even had Eve and Nanoleaf executives stop by to talk about why Thread is a game-changer.
Perhaps Google/Nest and Amazon/Ring are not quite there yet either, but I wouldn’t consider them even if they were evolved enough, primarily for security/privacy reasons.
Someone mentioned HomeKit needs to be redone from scratch - is this really necessary?
Privacy? I don't see that as an issue either, but understand completely when others are distrustful. I'm pretty invested in home automation, but one place I won't go is a smart door lock. Yeah I know there's members here who have no issue with one at all, totally trusting.
There's so much new about connected homes, and so much misunderstanding.about the technologies involved.
Maybe in a year I can evaluate and decide from several options, rather than the few Thread-less HomeKit SecureVideo compatible security cameras, video doorbells, etc. that are available today.
I just don’t trust Amazon or Google or Facebook, so Thread or no Thread I wouldn’t use their home gear on their platforms. I’d rather wait for Apple.
Agree that a smart door lock is not to be taken for granted when it comes to hacking.
I knew there had been products like this in the past, but a simple image search shows a TON of variations on this idea that have been out there. The funny thing though is most of them appear to be from around the time of the oldest iPad models, 30pin and all. It's almost like the idea never took off... yet here we (well, not me) are clamoring for these exact products that failed in the past:
ipad speaker dock