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GeorgeBMac said:

StrangeDays said:

GeorgeBMac said:

Probably more important to the 'Budget' iPad than what it will do for individual consumers is how it will deal with the epidemic of Chromebooks in schools.  Essentially, Google is crushing Apple in that arena and, like McDonald's Happy Meals, indoctrinating young people into its ecosystem early on.  

That’s a trendy narrative, but can you point to any sales data? What Google chromebooks are selling outside of education? How many years do we have to wait to see this great commercial success? Because as far as I can too, chromebooks still suck for regular people. 

Sorry, but Chromebooks are crushing Apple in schools.   And, yes, kids are being indoctrinated into that system.
While you are correct that Chromebooks suck and adults hate them, that will become increasingly less true as 5G proliferates and makes instant response normal.

It was Apple who initiated the push back into education with the iPad Gen6 -- but they need to keep up -- and up their game -- to win that battle.

GeorgeBMac said:

anantksundaram said:

FitBit is still around?

Someone would be crazy to buy from a dead-man-walking company.

Very much so.   My friend wants one but does not want a "Big Bullky Apple Watch strapped to my wrist"
Instead, she wants a slim, sleek FitBit that tracks her steps -- just like all her friends have.

The Apple Watch is a truly exceptional and great product on par with anything Apple has ever made.   But, it can't compete with the slim, sleek looks of the FitBit.

MplsP said:

The big advantages I can see of Fitbit over Apple Watch is the longer battery life and lower cost. Of course, for the extra cost, Apple Watch does a whole lot more, but there are a lot of people out there who either don't have iPhones, or do but really don't want [to pay for] the added functionality of the Apple Watch, so for them the Fitbit may make sense - much in the same way an iPhone SE makes perfect sense for a lot of people.

Apple Watch is another one of those things that becomes indispensable as soon as you have it. Smart phones are a luxury that are evolving into a necessity, but a smart watch is pure, unnecessary luxury & convenience. And yet Apple has been very successful at convincing us to shell out anywhere from $300 to $800 for one. 

Notsofast said:

The way the article is written is confusing some readers obviously based on the comments thus far.  This is not an engineering position; it's a marketing position.  The person is supposed to work with social media to see what folks are saying and communicate that back to others so they have that input and so they can coordinate marketing messages.  

Also, the article skims over the entire comparative capability question and merely repeats an internet meme about Siri being behind.  In truth, the situation is much more positive. I am a heavy user of Siri, and have family members who have Alexa and Google in their homes.  ALL three have a long way to go, but in contrast to the author's comment,  recent tests have shown Siri to be ahead of Alexa and getting close to Google in terms of accuracy.  

As far as "skills" that is true in absolute numbers, but it is misleading. Yes, people have written thousands of "skills" for Alexa, but surveys show most people haven't used a single one of them.  In contrast,  surveys show that Siri does pretty much everything most people use their smart assistants for, as does Alexa and Google.   Yes, someone has written a skill for Alexa so she can fart on command, but it turns out people use things like smart speakers to:  play music and podcasts (#1 reason), check weather and traffic, check and send messages, make and listen to phone calls, set timers and alarms, and control their home automated devices. ( Believe me, Siri on the Homepod's audio quality and listening ability in noise, blows away the low quality Amazon and Google products)

Again, Siri is still in the infant stage, but so are the others, and it will be great to see what Apple does with their acquisitions like Vocal IQ, but  in the meantime,  Siri is the most used digital assistant in the world, and knows more languages by far, and what is glossed over by almost all writers is that you aren't sacrificing your privacy to use Siri.