I wonder if it will also end up being Apple's replacement to their existing AirPort lineup?
I concur, but am having a hard time envisioning how it would work. Pretty sure at least one of my AirPorts has to be plugged into my cable modem with a wire. Unless of course, this is a accessory like the AirPort Express. Meaning they all have an ethernet port on them? Maybe. Maybe it can be done with USB-C? Dunno.
And I would be shocked if there was any product that came from Apple that didn't carry a premium price. It's what they do.
The only way it would work would be as part of a mesh network. You have a primary device connected to your network and then these satellite devices that help increase your network coverage. But there are inherent issues with making this a standard: increase costs, complexity, and the potential for all these devices to be in close proximity because of their primary use case needs instead of spread out throughout a home.
I definitely like the idea of including a high quality speaker that can be used for music.
Clearly Siri needs to improve in order to avoid embarrassing youtube video comparisons, but presumably an upgraded Siri was coming anyway, so perhaps that will be dealt with.
One practical issue is coordinating "hey siri" requests across multiple devices. In my household, we could potentially have 6 devices in the same room that could respond to "hey siri" requests. I'm sure this issue can be dealt with, though.
Apple better make sure Siri works better then it is currently! Alexa is very functional! If Siri stumbles, Apple will have lots of returns no matter how good the audi quality!
Apple better make sure Siri works better then it is currently! Alexa is very functional! If Siri stumbles, Apple will have lots of returns no matter how good the audi quality!
No they won't. Apple fans for the most part are a dedicated bunch and willing to overlook short-term issues while waiting for OS OTA improvements. Even if the press wasn't favorable at first release they'll still sell millions. There's faith that Apple will make it right.
I don't believe in the value of this product category at all. It will be interesting to see what Apple can do that isn't simply "me too."
If this product even exists, it would make sense for it to debut at WWDC, as it would most likely be shown in the context of iOS 11-level Siri improvements.
Um, okay. Why not just give Apple TV the same capability? And let it play music on your stereo system?
And will it let you order stuff on Amazon Prime? Or, better yet, let your 'friends' order three tons of creamed corn on Amazon Prime?
And how exactly are you going to put 7 speakers on an AppleTV? AppleTV is its own appliance. It doesn't need to be screwed up with 50 other non-related items added to it. This is Apple, not every other company.
People must have a different house setup than I do. The AppleTV is tucked under the TV in the living room - not exactly an ideal location for a voice interface and standalone speaker system. If I want to play music through my stereo that is connected to TV, I could, you know, use the Apple Music functionality of Apple TV. And my Airport Extreme is in the basement, connected to the DSL modem with an Ethernet cable. Also not the best location for this rumoured device.
Maybe those advocating this have a really small apartment where these all-in-one Apple TV/Router/Speakers products would make sense...
This is good news, except I suspect they'll want an Apple Music subscription, in which case it is not-so-good news. I won't get an Apple Music subscription, just too much money. If they'll bundle an Apple Music with iCloud storage space, and maybe something else, I might.
Why would supporting AM be bad news? Don't want AM fine, don't use it. But streaming with it is a good thing for those that do. Also. AM is the same price as Spotify. We use a family membership at my house so it's not what i'd call expensive.
I'm pretty sure nobody wants this. At least that's what people here have been saying for the last two years. But then again, they also said that nobody wants a phone larger than an iPhone 4. An nobody wants a tablet bigger (or smaller) than the original iPad. Next up: Nobody want wireless charging.
2 Years late to the party. SIRI is considered the worst of the 3 main personal assistants, combine that poor "AI" with the audio hardware the majority of the population considers a joke (Beats) and you will have one very overpriced poor performing product. Sounds about right for apple. But the Apple Sheep will flock to it no matter how late, behind the times, or overpriced the thing is.
Welcome, troll!
So much BS. let's see.. 1) apple is rarely first to the product category party, but usuallly best. 2) I'm inclined to go with the articles that show all the assistants suck and AI isn't really that bad. 3) nope, majority of people don't feel Beats is a joke -- which is why it's the #1 accessory brand in Apple Stores and has a critical mass consumer audience. 4) ah, Apple customers are sheep. of course. just blind faithful, right? a small cult of millions and millions and millions of customers.
It's clear -- your troll material is outdated. Please find the updated FUD packets (with new talking points) under your chair.
What makes the Echo such an amazing tool starts with the 7-far field microphones. That's the foremost component people should be considering for this product. After that, then we can consider how good the speakers are.
First Microphones , then speaker quality, then multi room audio Sonos, finally Hi-res Audio including updates to iTunes Store and Apple Music
In the traditional sense? Highly unlikely, I'd think. Placement requirements for a router are not always inline with ideal placement for speakers.
