
Apple’s Stumbling HomePod Isn’t the Hot Seller It Wanted - DEFCON28
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-12/apple-s-stumbling-homepod-isn-t-the-hot-seller-company-wanted#
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deaps
The article hits the nail on the head for me. My son got a google home mini
for Christmas last year for free with the chrome book we bought him.

Now we have a home mini on every floor, and we are happy with the relatively
cheap price we paid.

Apple’s version either needs to come down in price or offer a lot more for its
current price - if it wants a larger share of the market, in my opinion.

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J_Nerdy
Fair point.

But, I think they are different markets. The Home Pod, and Siri more
specifically, simply cant compete in the "Home Assistant" space on either a
technological nor price front.

Honestly, I would be more interested on Margins and Development costs to bring
to production - because it does feel like a product that has a very small core
target demographic (apple ecosystem audiophiles(?) not concerned with AI
capacity outside of tuning for sound).

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bb88
> The Home Pod, and Siri more specifically, simply cant compete in the "Home
> Assistant" space on either a technological nor price front.

I'm not big on Apple products these days, but I disagree.

Today's Apple is as much of a "brand" company as it is a technology company.
Apple products have recognizable features, e.g. white cords for ear buds, the
shiny Apple logo on the new mac books, etc. Apple wants you to remember you're
using their brand almost as much as you enjoy their technology.

That said, the home pod almost looks like it came out of Google/Nest. In fact
the top view reminds me of the Nest smoke alarm. There's nothing really
"Apple" about it.

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virtu0so
That's because having these hot microphones networked in your house is such a
creep concept, and feels extremely far from useful, that the people who do buy
them, are simply open to the experimentation, and accepting the dare. I don't
think anyone imagines the experiment will bear fruit, but they've made peace
with throwing some money away on a thing that seems to be something, somehow.

Personally, I hate the idea of Siri. I see people use Siri and I just shrug. I
see people with Apple watches and I just shrug.

But I see a lot more people with Apple watches, than I do using Siri. I never
see anyone using Okay Google or Cortana or Alexa.

My instictive judgement tells me that people who go beyond mere
experimentation with voice-activated personal assistant software, and come to
rely on it, are ridiculous people. When you use these things, there aren't
many cues to guess at the response you'll get, and the sensation is not unlike
yelling at a deaf child that doesn't speak your language. Will it hear me?
Does it understand me? Can it follow basic instructions? ( _frequently the
answers are yes, maybe, and no_ )

This is even with the low learning curve of a consumer product design.

Virtual assistants aren't fun, feel undiginfied, and don't have a lot of
redeeming utility. It's no coincidence that only large companies have
developed them, and I think it's best to bet against them for now.

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bb88
> That's because having these hot microphones networked in your house is such
> a creep concept, and feels extremely far from useful.

No. I use "Hey google, turn off everything in the garage." all the time. It's
remarkably useful if I'm in bed, and don't want to get up to make sure
everything is turned off.

Really the Apple speaker reminds me of the Nexus Q. It doesn't do a lot, and
it's pretty damn expensive. And if you want stereo, you need two. Google Home
Max is similar, and is one of the reasons I haven't bought one.

Edited to add:

I have the audio chromecast plugged into my stereo, and that works really
good. I can change out my speakers if I want, add an amplifier, etc.

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baybal2
>Apple’s Stumbling HomePod Isn’t the Hot Seller It Wanted

Well, just like any other "Pods" out there. Seems ordinary people do not see a
point buying them. One of my last tasks back when I worked in a sourcing
company 2 years ago, was to investigate what are consumer attitudes to
different "random speaking house appliances." It was like 9/10 people will
just simply think of them like talking alarm clocks or radios. No wonder
people are not spending $200 for a talking alarm clock.

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DEFCON28
No, not like all other "pods" out there. Amazon's is selling very well.

