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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. |
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.