Notsofast

n2itivguy said:

dkhaley said:

franklinjackcon said:

...  they'd probably need to combine both the voiceprint and the location of the phone for this to useful in a multi-person home. ...

I completely agree. Beyond security, it could also be a convenience. For instance, my wife and I listen to very different music. So if I tell it to play music (generically) it should bring up different songs than if she did so.

Amazon's echo devices have "voice profiles" that you can switch. However, a system where anyone could speak and the Homepod could determine who was talking would far surpass this.

This is really the sole reason I haven’t invested in HomePod, though I really one a few. If this far superior way of providing the multiuser support the devices need, sign me up for 3-4, or simply, “Apple, take my money!!”

As a Homepod user, I can assure you that you are depriving yourself of a fantastic listening experience, and Siri does a fantastic job hearing and responding to requests.  Still can get better, and will, with the  powerful A8 chip they installed to keep doing updates for years. 

There weren't any "hints" that Apple was increasing its reliance on AWS. Just the usual horrible state of "journalism" where someone reports an unverified fact and then uninformed bloggers, analysts, etc., speculate as though they were reporting facts, and their speculation gets circulated as more fact. Sadly, readers, as evidenced by many of the silly comments about these common SWAG's posing as facts articles, clearly aren't being taught to do critical analysis/critical reading, etc.

EsquireCats said:

Review from actual user: 0 out of 5.

• App is slow and finding useful footage is an exercise in your time and patience. You will have to rewatch the footage at 1x, since skipping doesn't work
• The cloud service is slow, you'll be waiting for your videos to load every single time.
• The App maker seems to be unaware of the app-switching bar on iOS, you're just as likely to switch apps as you attempt to scrub footage.
• The web version of the viewer still runs on flash (seriously) and will not work unless always on the latest version.
• The detection features are absolutely crud, you'll likely get 3 seconds after the action has begun, a break and then the perpetrator moving away. (Even when on the highest sensitivity with the longest recording options available.)
• The camera will randomly drop out, I've got 4 it's a game of which one is offline today.
• Battery life is crap unless you directly connect to AC, in which case the device will randomly reject the AC charger - and it's no longer approved for outdoor use (because it's not water tight and will rust the contacts - This applies to the prior pro models.)
• The solar panel battery charger is expensive garbage, you'll still be changing batteries regularly unless you live in the Sahara.

Absolutely DO NOT BUY.

How did none of this get in the review???  These seem like basic things that should have been readily apparent, e.g., no skipping when you need to review footage, and problem with detection features??  And, as others have mentioned, how can there be no discussion of accessing data and privacy/security??  Inquiring minds would like to know.

maltz said:

soundvision said:

They probably want the shopper data back, simple as that.

This.  Honestly, I'm sometimes surprised that Apple Pay is as widely accepted as it is, given that.  Then I remember that it's likely that only a small percentage of iPhone users even use it, and iPhone is only about ~15% of the market itself.  I've never once seen someone other than myself pay with it.  The percentage of all customers paying with Apple Pay is very small, so vendors generate more goodwill by accepting it than they what they lose in customer data.  I wonder how merchants would react if it ever REALLY caught on.

Apple Pay is still used by a small percentage of iPhone users as most of them don't realize it only takes 30 seconds to set it up and they also don't realize how simple it is to use.  That said,  Apple Pay will process over 10 BILLION payments in 2019.  The reason you probably haven't noticed it is that it is so smooth at most places, especially with the better machines.  At Costco, it takes about two seconds for the entire process.  As far as reacting to it as it spreads, the vast majority of merchants don't monetize/use the actual financial data.  The large ones realize that that game is disappearing and they have jumped on, they know If they want a relationship, they offer loyalty cards and other methods.  

People don't seem to understand the massive scale of Apple's "cloud" needs. They are pushing 1.5 BILLION devices around the world. They have the second largest music streaming service in the world. They have the largest App store in the world.  They have the largest news app service in the world with 100 million monthly active users. They have a massive streaming service called iTunes where people download movies, shows, etc. They have the largest podcast service in the world, etc. etc.  Yes, they have and are continually expanding their data farms, but spending a pittance to lease more space from AWS is both understandable and a tiny portion of their needs.