Apple Announces Its 'Next Breakthrough' Product: the HomePod (techcrunch.com) 198
Apple unveiled its home speaker during WWDC 2017 on Monday. The device, called HomePod, will go toe-to-toe with existing competitors such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Apple said it wanted to combine good speakers with smart speakers you can talk to, referencing Sonos and Amazon Alexa. It said the speaker "needs to rock the house" free from distortion. It also needs to have "spatial awareness" to make the music sound good no matter the room size. It also needs to be fun to use, Apple said, adding that the HomePod does all of this with a customer's privacy in mind. From a report: The device is a pill-shaped circular speaker. It has 7 beam-forming tweeter array. It has a custom-made woofer and an Apple A8 chip. It has multi-channel echo cancellation, real-time acoustic modeling and more. The HomePod can scan the space around it to optimize audio accordingly. Schiller spent a lot of time talking about how good it sounds. Of course the speaker works well with Apple Music. You can talk to the speaker to play anything in your Apple Music library and more. You can say "play more songs like that," or "I like this song." [...] It's going to cost $349. It comes in white and space grey. It starts shipping in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Other countries will get HomePods next year.
acoustic modelling (Score:1)
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that's what apple thought when it came out in the Echo
Still, no... (Score:5, Informative)
I didn't want the Echo. I didn't want the Home. I don't want this, either.
In fact, I'm not exactly sure why anyone would want something like this. I really don't want something in my home that's always listening and potentially sending my speech out to computers that I don't control.
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It looks like it's 20 feet tall. I think you don't put it in your home, you go and live in it.
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"I really don't want something in my home that's always listening and potentially sending my speech out to computers that I don't control."
Do you own a smartphone? Tablet? Notebook computer? Xbox One? Modern LCD TV?
Too late. Too late. Too late. Too late.
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do you own a microwave oven?
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His complaint was in regard to installing a device with a microphone that's "always listening."
My point is that if you've bought a modern phone, tablet, notebook, gaming system, or tv, then you've already brought a device with a microphone into your home and that device -- insofar as you know -- could already be listing to everything going on around it.
Forget the apps or potential malware. For all you know the capability could already be baked into the system.
As I said, too late.
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No. Yes, an older one without even a microphone. Yes - it runs Linux. No. Not with any network connectivity.
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I can basically already pretty much accomplish this with my iPad or iPhone, using airplay to my own speakers connected to my relatively cheap third-gen Apple TV or relatively cheap Airport Express. I'm not particularly interested in paying Apple $349 for this new device.
I will admit the tech looks interesting. And if I were looking at these sorts of devices, the privacy argument would weigh heavily in making a decision.
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I can basically already pretty much accomplish this with my iPad or iPhone, using airplay to my own speakers connected to my relatively cheap third-gen Apple TV or relatively cheap Airport Express.
Not really. We have an Echo, and you definitely can't replicate it with a combo of tablets/phones and accessories. The biggest difference is that the Echo (and all other devices in the arena) have specialized microphones that are good at directional listening. If you're in my living, say "Alexa" and its lights will glow in your direction as it listens to your next words, not those of someone on the other side of the room. You won't get that level of listening accuracy unless you're speaking directly toward
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I can basically already pretty much accomplish this with my iPad or iPhone, using airplay to my own speakers connected to my relatively cheap third-gen Apple TV or relatively cheap Airport Express.
Does that mean this thing - like iDevices - can't be requested to play music from services other than Apple Music? If so that's pretty shit, Echo, Google Home and Sonos all support multiple services even though the 2 former ones both have competing music services.
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Does that mean this thing - like iDevices - can't be requested to play music from services other than Apple Music?
This is not really correct. I don't use Apple Music; and when I tell my iPhone to "open Pandora", it works just fine.
I have no idea whether or not the new device will allow other services though.
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Does that mean this thing - like iDevices - can't be requested to play music from services other than Apple Music?
This is not really correct. I don't use Apple Music; and when I tell my iPhone to "open Pandora", it works just fine.
It is correct, I specifically wrote "play music", you can tell Siri to open any app but you cannot tell it to play music from that app, that only works with Apple's music service and no other.
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Or seven Echo Dots.
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I didn't want the Echo. I didn't want the Home. I don't want this, either.
In fact, I'm not exactly sure why anyone would want something like this. I really don't want something in my home that's always listening and potentially sending my speech out to computers that I don't control.
