Google seems to be intentionally trying to make users give up on privacy. If I enable any privacy settings in my Google account, it completely disables all features of Pixel Assistant, even the basic voice commands that work offline. Somehow without agreeing to logging of my "web history" I'm not even allowed to set a 5-minute timer with Google Assistant.
The dot is also superior because it can work with any bluetooth speaker or AUX speaker. Apple once again is 2 years behind everyone with inferior technology.
And Siri is ~1-2 years behind Echo/Google Home. Only "innovation" is on aesthetic design.
Apple usually comes in when they know they can do something a lot better than the existing competition, but not recently. Not with Apple Watch & HomePod.
It's now about:
1) Apple has massive distribution 2) They can get a non-step-function revenue increment with that massive distribution, launching new products.
Which makes sense why it's music focused (lock-in with Apple Music)
Honestly, the aesthetics aren't there and it wasn't Earth shattering as promised. This looks to be the same, and Apple TV joins the club.
I'm not sure precisely what they're actually doing, but if they wanted to, they could create a feeling of it being more than just mono by pointing some relatively narrow beams in different directions. For example, if you put it on a table or desk with a reflective wall behind you, they could point two beams backward and basically get something like stereo sound. It probably would not feel precise where you can tell exactly where every instrument is in the stereo image, but it would give the sound a sense of space. If that's what they did, it would be a similar trick to what the old Bose 901 speakers did, but with just one box.
And they can go beyond that with 7 tweeters and DSP trickery.
From what I understand it's going to use Airplay 2 and should be compatible with all Airplay compatible apps once they upgrade to the new technology.
Seems like a risky decision.
RDF jokes aside, I think this will be released as a pure music player first and get smart assistant functions within a year. I don't think it will get an open API the same way google home has but apple will inatead partner with select companies.
https://sixcolors.com/post/2017/06/ears-on-with-the-homepod/
