Still no sight of iMac Pro, HomePod, new cinema displays, new Mac Pro.
I hope with Ive back as chief industrial design things get a true speed bump. Because it seems to take ages for every product nowadays...
Right, because there's like two years of new product design orders that've stacked up on Ive's desk while he was out designing toilet handles and elevator buttons that are all gonna get railroaded through now that he's back.
Edit (okay, I thouht of a couple): APFS iPhone X Multi-task, Files in iOS 11 for iPad (but the delay of Airplay 2, Apple Cash, calculator bug, ZeroDay in homekit, and control center confusion I'd list this as a beta, mabye 11.3?)
10.5" iPad Pro, Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch Series 3, iMac Pro to come shortly... AR Kit, Machine Learning... Basically nothing! All they do at Apple is sit on their thumbs and figure ways to slow down older hardware, right?
Still it'll never be a HomePod. Apple always watches the competition come out first then puts out a more refined concept later.
Usually Apple does but here it looks like it will be really difficult. Google is just really good at AI and it is hard to see Apple matching. I suspect that is why the HomePod was delayed. The big problem is Siri is just not good compared to the Google Assistant.
Plus the Google Home is so well integrated with the iPhones. My wife takes a photo on her iPhone and without touching a single additional button later walks into our family room and asks for fine details in photos and the TV turns itself on, input sets itself and the photo appears in 4k on the largest screen in the house.
But the key is how easy to set it up. Simply buy, plug in and log in and that is it. We do have a 4k Chromecast. Wife already used Google Photos on her iPhone. Google just makes it all work together seamlessly.
It's kind of sad when Apple started this whole Voice assistant thing with Smartphones, and then lags behind in this area for some things. Now I'm a Homekit house. It's great using Siri on my Apple Watch to control everything. Siri is with me everywhere I'm at because of it. But I'm the only one with the Apple Watch at my house. So anyone else is using their iPhones. For me SIRI in general works great. It answers my questions and does what I need it to. It's not playing Games and other crap like the others are doing.
This is the problem, Apple is really LATE to the game with the HomePod. We already know it'll be limited to Apple Music. It's a $350 item and that's the only option. Now for me, I want to play around with these devices, so I have Alexa on my Ecobee 4 I just got recently which supports everyone, I normally use Homekit with it, and I just got a Google Home Mini.
This is a BIG problem for Apple. I can get a Amazon Echo Dot or a Google Home Mini right now for $30. You can walk into a Best Buy and pick one up for $30. I can buy 11, almost 12 of these things for the price of a single HomePod. Where's Apple with at least a $60 Something SIRI device??? (Apple is almost always more money, so I doubled the price) This is a huge APPLE FAIL. It just is. So I've had some issues with the Google Mini, with connection issues. I'd have to reboot every day to get it working again. I just switched from the 2.4Ghz to 5 Ghz Wifi so I don't know if that will fix the issue I'm having or not. But the rest of the time it works great.
I havn't really gotten into testing, comparing yet. But I'll ask the Google Mini a question and then Siri the same question and compare the answers and so far it's a tie. Maybe even Siri a slight edge in the responce to the question so far. It was Easy enough to get it setup on my Ecobee 4, which only a few weeks ago gained Google Home Support. After having Amazon Alexa, Samesung's Smartthings, and Apple Homekit, along with IFTTT. It also now supports Amazon's Echo's ESP. (Echo Spatial Perception) which you want if you have more then one Echo.
For me, Apple has been in this game with the Apple Watch. I just lift my wrist and I can do pretty much anything those other devices can do, but not locked into a room by a power cord. But it's not a cheap $30 device. Or a normal $50 device. Apple has turned into Microsoft, ..SSLLLLOOOWWWWW to do anything. Look how long it's taking to get this $350 Homepod device out into the market. A Device I have ZERO interest in getting. The Google Mini sounds all right to me. I don't have the volume turned way up, just at a normal level and it sounds just fine, even for music.
