Report: Apple’s smart home ambitions include “tabletop robot,” cameras, and more
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I saw a floor cleaning robot in a convenance store the other day. It was doing a good job cleaning, it got out of people's way quickly, and it had a cute smiley face on its screen. That's what we need more of: robots that actually do useful stuff!
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Me "iRobot help clean the house"
iRobot "Kicking the dog...."
Me "iRobot stop"
iRobot "Cannot answer while phone is locked" Continues to try and kick the dog
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The robot-y thing sounds terrible. But better Siri and more HomeKit Secure Video options sounds pretty good. AFAIK, the Logitech CircleView is the only HKSV doorbell, which I've had for years and it's... mid. Generally it works just fine, but during this time of year the sun shines hot and direct on the doorbell which causes it to overheat and go offline for ~20 min.
As for the facial recognition, I thought that was a feature of HKSV (https://support.apple.com/en-us/101994), so I don't think updates to that would be tied to new products (and the facial recognition is pretty good but can struggle identifying individual kids).
As for the facial recognition, I thought that was a feature of HKSV (https://support.apple.com/en-us/101994), so I don't think updates to that would be tied to new products (and the facial recognition is pretty good but can struggle identifying individual kids).
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ColdWetDog
Ars Legatus Legionis
Ok, I admit that I'm old and cranky and have spent way too much time and money on tech but ....
What problem does this solve? Having an iPad follow me around just doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies nor can I come up with any sort of real use case. I'm sure marketing can make up silly vignettes about breathlessly happy families talking to each other but it doesn't seem to have any sort of mobility so you have to be breathlessly happy in one place.
And Siri sure doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.
A small, mobile robot with some sort of manipulator might be kinda creepy but one could envision doing something other than breathlessly happy communication but supposedly Musk has that niche covered. Yes?
What problem does this solve? Having an iPad follow me around just doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies nor can I come up with any sort of real use case. I'm sure marketing can make up silly vignettes about breathlessly happy families talking to each other but it doesn't seem to have any sort of mobility so you have to be breathlessly happy in one place.
And Siri sure doesn't give me the warm and fuzzies.
A small, mobile robot with some sort of manipulator might be kinda creepy but one could envision doing something other than breathlessly happy communication but supposedly Musk has that niche covered. Yes?
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You mean, you're a typical Ars reader...
Not sure if you're the kind of 'old' whose children have grown up and left the nest. But for some of us old and cranky people, our children are still very much around and a device that serves up calendar and entertainment in the kitchen, answers questions about the weather and basic questions that might help with homework, show recipes, and play video and music would be the most optimal use case. The kitchen is where we now all congregate when we're not in our separate sleep/work units.
I'm not saying I would buy one of these, but a HomePod with these extra functionalities is something I could see having a use case in the family home. Especially if you didn't want to give Amazon any money.
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The iMac G4 looks more like an iPad on a mount than the Pixar lamp does.
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That first thing sounds stupid. Maybe it's because I'm picturing this with an iPad slapped on its face?
But cameras and doorbells? I'll take that. There are like 3 HomeKit compatible doorbells on the market, all of which have numerous drawbacks (from what I've read.)
Also, adding my obligatory complaint about an article coming out every time Gurman farts.
But cameras and doorbells? I'll take that. There are like 3 HomeKit compatible doorbells on the market, all of which have numerous drawbacks (from what I've read.)
Also, adding my obligatory complaint about an article coming out every time Gurman farts.
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I think fixing Siri should be the high priority for Apple right now. And that doesn’t seem to be happening, at least not immediately.
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I would pay a substantial amount for a robot that cleans my bike(s) chains.
Are you listening Apple?
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Could not agree more. My wife hates that I switched out our Alexa stuff for Siri stuff. Alexa might have been gathering intel for nefarious purposes, but at least she could add margarine to the fucking grocery list!
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Just gonna keep posting this until Apple is ready to sell me my new lamp buddy:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE2soq8kwwA
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Yes - see this video from Apple's Machine Learning Research department:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJtTfIj1Dd8
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Sad to hear. I'm about to make that swap as well. Alexa has been relegated to just controlling lights and giving weather reports, and the homepod mini I've been testing in my office does just as well (with a home assistant backend). So I figured, it can only get better with any potential updates.
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No kids, but my wife and I added a "house" AppleID to our Apple Family - an iPad signed into that account sits on the counter with shared calendar info and a few house things - like home automation (not HomeKit - although it does use a HomeKit Bridge to allow Siri integration).You mean, you're a typical Ars reader...
Not sure if you're the kind of 'old' whose children have grown up and left the nest. But for some of us old and cranky people, our children are still very much around and a device that serves up calendar and entertainment in the kitchen, answers questions about the weather and basic questions that might help with homework, show recipes, and play video and music would be the most optimal use case. The kitchen is where we now all congregate when we're not in our separate sleep/work units.
I'm not saying I would buy one of these, but a HomePod with these extra functionalities is something I could see having a use case in the family home. Especially if you didn't want to give Amazon any money.
Siri is hot garbage and honestly HomeKit is not much better.