However, if it's going to have an A-series chip and run a form of iOS, it could perhaps function has a smart home hub for Home Kit. This currently requires either an Apple TV or an iPad, but neither of those are ideal solutions. The Apple TV needs to be places by your TV, and an iPad is mobile and may not always be in your home. You have a little more flexibility with a speaker such as this as to where you place it to provide coverage for your Home Kit devices. Is there any reason way you couldn't have multiple hubs in your home? Apple TV in one part of your house and this speaker in another.
Which brings us back to router...perhaps not a router in the traditional sense, but could it be a node on a mesh wifi network to compete in that space as well? This would fall in line with what I've previously suggested might have been the reason why the Airport group was disbanded and merged into the Apple TV group. To create a smart home ecosystem where devices would serve dual purposes. In addition to their "normal" function (TV for Apple TV, smart speaker, etc), each device could also be a node on a mesh wifi network to provide wifi and smart device coverage throughout your home.
Um, okay. Why not just give Apple TV the same capability? And let it play music on your stereo system?
And will it let you order stuff on Amazon Prime? Or, better yet, let your 'friends' order three tons of creamed corn on Amazon Prime?
And how exactly are you going to put 7 speakers on an AppleTV? AppleTV is its own appliance. It doesn't need to be screwed up with 50 other non-related items added to it. This is Apple, not every other company.
People must have a different house setup than I do. The AppleTV is tucked under the TV in the living room - not exactly an ideal location for a voice interface and standalone speaker system. If I want to play music through my stereo that is connected to TV, I could, you know, use the Apple Music functionality of Apple TV. And my Airport Extreme is in the basement, connected to the DSL modem with an Ethernet cable. Also not the best location for this rumoured device.
Maybe those advocating this have a really small apartment where these all-in-one Apple TV/Router/Speakers products would make sense...
Not everyone has a stereo connected to their TV. Many people only have a sound bar just to get better sound than their TV's build-in speakers. I'm not saying this what Apple is/should be doing. But theoretically, if the speakers are good enough and powerful enough. one could envision a merging of AppleTV with a sound bar.
The hardware spec sounded impressive until they said 'based on Beats technology' which sound quality wise is far from great. Also no matter how good the spec might be, it uses bloody Siri! Still the worst DPA out there!
Comments
I definitely like the idea of including a high quality speaker that can be used for music.
Clearly Siri needs to improve in order to avoid embarrassing youtube video comparisons, but presumably an upgraded Siri was coming anyway, so perhaps that will be dealt with.
One practical issue is coordinating "hey siri" requests across multiple devices. In my household, we could potentially have 6 devices in the same room that could respond to "hey siri" requests. I'm sure this issue can be dealt with, though.
If this product even exists, it would make sense for it to debut at WWDC, as it would most likely be shown in the context of iOS 11-level Siri improvements.
Maybe those advocating this have a really small apartment where these all-in-one Apple TV/Router/Speakers products would make sense...
Why would supporting AM be bad news? Don't want AM fine, don't use it. But streaming with it is a good thing for those that do. Also. AM is the same price as Spotify. We use a family membership at my house so it's not what i'd call expensive.
So much BS. let's see.. 1) apple is rarely first to the product category party, but usuallly best. 2) I'm inclined to go with the articles that show all the assistants suck and AI isn't really that bad. 3) nope, majority of people don't feel Beats is a joke -- which is why it's the #1 accessory brand in Apple Stores and has a critical mass consumer audience. 4) ah, Apple customers are sheep. of course. just blind faithful, right? a small cult of millions and millions and millions of customers.
It's clear -- your troll material is outdated. Please find the updated FUD packets (with new talking points) under your chair.
However, if it's going to have an A-series chip and run a form of iOS, it could perhaps function has a smart home hub for Home Kit. This currently requires either an Apple TV or an iPad, but neither of those are ideal solutions. The Apple TV needs to be places by your TV, and an iPad is mobile and may not always be in your home. You have a little more flexibility with a speaker such as this as to where you place it to provide coverage for your Home Kit devices. Is there any reason way you couldn't have multiple hubs in your home? Apple TV in one part of your house and this speaker in another.
Which brings us back to router...perhaps not a router in the traditional sense, but could it be a node on a mesh wifi network to compete in that space as well? This would fall in line with what I've previously suggested might have been the reason why the Airport group was disbanded and merged into the Apple TV group. To create a smart home ecosystem where devices would serve dual purposes. In addition to their "normal" function (TV for Apple TV, smart speaker, etc), each device could also be a node on a mesh wifi network to provide wifi and smart device coverage throughout your home.