If that's the case get rid of your computers and your phones. In fact rip the Internet out of your house. Because if you're that much of a Person of Interest, they'll be able to tap you even if you don't get one of those speakers. I'm intrigued by the device and the tech that lets them pair up, but Apple should sell a B speaker companion for this rather than having someone pay 700 dollars for stereo speakers that would wind up having a ton of redundant tech.
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You'll be amazed at the monaural sound. Make sure you play back with the RIAA standard curve for optimum listening pleasure. Where were you in '62? Yeah, you can by two of these amorphous blobs for lifelike stereo, but really?
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In fact, I'm not exactly sure why anyone would want something like this. I really don't want something in my home that's always listening and potentially sending my speech out to computers that I don't control.
Of the people I know who have devices like this, they typically use them to control their thermostat, lighting, and music through voice commands. When pointed out they could easily get up and change all these things, they will pretty much reply "Fuck that, I'm a blue collar worker who has been working hard all day and am going to collapse into my couch and read my book/watch tv/play video games without having to get up again till I have to pee."
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When pointed out they could easily get up and change all these things, they will pretty much reply [...]
"[...] do you also avoid remote control TVs, painandgreed, or do you only like being inconvenienced by other appliances? Also, buy your own beer next time."
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I didn't want the Echo. I didn't want the Home. I don't want this, either.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone forced you to buy either of those, and the same applies to the Home.
In fact, I'm not exactly sure why anyone would want something like this.
People who aren't you.
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Too bad Apple's biggest problem is they're on a privacy kick, then. They're making themselves different from Google by not sending everything into the cloud, in fact, they're moving stuff away from the cloud and more into on-device computing. Look at the number of times they say "this is done on your
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In fact, I'm not exactly sure why anyone would want something like this. I really don't want something in my home that's always listening and potentially sending my speech out to computers that I don't control.
It's not always listening. It's only listening when you address it with "Hey Siri". And one thing about Apple is that they make their profit by selling you expensive hardware, not by spying on you.
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In general, Apple's stance on these issues is that the anonymize everything, and encrypt everything, so that they can't tie requests to users.
But we're talking about a system like Siri so by definition Apple needs to be able to decrypt what you send them and know who to send the results back to.
Re: Still, no... (Score:1)
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You mean all those accounts with the same weak passwords used on other websites and services too?
Apple can't protect you from your own stupidity.
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There's still limits to what they can do, unless they start selling actual bricks. And even then the bricks would have to be made of vegan, non-allergenic edible foam.
Re: Still, no... (Score:2)
I believe I sent an email just a short time ago. There is also a post in my journal but you should have an email.
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You're that lazy that you need hands-free? That's your reason for wanting one?
Huh... I am an asshole, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't make me an asshole. This just makes me confused and feel a little sorry for you.
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I enjoy hands free voice searching and hands free home automation.
Heheh. Whatever blows your skirt up I guess.
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Your speech is already getting sent out.
You seem to know a lot about this. Who is sending it out? Where's it going? Who is sifting through the billions and billions of hours of recorded audio?
Go on.
2.5x's the cost of a Google Home (Score:1)
and I have to buy & participate in Apple's closed, expensive ecosystem just to run it?
No thanks
This is not the HomePod you're looking for... (Score:2)
Funny what a quick Google search turns up...
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/keecker/keecker-the-worlds-first-homepod [kickstarter.com]
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Except this is an actual product, unless far too many things on Kickstarter.
$150 more than a Sonos (Score:1)
Really not worth it
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Even better is the Echo Dot, $300 less than the Homepod and you can easily connect it to any decent bluetooth speaker for much better sound than the Homepod will provide.
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And still less storage than a Nomad. Lame.
Apple's next breakthrough is copying Google... (Score:5, Interesting)
Courageous! (Score:2)
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They might not have invented the desktop computer (Score:2)
They've done cutting edge before. This isn't it. And that's kinda telling. At the moment their following, not leading.
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And what about the price for people WITHOUT Amazon Prime?
If you want to do a real comparison, what is the total for Amazon Prime + Amazon Music vs Apple Music?
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Re: Apple's next breakthrough is copying Google... (Score:1)
UGH Wimpy 4.5" driver ... (Score:3)
I have a Rythmik F15 sub with a 15" driver.