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It has made this Apple fan, start hating them, as they are so laughably bad at something they started a lead with. The credibility is tainted by the continued horrible experience. Steve would have been rolling heads....
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People in the past century imagined that maybe Smarthomes would try to kill us, not that the things would get outdated after just a few years and depend on online servers that can go offline forever at any moment.
If you want a smart home for real, go open source and make sure it can work offline, otherwise you will regret it one way or another.
If you want a smart home for real, go open source and make sure it can work offline, otherwise you will regret it one way or another.
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I’m honestly surprised Apple has not gone into the Home market more. They abandoned a great Wifi router platform they had right as they were trying to get HomeKit going and Amazon and Google were making home products. Apple could easily make billions off cameras, security sensors, doorbell cams, door locks, etc. This dumb kitchen iPad/HomePod sounds like it would take up valuable counter space.
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I'll take three..... I live in a three story house so need one on each floor.
I assume I can sync all three together so I don't lose my "workflow"
Or maybe they will create one attached to a drone so it can follow me up and down stairs but that would be a bit noisy.
We have gone from tech being useful to it being not so much.
Bluck
I assume I can sync all three together so I don't lose my "workflow"
Or maybe they will create one attached to a drone so it can follow me up and down stairs but that would be a bit noisy.
We have gone from tech being useful to it being not so much.
Bluck
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Umm...this sounds more like a short-lived novelty item than something with any actual utility.
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Yeah, I like the design of the G4 iMac.
The clear plastic bezels of that era are funny. Maybe Apple will bring those back to match their liquid glass aesthetic
My sister has got a couple hand-me-downs of older high-end TVs that have the clear halo bezels.
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Agree with the earlier post on the wifi, that was a very solid platform. I would like to know what the anticipated market size is for this robot. When Apple seemingly kills off small phones because the sales weren't big enough, I doubt their robot would get even 10% of the iPhone mini sales. More likely, the robot competes with nothing else from Apple, so tiny sales are acceptable. Whereas, they can force the phone buyers into a more expensive phone.
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As someone who uses HomeKit a lot and has 100+ devices on it, I don’t recommend it to non tech users. It’s very complicated yet fails silently without explanation. It lacks basic features. It rarely gets updated or improved. Even easy things like replacing a lightbulb require adjusting all your scenes. Apple’s execution sucks just as much as Siri sucks and Apple Glass sucks. This isn’t the Apple of Steve Jobs anymore.
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Looking at the engineering video from Apple posted above, it's a hard pass. The last thing I want is a robot dancing on my kitchen counter while I'm working with a sharp knife.
I'm somewhat torn on the image recognition doorbell. My cyber security spidey senses are tingling there. Do I want the door to automatically unlock when it sees me? I suppose a mugger could just beat the shit out of me and take my keys but at least they had to work at it instead of just waiting by the door to rush in when I start up my steps.
edit: sdkjwerie autocorrect.
I'm somewhat torn on the image recognition doorbell. My cyber security spidey senses are tingling there. Do I want the door to automatically unlock when it sees me? I suppose a mugger could just beat the shit out of me and take my keys but at least they had to work at it instead of just waiting by the door to rush in when I start up my steps.
edit: sdkjwerie autocorrect.
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I just wish they would make another fast, reliable wifi router that doesn’t sell my data or give it to the Chinese.
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Missing Minute
Wise, Aged Ars Veteran
Don't be silly, the optical drive wasn't actually intended to be used!
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I’d buy one if it had the same commitment to privacy that Apple currently wears on it’s sleeve - while at the same time cozying up to a dictator.You mean, you're a typical Ars reader...
Not sure if you're the kind of 'old' whose children have grown up and left the nest. But for some of us old and cranky people, our children are still very much around and a device that serves up calendar and entertainment in the kitchen, answers questions about the weather and basic questions that might help with homework, show recipes, and play video and music would be the most optimal use case. The kitchen is where we now all congregate when we're not in our separate sleep/work units.
I'm not saying I would buy one of these, but a HomePod with these extra functionalities is something I could see having a use case in the family home. Especially if you didn't want to give Amazon any money.
I’m all off Amazon products now, but a product like this is still useful.
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Can I just get an AppleTV that integrates in the Homepod functionality that I can control via my phone, the monitor attached to the ATV itself, or comparable device without needing Yet Another screen? In an unexpected and daring twist, make sure to have an Android app, too
Please keep the existing ATV box itself as an option--only need one of the AppleTV-Homepod thingies should be needed in a household...
Please keep the existing ATV box itself as an option--only need one of the AppleTV-Homepod thingies should be needed in a household...
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Let's drop the "Steve would have..." myths. Disney was so paralyzed by its leadership continually asking "What Would Walt Do?" after he died it took his nephew leaving the company to publicly campaign for kicking all those people out to avoid it being bought up by Saul Steinberg and sold for spare parts. In reality, Cook has been CEO of Apple now for longer than Jobs held that position.
Some may have preferred that would have happened, of course, and some here would vigorously cheer if Apple were to be dismantled.
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