One girl at work is buying 18 Amazon Echo Dots to give out as gifts!!! 18!!! I know as I ordered 6 of them for her which is the limit you can buy Online. Where's Apple???
For controlling my Ecobee 4, I think Siri works easy and So far Google works as good also, Alexa, kind of more of a pain. It's not as natural. I have to Ask or Tell it and to use the Ecobee, where Google and Siri are smart enough to know I'm talking about the Ecobee. Currently my Ecobee 4 is the only device I can play around with all 3 Voice controls, Siri, Alexia, Google. Early next year I'll have Voice control on some of my Blinds also which will also be able to use all 3. Why Apple can't have a small low cost Siri Box out now?!?!?! If ever?!?!? A Watch, it's a 1 person device. These other things, the whole family can use. The HomePod is not the answer. It's a Sonos Speaker with Siri on it. That's a far smaller market. I really just don't get it.
What's worse, Apple Announces their HomePod Speaker, and shortly after, here's Google with the Home MAX, and Googles comes out the same month the HomePod was suppose to come out, and Apple is delayed until Next year sometime. Apple has turned into a SNAIL and not in a good way. I just got a great 12.9" iPad Pro a couple months ago. I'm a Apple house, but come on Apple, the shine is wearing off on people.
Still nothing on the new iMacs!!! Those were suppose to come out this month. Is this another release a few on the last day of the month and say they came out??? What is going on. Is their head in the game anymore? I'm not going to be a blind fool to Apple.
Amazon is winning the home. They are doing better at hardware than Google; probably not as good as Apple but they are incredibly cheaper. Apple is too slow to get updated products out and too expensive
It won't be long for Amazon to release their own "Prime" phone where the specs, and performance, and price will be really good. Amazon isn't building a second Headquarters because they want to sell more books. They are a tech company with a huge retail platform. And they will be back with a better phone than the "fire" phone.
It won't be long for Amazon to release their own "Prime" phone where the specs, and performance, and price will be really good. Amazon isn't building a second Headquarters because they want to sell more books. They are a tech company with a huge retail platform. And they will be back with a better phone than the "fire" phone.
LOL. Yes, after the massive failure that was Fire Phone, there's no way they won't be back with a massive success.
As I expected the early reviews praise its easy setup, Google Assistant features, microphone sensitivity, great volume... and ding it for being bass-heavy. Yeah, big surprise.
It's drawing comparisons to the Play 5 but with "thinner" sound. Whether that's something that can be overcome with future updates, well perhaps, but as is it would not be my cup o'tea. I prefer a full sound, even favoring the high end over a lot of bass. Too much money for an even great Google Assistant with its unbalanced sound. I'll pass.
Perhaps they'll come out with a 'tweener with better mid-range and less low-end and volume, and priced under $200. That would make far more sense IMHO. This Home Max won't be a big seller IMHO.
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10.5" iPad Pro, Apple TV 4K, Apple Watch Series 3, iMac Pro to come shortly... AR Kit, Machine Learning... Basically nothing! All they do at Apple is sit on their thumbs and figure ways to slow down older hardware, right?
It won't be long for Amazon to release their own "Prime" phone where the specs, and performance, and price will be really good. Amazon isn't building a second Headquarters because they want to sell more books. They are a tech company with a huge retail platform. And they will be back with a better phone than the "fire" phone.
and ding it for being bass-heavy. Yeah, big surprise.
It's drawing comparisons to the Play 5 but with "thinner" sound. Whether that's something that can be overcome with future updates, well perhaps, but as is it would not be my cup o'tea. I prefer a full sound, even favoring the high end over a lot of bass. Too much money for an even great Google Assistant with its unbalanced sound. I'll pass.
Perhaps they'll come out with a 'tweener with better mid-range and less low-end and volume, and priced under $200. That would make far more sense IMHO. This Home Max won't be a big seller IMHO.