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  • Why Apple's HomePod targets home entertainment, not a voice-first mobile-free world

    vmarksvmarks
    gatorguy said:
    tmay said:
    For this to work, Apple needs to make the acquisition of compatible home automation devices as easy as buying a song on iTunes was back in the day. Leaving it up to the cacophony of the open marketplace is a no-go. For example, I if there were even a tool that I could take a pic of my ceiling tungsten halogen low voltage ceiling light fixture’s lamp, and it would return a list of HomeKit compatible bulbs, by wattage, and a button to order . . . .  In other words, make it convenient and idiot-proof to adopt. Otherwise it’ll just be toys for geeks for a long time while others pass Apple by. 
    "leaving it up to the cacophony of the open market is a no-go" is certainly true, but one of the reasons that Apple appears behind the others is that Apple required certification of the controller chips that would support HomeKit. A device maker has few choices, but near guaranteed security.

    Why would that be?
    Except that the security chip certification has been nixed for HomeKit. Apple no longer requires that every HomeKit product contains an Apple-approved security chip and as of iOS11 will allow companies to authenticate their devices entirely using software, just as Amazon and Google do AFAIK.  
    Apple still requires self-certification, they do not require the chip. That is, it's easier than ever to make a product HomeKit compatible, but you have to send a sample to Apple and pay a royalty fee for the license to use the HomeKit logo on your packaging. It's a part of the MFI program. https://mfi.apple.com/MFiWeb/getFAQ.action#5-3
    watto_cobraasdasd

  • HomePod review: Your mileage may vary, but crank it up for the ride

    vmarksvmarks
    paddy-oh / patty-o is the correct pronunciation.
    I didn't say that was "incorrect". I said that Siri's pronunciation is actually more correct since it's a Spanish derived word. The vowels in Spanish are not pronounced the same way as English, and Siri is using the correct vowel sound for a Spanish word in that instance. Patio is used in English conversation but it's not an English word.
    Siri is localized. If Neil is using it in US English, then no, the correct pronunciation is "paddy-oh." Using the Spanish pronunciation is not more correct in that case.
    If Siri on Neil's account were set to use Spanish (Mexican Spanish? Spain Spanish?) then the Spanish pronunciation would be correct. This is one of the reasons we have localization.
    nhughes

  • HomePod review: Your mileage may vary, but crank it up for the ride

    vmarksvmarks
    foregoneconclusion said:
    Just an FYI: "potty-o" is actually more correct for pronunciation of "patio" than "patty-o".
    dictionary.com suggests that's not so. The 'a' sound is similar to the a sound in "dad." The pronunciation guidance in the Dictionary app that ships in macOS agrees with dictionary.com's pronunciation. ˈpadēˌō.

    paddy-oh / patty-o is the correct pronunciation.

    leviredsnowdropredsnowdropnetmageanantksundaramrandominternetpersonbb-15lolliver[Deleted User]jony0

  • Stacking up Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home

    vmarksvmarks
    Doodpants said:
    The headline let me down; I was expecting a photo of the three devices physically stacked on top of each other.
    I apologize. I will attempt to arrage such a photo if I can.
    watto_cobra

  • Stacking up Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home

    vmarksvmarks
    gatorguy said:
    airnerd said:
    All I need to know is this:

    Google:  Will sell your data to the highest bidder
    Amazon:  Will sell your data to the highest bidder
    Apple:  built on trust and aren't going to jeopardize that trust for money they don't technically need

    I won't have a single google device in my house, and I dislike the amazon ones I have.  HomePod WILL replace the echo when I can get one.  Then hopefully there is a "dot" competitor from Apple in the short term so I can replace those as well. 
    *sigh*
    Another example of posting fiction as fact. No way to stop it either as FUD has a way of taking on a life of its own. 
    Just for me, and the only time I'll ask you to do this for this example: will you take apart the FUD? I have a few examples of my own in mind that contradict the Google and Amazon contentions, but I want to hear yours.

    watto_cobra