I can't imagine listening to bass on a wimpy 4" driver. You want at _least_ a 10" driver for music, bigger for movies.
Who is this targeted at? All the iHipsters who thinks Beats headphones sound good??
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Re:UGH Wimpy 4.5" driver ... (Score:5, Insightful)
Driver size doesn't meaningfully limit bass response. An 8 inch driver all else equal if going to go 2hz lower than a 6 inch driver. At 10 inches you are adding less than 1hz. With piano and a very trained ear you'll notice the missing 3hz. With modern bass heavy music you wont even realize its missing. The larger size lets you go 3db louder though. That's a lot.
The lack of actual cabinetry to promulgate bass energy is a much bigger problem than the smaller driver. To promulgate bass with that volume of space to work with you have to sacrifice midrange accuracy. This is why dialog from Sonos soundbars sounds so "weird." To get the convincing bass they have to sacrifice on the midrange. The midrange tweeter is being drowned out with interference.
A 10 inch drive necessitates a room of at least 400sq feet too. Small rooms cant accommodate 10 inch drivers. It's just going to be far too loud. A 10" driver is something like a Tannoy DC-10 DC-10A. Those are $8-16k speakers. They are amazing, but they need a very big room. I used to own a pair of Tannoys with 15" drivers. Those things were AMAZING. But not I live in a small apartment and cant use speakers like those.
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It's the other way around. A room of 400 square feet or more necessitates at least 10" drivers. I'm using 10" drivers in a home theater room that's only about half that size, and it is not too loud. That's why amplifiers let you independently adjust the bass output to suit the room.
Eight-inch drivers are great for near-field monitors that are only three or four
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I'm not convinced that any amount of cabinet design can give decent base response even at close distances with a 4.5" cone, though, unless they've drastically increased the cone excursion limits; ported speakers only get you so far.
My main speakers are Adam A5X's, they have a 5" (they say 5.5", but it's more like 5" actual cone diameter) woofer and are flat to 55Hz, -3dB at 50Hz. And this is at full output, which is over 110dB @ 1m for a pair. That's certainly loud and deep enough for most music.
Another good example is the JBL LSR305. That also has a 5" woofer, and they measure flat to 50Hz.
Modern active monitor speakers really are little technological wonders.
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The bottom note on a standard (non-extended) piano is 27.5 Hz. Bottoming out at 50 Hz means you lose an entire octave.
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And how often is that octave used?
Bonus question: Out of all the times it is used, how often is it used with no harmonics at all?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Driver size doesn't meaningfully limit bass response. An 8 inch driver all else equal if going to go 2hz lower than a 6 inch driver. At 10 inches you are adding less than 1hz. With piano and a very trained ear you'll notice the missing 3hz. With modern bass heavy music you wont even realize its missing. The larger size lets you go 3db louder though. That's a lot.
So it does actually meaningfully improve bass response and performance. 25Hz is worthless if you can only output it at 75dB with 20% distortion.
A 10 inch drive necessitates a room of at least 400sq feet too. Small rooms cant accommodate 10 inch drivers. It's just going to be far too loud.
That's funny, because I use a pair of 12" subs in a ~180 sqft living room, and the room accommodates them very well indeed. How loud they play is simply a function of the gain setting on the subs and your own control of the volume knob. Of course, like all speaker systems, they need room correction (EQ or something more fancy) to perform at their best.
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> Driver size doesn't meaningfully limit bass response.
That's incorrect. Why do you think people Sono-Subs [google.com] ???
First, it is NOT about volume.
Second, using a larger driver provides two key benefits:
* Efficiency -- a larger driver has to work LESS to move the same VOLUME of air as a smaller driver. Which leads to me next point.
* Less Distortion -- a larger driver typically has less distortion then a smaller driver via the fact that it typically has to work less.
> The lack of actual cabinetry to promulga
Privacy? (Score:1)
What's that in the summary about keeping the consumer's privacy in mind? Where did that come from? The word "privacy" does not appear in TFA.
It's a sad state of the industry where Apple feels it's important to mention what color the device will be, but not any privacy benefits (presumably because it doesn't have any).
