Apple HomePod: Everything we know about the launch date, specs and price

[NTDaws]

So the HomePod basically is running of Siri, apple's digital assistant. CNET said that it would feature a built-in camera and facial recognition software. I don't like that personally. I could see a range of people trying to hack these for a number of reasons. It's happened with iCloud, it can happen with this.

Spoiler

Steve Troughton-Smith, the developer who first discovered many of the juiciest bits hiding in the firmware leak, tweeted that the HomePod has an "LED matrix" that could "perhaps display shapes/symbols." Another developer, Avery Magnotti, followed that up with a screenshot of the code that refers to a 272x340 resolution. Though the such a display is primarily designed primarily to confirm that Siri is listening to your command, it could include virtual volume control buttons and other elements for navigational or UI purposes.

Here are pictures of the display and product:

 Some info on the product will be:

- Available in December in the US, UK and Australia

 

- Sends messages

 

- Supports Siri and Apple Music

 

- Compatible with HomeKit, Apple's smart home platform

 

- Spatial awareness

 

- White and space grey finishes

 

- Starting at $349 (£270 and AU$465 and CAD$447)

 

Original Article from C | NET

 

[The Sloth]

11 minutes ago, Being Delirious said:

Siri, apple's digital assistant.

I really hope they are planning on releasing it with a smarter Siri. 

[NTDaws]

3 minutes ago, nerdslayer1 said:

I really hope they are planning on releasing it with a smarter Siri. 

I agree lol. At least shes funny.

[Bensemus]

Besides the iCloud hack which mostly involved social engineering has Apple had any major breaches? Has Google or MS?

 

I can only really remember stores like Target losing CC numbers.

[Commodus]

I'm curious to see how it fares, because Apple is taking a very different approach than Amazon and Google.  Echo and Home are primarily AI controllers first and music listening devices second (their sound quality is merely okay at best).  HomePod is more like a Sonos Play:3 that happens to have a voice-controlled AI helper for some tasks.  It might not hail an Uber for you, but you'll actually want to listen to it instead of merely tolerating its output.

[abazigal]

If anyone has a few minutes, consider reading this article about what Apple might be hoping to achieve with the home pods. 

 

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2017/6/14/homepod

 

In short, it's not just a smart speaker, but also augmented hearing in your house. 

[Sniperfox47]

23 minutes ago, abazigal said:

If anyone has a few minutes, consider reading this article about what Apple might be hoping to achieve with the home pods. 

 

https://www.aboveavalon.com/notes/2017/6/14/homepod

 

In short, it's not just a smart speaker, but also augmented hearing in your house. 

A) that's even more terrifying than Google Home...

 

B) Why does it need 7 mics?  No beamforming?

[Sauron]

I don't want to pay 350$ to help apple spy me... as a speaker it may have some merit, but I'll be damned before I willingly let a "digital assistant" into my house.

[Cookybiscuit]

Not sure why people want to put these FBI spy devices into their homes, same deal with that Amazon Echo crap.

[NickTheMajin]

4 minutes ago, Cookybiscuit said:

Not sure why people want to put these FBI spy devices into their homes, same deal with that Amazon Echo crap.

 

The FBI doesn't give a damn what "cookiebiscuit" is doing in his spare time. It's amazing that people actually think the FBI is watching their every move. 

[Cookybiscuit]

5 minutes ago, NickTheMajin said:

 

The FBI doesn't give a damn what "cookiebiscuit" is doing in his spare time. It's amazing that people actually think the FBI is watching their every move. 

I don't really care if the FBI does or does not care what I'm doing, it's still not very nice staring into a webcam all day when using a computer, or staring into a smartphone selfie camera when taking a massive shit.

[Bananasplit_00]

1 hour ago, Sauron said:

I don't want to pay 350$ to help apple spy me... as a speaker it may have some merit, but I'll be damned before I willingly let a "digital assistant" into my house.

Unless I made it myself I wouldn't want one. 

 

35 minutes ago, NickTheMajin said:

 

The FBI doesn't give a damn what "cookiebiscuit" is doing in his spare time. It's amazing that people actually think the FBI is watching their every move. 

Logs being kept of everything you say and potentially more being sent and sold sure does not make me feel safe

[Sauron]

51 minutes ago, NickTheMajin said:

The FBI doesn't give a damn what "cookiebiscuit" is doing in his spare time. It's amazing that people actually think the FBI is watching their every move. 

It doesn't matter what they care about right now, if they ever start caring for whatever reason they'll have all that data at their fingertips. Not to mention that data could be stolen, I don't think you want a criminal to have access to your daily habits.

[JoeCoke]

But who actually wants something like this? And I'm not just singling Apple out.

[Commodus]

Holy crap, people, the HomePod isn't going to be listening to everything you do and scooping up personal data. The Echo and Home aren't recording everything you say, either. That Above Avalon article isn't even talking about harvesting personal data, it's about shaping audio based on your environment.

 

This isn't to say you should never be concerned about privacy.  However, what frustrates me is that so many people react to smart speakers and other technology based solely on their fears, not what's actually happening (or even what could happen).  And this mindset translates to other areas of life: if you rely on gut feeling over facts with a speaker, what does that say about your politics?

[Cookybiscuit]

2 minutes ago, Commodus said:

Holy crap, people, the HomePod isn't going to be listening to everything you do and scooping up personal data. The Echo and Home aren't recording everything you say, either. That Above Avalon article isn't even talking about harvesting personal data, it's about shaping audio based on your environment.

 

This isn't to say you should never be concerned about privacy.  However, what frustrates me is that so many people react to smart speakers and other technology based solely on their fears, not what's actually happening (or even what could happen).  And this mindset translates to other areas of life: if you rely on gut feeling over facts with a speaker, what does that say about your politics?

Right, and I bet every CPU since 2008 being backdoored is just for fun, no one cares about your data bro it's just a coincidence.

[Jito463]

2 hours ago, Commodus said:

Holy crap, people, the HomePod isn't going to be listening to everything you do and scooping up personal data. The Echo and Home aren't recording everything you say, either.

Hmm, so the recording from the Amazon Echo - for that murder trial in Arkansas - is fictitious?

 

https://consumerist.com/2017/03/07/amazon-hands-over-echo-recording-related-to-murder-investigation/

 

Quote

Amazon argued that the recordings made by the speaker were protected speech under the First Amendment and that information potentially contained on the device would have revealed too much about the user and their interests.

[Commodus]

27 minutes ago, Jito463 said:

Hmm, so the recording from the Amazon Echo - for that murder trial in Arkansas - is fictitious?

 

https://consumerist.com/2017/03/07/amazon-hands-over-echo-recording-related-to-murder-investigation/

This doesn't actually say that the Echo was recording non-stop, though.  Remember, when devices like the Echo are always 'listening,' they're not actually recording anything until you use their keyword, and they stop the moment they believe you're done speaking.  So whatever recordings exist on the Echo (it's still not clear what recordings were actually there, by the way) are occasional, brief bursts of audio; they're not hours-long files like you'd get from a wiretap or a security camera.

 

There is a reason to be concerned that a speaker might be holding on to any permanent copies of audio.  However, this really illustrates my point: people hear a nugget of worrying info and then leap to unfounded conclusions based on their fears, not the facts.  "Amazon turned over recordings" turns into "OMG the Echo is recording everything you do at all times, panic!"  Moreover, this assumes that every company would handle audio the same way, and we have yet to know how Apple will handle this.  If the HomePod is basically a modified iOS device (and it looks like it is), then it's not saving anything when you talk to Siri.