Amazon Echo
Siri is not ready to take over the smart home yet
As I explained in my recent critical take on the Apple TV box, I was nevertheless curious about the next generation of the device. It was presented a few days ago on Apple’s big product event and pretty much reached up to my expectations, without exceeding them.
From my perspective, the new Apple TV is not a milestone or a big deal, but there is one aspect that I am excited about: the voice control capabilities powered by Siri.
Unfortunately, based on the information from the press release and early reviews, Apple falls short of actually adding a smart personal assistant to the Apple TV box. Instead, Siri’s focus lies on voice search for TV shows and movies across an initially very limited number of content providers (= apps). So at least for now, Apple TV users won’t be able to rely on the device as a full-fledged smart assistant that greets them in the morning with a friendly “Hello Martin, how do you feel? What can I do for you today?”. Although apparently asking about the weather will work. It’s also a bit sad to learn that initially, the Apple TV version with Siri will only be available in 8 countries. Continue Reading
The next “iPhone moment”: Smart assistants for the home
Ever since Apple released the iPhone in 2007, people have been waiting for the next “iPhone moment” – the market introduction of a device or technology that dramatically changes the game. This is what the iPhone did. It changed the game. It invented a new product category (previous “smartphones” did not deserve the moniker), turned it into a mass-market sales success, inspired competitors to produce their own solutions, created a billion-dollar ecosystem, disrupted numerous existing industries and completely altered the way how people use the Internet.
However, until today there has not been another iPhone moment. The iPad did not reach up (despite its category-defining character). Neither did Google Glass, fitness trackers or smartwatches. It still remains to be seen where the Apple Watch will go in terms of mass appeal and game-changing potential. Right now it seems unlikely though that it will have the large-scale impact of the iPhone. Possibly virtual reality headsets will fly off the shelves once they are being introduced to the broad public next year. But many question marks remain. Continue Reading
I want a smart home personal assistant, but not from Amazon
I was just sitting on my couch with my notebook in my lap, when I heard an unexpected, but familiar voice: “Jambox is ready to connect”. Familiar, because this one of the typical spoken comments my Jambox bluetooth loudspeaker is capable of. Unexpected, because I had not done anything at that moment to turn Jambox into pairing mode. For a second I was surprised, then I reminded myself of that Jawbone’s relatively popular bluetooth loudspeaker occasionally develops a life of its own. And shortly after it hit me: I want that. I want a smart speaker that interacts with me when sitting at my couch, kitchen table or elsewhere in my apartment. Continue Reading