If there is real information that shows privacy advantages of HomePod viz. Amazon Echo and Google Home, I would love to see it. But I'm not optimistic -- from where I'm sitting it looks like Go
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At least in the Keynote, they mentioned that all information sent over the internet (Siri context search) uses an anonymous "siri ID" instead of your name/login/userid. And encrypted end-to-end.
they talked about privacy during the presentation (Score:2)
1. it's only listening for "Hey Siri", until then there's no IO from the mic subsystem
2. it only talks over the network when you make a request
3. communicatons to/from the server are anonymized and encrypted
There's not a lot of tech detail there, but they did talk about it and Apple business model is clearly based on user privacy (not sure what rock you've been living under).
No it won't (Score:1)
"will go toe-to-toe with existing competitors such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home"
That doesn't appear to be what this is.
It's a JBL OnAir with voice commands. And maybe wifi that doesn't continually disconnect and fail to reconnect.
Not with $350 to me, but I suspect some will want it.
Nintendo (Score:5, Funny)
I want Nintendo to make a home speaker, and I want them to call it the HomeBoy, and I want Flavor Flav to star in the commercials. And, it would be cool, because it would know what TIME it is.
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Not available now? (Score:5, Insightful)
It just seems a massive strategic oversight that this isn't going to be ready until December. Most of the world will probably be waiting till this time next year to get their hands on the units. Any hype they hoped to generated with the announcement will have been long forgotten by December, and the delay will give Google/Amazon plenty of time to develop a game plan to disrupt their launch. I mean, what is the point of keeping it secret if you're going to make everyone wait 7 months before they can get it?
I remember Jobs once pointed out that one of the most important sentences Apple included in their keynotes was 'ships now'. He was right. Since the whole airpod delays I thought they would have got this stuff under control.
Re:Not available now? (Score:5, Informative)
Jobs is dead... and whatever else Cook might've picked up from him, "vision" wasn't included.
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develop a game plan to disrupt their launch
Gameplan? I'm still trying to figure out why I would want this over the Amazon or Google version which is 1/3rd of the price.
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They have 0 apps. They have to announce it now to get it in developer hands to actually make it useful.
The iphone shipped without any third party apps. That shit doesn't fly anymore.
Happy with my Echo dot (Score:3, Insightful)
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I also have a DOT and am impressed with what it can do at that price point. I will probably get a few "echo" units as well.
One would think Apple will have a hard time moving a $350 item when i can get two echo's at that price. History indicates this isnt the case and apple fans will run and line up for days to get one before their friends have it.
Just waiting for amazon.ca to start sellling htem..
As it stands now, it doesnt actually ship from Canada, so when i ask for the weather i need to specify the cou
REST assured.... (Score:1)
Apple will soon claim the HomePod to be prior art, and sue both the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
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c'est exact, and in three years we'll be reading how they invented the category, and probably right here. -j/k
- js.
Oh, another "new" product *cough* (Score:1)
Homepod is just another unremakable doohickey designed to help separate you from your money in ever conceivable way.
It;s in the same vein as all the "new" social media stuff....
2002, Friendster: At last, a way to connect with friends on the internet!
2003, Photobucket: At last, a way to post pictures on the internet!
2003, Myspace: At last, a way to connect with friends on the internet!
2004, Flickr: At last, a way to post pictures on the internet!
2004, Facebook: At last, a way to connect with friends on the i
Re: Oh, another "new" product *cough* (Score:1)
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it's a big waste of time and pointless.
Gee, I hope it didn't take you so long to read it that it cut into your valuable Facebook time or something. Or are you still on myspace??
Making popcorn... (Score:3)
I'm getting a huge kick out of reading all the critiques of this device...considering that nobody who loves or hates it has ever seen one in person.
How about this, guys...let's actually wait until they start selling them to decide how much they rock/suck balls? You know, just an idea...
As always (Score:3)
Well how creative of them (Score:2)
Well, I guess it really is true. Apple has become too big to be innovative anymore. The Woz quote: [bgr.com]
Interestingly enough, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak believes that Apple’s time as an innovative company may be coming to an end.
as macbook pro owner, this is my response: (Score:2)
https://media.giphy.com/media/... [giphy.com]
iHome Was Taken (Score:2)
I suppose they would've used 'iHome' if that weren't already a brand name of electronics. If they're targeting the "high-end Bluetooth speaker" market, that happens to be able to tie in to the connected iDevice's OS, that angle could work. People are used to shitty $10 Bluetooth speakers, and if the speakers are really as great as they say, it should be a big improvement over the competition, particularly if the comparison is Google Home type devices. I wonder how sales will compare to the Apple Watch; I se
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Me too!! (Score:2)
Well, you have you remember they didn't have much time to get a better name.
