sagan_student

It’s helpful for those that are interested in making changes in their behaviour as it provides them information that wasn’t readily assessable. But for those that don’t think they have a problem, it’ll make no change. Just thinking of how many people are deterred from smoking by looking at the pictures of the health risks found covering half of the packaging (at least it’s that way in Canada). That is an in your face stat, but it didn’t take long for my few friends that do smoke to ignore it. And in the odd case it becomes a topic of conversation; ‘has anyone seen the picture of the guy with...’. 

I definitely think this is a good thing, as there should be a way for people to get that info, but I don’t think it’s gonna change many people’s habits. 

franklinjackcon said:

I'm not sure I agree with the assumptions that this article is based on. Could Apple have developed something like Voice Match to differentiate between less personal accounts, e.g. News or Apple Music without opening up access to contacts or calling? If the issue was privacy not technology then why wouldn't they at least start with those? This looks very much like retrofitting a privacy excuse that was never the main reason for HomePod's limitations.

I already think they do have this, When lying in bed with our phones on the nightstand, I can say ‘Hey Siri’ and only my phone lights up; when my better half says it, only her phone activates. I think this is just something that is not advertised until they are completely confident in it. Kind of like the approach to water resistance. Sure they didn’t advertise it until the 7 came out, but before then people would tell stories of accidentally dropping their 6 or 6s’ into the toilet and it being okay. 

rogifan_new said:

ascii said:

Is that good or bad? Buffett buys sensible companies. But as a tech nerd I want innovative companies even if they don't balance the books! I guess it's good if you're an investor and bad if you're a fan.

This was in my Twitter timeline:

Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias)

5/3/18, 10:15 PM Tim Cook’s determination to run Apple in a boring, Buffett-friendly value-stock kind of way is unfortunate for America and the world imo. He’s got a point. But also maybe when you get so big it’s inevitable that you become boring.

Maybe you’re the ones getting a little bored with your supermodel wife. Many dream of wanting one, and then you get one and its as amazing as you thought it was going to be. But then, it begins to look the same and while it’s still good and all, it’s not quite what it once was from your perspective. And then they see all these new super models coming up and they are exploding the runway by primarily doing the same thing your wife did, but it looks different. It looks like how your wife once walked the runway, bold and daring. And then you begin to think why can’t my wife do things like that. But she is, you’ve just got used to it and it no longer feels the same to you.

I really do feel Apple is STILL king of the castle. Sure they may not be first at everything but they are the ones that push the whole system forward. Those people who are jumping all over Amazon like they are the next big thing, are those that leave their supermodel wife for something new... only to be disappointed in a few years when they get too familiar with them and start asking the same questions all over again and looking for the next big thing. 

I do think your, ‘get so big, it’s inevitable’ comment does have merit and does play a role, but perhaps the size has more to do with the inability to keep things secret and the expectation that Apple needs to keep pace with all these other supermodels who are trying bold things just to attempt to make a statement, to stand out, and differentiate themselves as they attempt to break into a nearly impenetrable business market. (Side note - if you are arguement is simply referring to the comparison of the push to get voice assistants in the main stream with the already major players in the system, then ignore this argument.   )

Soli said:

What exactly is wrong with an Echo that is designed with a parental filter built in?

I see your point, I guess my reaction is based on the potential misuse of my child’s data. Now granted, as a parent I can choose not to purchase this. I just fear that my act of not purchasing this will not matter if this becomes the norm (which it probably will). Hell, I still don’t know how I feel about what privacy means to me yet, and I think about it a lot. I think we are just not moving slow enough to give ourselves the best chance at getting it right. And companies targeting a child’s data makes it even more difficult to tap on the brakes. I also want the latest and greatest but I appreciate Apple’s approach to this over others and I am concerned that this device becomes another step towards a future we are unable to recover from should we desire too... all because it will improve a companies profits.

Worse yet, people will actually buy this and think it is a good thing.