When you innovate by chasing ambulances you don't have time to polish the turd..
Come an Apple, don't your cult members deserve better than another me too product to empty their wallets and put them for under your control?
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Well, you have you remember they didn't have much time to get a better name.
When you innovate by chasing ambulances you don't have time to polish the turd..
Come an Apple, don't your cult members deserve better than another me too product to empty their wallets and put them for under your control?
Actually, the name that would have aligned with their naming scheme...which would be "iHome," was already taken by a purveyor of crappy consumer electronics. And the term "ambulance chasing" refers to people trying to profit off the tragedy of others...I don't think this is that.
But I do give you credit for posting on your account, instead of as an AC :)
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Can i use it without any form of internet connection to Apple, and without it sending any data outside my local network?
If not, it was not created to honor my privacy.
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Do you have a server farm that can do near instantaneous interpretation of natural language speech? That's really a prerequisite for any of these devices to work locally.
This is an approximate rendition [youtube.com] of what it would be like.
Re:Bullshit (Score:4, Insightful)
> Can i use it without any form of internet connection to Apple
Can you use the remote voice processing device that streams stuff from the internet without sending data outside your local network? I mean, I expect not.
There is a legitimate need for a solution that is like: the "smart speaker" talks over wifi to your desktop, which acts as a server and processes the voice, then searches the locally built index of your locally built library. I suspect this would be a possible thing to build, but much harder for a company to sell it to you like that.
Ultimately, most of these "it just works (assuming you have an internet connection)" type products are all over the place because they sell, and the extra work to get a language processor and something to categorize your MP3s in a way that doesn't require a bunch of tech support would be more expensive and have fewer takers- they wouldn't really sell, I don't think.
When Apple says "something something privacy", they normally mean: you can use local features without any remote drama, and remote features won't be tied to your username or real name or sold or whatever. Sometimes they mean more than that. But at the end of the day, if you don't trust Apple with your voice requests if it sends the data to a remote server, then you shouldn't be trusting Apple (or ANY) company with your voice requests, and you should be doing it all locally in Linux or BSD or whatevs.
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There is a legitimate need for a solution that is like: the "smart speaker" talks over wifi to your desktop, which acts as a server and processes the voice, then searches the locally built index of your locally built library. I suspect this would be a possible thing to build, but much harder for a company to sell it to you like that.
They have such things - or at least, dictation software that processes locally and doesn't use a cloud-based server for its library. They suck.
I mean, really, have you notice how good dictation has gotten in just the past couple years? That's a result of Google and others using machine learning on the inputs from millions of users. Even just 5 years ago, people were still using Dragon Dictation and the like and having to spend hours reading sample paragraphs and training the thing, just to have it say "Eat [youtube.com]
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Sure, someone could tell it was coming from your IP (though I'm guessing you use a VPN). But they can't do voice print analysis on an encrypted data stream, so they've got no actual information about you to tie to that IP address. Or am I misunderstanding?
YES YOU ARE! you see, APPLE STILL SURE AS FUCK does get your queries along with your ip address and possibly some other id data(to ensure it's a legit search and not a dos and so forth).
that's the whole point.. apple gets the data.
furthermore, a lot of the queries have to be matched with your apple id or whatever anyways to be useful.
anyways.. they said the privacy was in mind. that doesn't actually mean anything. it literally means nothing concrete.
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Re:Sounds like a way for aliens to take over (Score:4, Insightful)
The Apple HomePod can do most of what Alexa can do, and it only costs twice as much.
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Nonsense. Apple is making/selling these so I'm buying 12. I am lining up outside the store now.
Re:Sounds like a way for aliens to take over (Score:5, Insightful)
I like how Apple calls it a breakthrough even though they're the 4th company to offer one of these.
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All jokes about Apple and replaceable batteries aside, there's no way that thing would run on less than a spare diesel locomotive. Do you see the picture in the article? Must be a good 25 feet tall next to the guy on stage. And people complained the Infinity RS-1's were big.
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Re: So just like the Echo it wont integrate with (Score:2)
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Three Apple stories because WWDC 2017 just happened. Try to keep up.
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Well at least there wasn't anyone trying to make people rap this year.