OFweek smart home network news recently, smart speakers began to become the focus of competition for science and technology giants. In addition to Amazon Echo and Google Home opening a "war" in the field of smart speakers, with the launch of Invoke's smart speakers last week, Microsoft has also entered the game, multi-source sources confirmed that Apple has been on the road, giants gathered, the table The three missing ones wait for Apple's shot, and Apple's shot time is likely to be the Apple Developers Conference (WWDC), which opened on June 5th.
On May 9, Amazon released its new Echo Show smart speaker, which is equipped with a 7-inch touch screen, and added a 5MP camera, users can video call, watch video, view pictures and so on.
On May 11th, Microsoft launched Invoke, a smart speaker with AI voice assistant Cortana, at its Build conference. The speaker hardware was manufactured by Harman Catton, a prestigious audio company.
Apple, which has always been known for its strict secrecy, has been continuously exposed for the upcoming release of its smart speaker devices. According to rumors, Apple will launch its own hardware products to replace the core position of Amazon Echo and Google Home in the smart home.
What kind of “treasures and blood showers†​​will set off after Apple's entry?
First, Apple's smart speaker true and false?
According to foreign media Phone Arena reported on May 7, in the previous paragraph, there are two interesting rumors about smart speakers. One is that Amazon’s next-generation Echo product will come with a screen, and the other is that Apple will release its own smart voice product at WWDC next month. On May 9th, the release of the Amazon Echo Show has been confirmed to have a screen. Is the prediction of Apple's voice products true?
According to foreign media reports, in May of last year, Apple competed with Amazon Echo to open Siri to developers and deploy smart home related products. In September last year, Bloomberg reported that Apple's engineers had tested a prototype device in the home, and the device was equipped with Siri assistants.
9To5Mac reported on May 1st this year that KGI’s Guo Mingchi (a well-known figure in the long-term exposure of Apple’s information) released an industry report claiming that Apple may release its first AI product Siri at the WWDC conference in June. Speaker, the device will compete with Amazon Echo and will be sold in the second half of this year.
In April of this year, Sonny Dickson also predicted that Siri smart speakers will appear on WWDC. He is a famous Australian tech blogger, mainly providing first-hand scientific and technical consulting, commentary, and technology product information. He has repeatedly exposed Apple's failure Published product information. Dickson said on Twitter that the product will be listed as a "Siri/Airplay device" and seems to confirm the news.
On May 9, according to Bloomberg News, Apple’s employees have been testing a product aimed at countering Amazon Echo for several months in their homes. The Siri Spreaker project has been going on for a while, but as of today, there are no important features or design leaks.
On May 14, according to the latest report from Phone Arena, Apple is finalizing the product. It will use Beats speakers and Siri virtual voice assistant.
At this point, although Apple's smart speakers do not yet know its appearance, function or design, or its specific release time and sale date, all sources point to one direction. Apple will launch smart speakers based on Siri to enter the family. The interaction center competes with rivals such as Amazon and Google in this field.
Second, Apple's smart speaker to explore
Although we are currently unable to obtain information on the main functions and design of Apple's smart speakers, we can get some clues from the various forecasts and exposures of foreign media.
In design, Phone Arena’s latest report stated that Apple’s smart speakers will use Beats’s speakers and Siri’s virtual voice assistant. KGI analyst Guo Mingchi said the product will have 7 tweeters and a subwoofer designed to provide better speaker and microphone technology for a better sound experience.
Dickson, a technology blogger, also predicted that the Apple Smart Speaker and Mac Pro will look similar and have a grid similar to the UE Boom portable Bluetooth speaker. In addition, KGI stated that Apple's entry into the field will show its superior acoustic performance and computing power through an integrated SoC similar to the iPhone 6 processor, and may use Apple's own W1 chip.
In appearance, according to a recent interview with Apple vice president Phil Schiller, he emphasized the value of the screen on smart speakers. For example, he said, the voice assistant cannot display the photos you share on social media, and if you ask for directions, you can hear the sound, but you cannot see the specific map. So we can see that Apple smart speakers will have a screen.
Analyst Guo Mingchi claims that Apple smart speakers are expected to include a touch screen and a camera. In addition, according to Apple insiders describe the device as "fat" like Google Home, and includes external mesh material.
In terms of functionality, rumors indicate that Apple's smart speakers will be used to play music, voice commands, information queries, and control of smart home products.
First, play function. According to MacRumors, sound quality is one of the main focuses of the device, and its basic functions include music playback, podcasting, and other content playback. In music playback, it runs an iOS version, uses Beats speakers, and supports AirPlay wireless communication technology.
Second, integrate with the smart home interaction center. It is said that the device will include Siri integration function, which can respond to queries like iPhone, can read e-mails, send messages, read tweets, and integrate with iOS to provide reminders, notifications, and other functions; and as the center of smart home, Control lights, plugs, door locks, curtain boxes and other smart devices.
Third, facial recognition. Allegedly, Apple's smart speakers will include facial recognition sensors and cameras that can be used to identify family members and perform voice interactions. If Apple merges
Its acquisition of technology from startups such as Faceshift and Emotient will further improve facial recognition technology so that the device can determine a person's emotional state. Through facial recognition, smart speakers can also extract information according to each person's preferences and adjust the lighting and music according to each person's preferences.
Fourth, open applications. Allegedly, Apple is planning to release the SDK, allowing developers to modify the application to match the use of speakers and Siri's integration capabilities.
In other information, Guo Mingchi said that Apple's smart speaker positioning is higher than the Amazon Echo Show, so the price is higher. The current Amazon Echo Show booking price is 229.99 US dollars. In addition, the release time of the smart device is uncertain, and there is more than 50% possibility to publish this product at the WWDC conference in June.
Third, why Apple introduced smart speakers?
Apple will not launch a product for no reason at all. The introduction of Apple's smart speakers indicates that the smart home interaction center is hot. Apple wants to occupy the family interaction center. On the other hand, it also shows that Apple's layout in terms of hardware, content, ecology, etc. It has been set up and needs a control center to realize its value in smart homes. We can interpret it from the following perspectives:
First, Apple acquired Beats and other companies in May 2014 and obtained corresponding hardware technology and streaming music services. After the acquisition of Beats by 3.2 billion U.S. dollars, the sound technology of Beats headphones can make up for the lack of flatness in Apple's headphones. It is said that the speakers of Apple's smart speakers come from Beats. In addition, Apple will also receive Beats streaming music services and hardware engineers.
Second, it will help promote the development of streaming media music services. One of the reasons why Apple bought Beats is to obtain its streaming music service and integrate it into Apple Music to promote streaming music services. It is alleged that the cost of Apple Music in the United States is 9.99 US dollars per month. The launch of smart speakers will undoubtedly provide Apple Music with a new broadcast portal, allowing it to gain more market access for its music services.
Third, develop new wireless home products. According to reports, Apple has cancelled the development of the AirPort wireless home product line last year. AirPort Express is a wireless router with synchronous dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi technology and AirPlay function. This product can be used to wirelessly transmit music from the iTunes music library to the home stereo. The development of Apple's smart speaker will likely replace the previous router service and provide more diverse services.
Fourth, promote the development of Apple HomeKit. Apple launched HomeKit, a smart home platform, in 2014. In April of this year, Apple also cooperated with real estate developers in Beijing HomeKit's model home. HomeKit, as an integrated smart home application platform, previously used iPads, Apple TVs, and other devices as hubs for remote control. In the past, these devices were mainly applied to near-field voices, which was not conducive to being used as a control center in homes. The Apple smart speaker may be able to achieve control of its near-and-near voice scenarios, and does not need to move and switch, and its interaction is more convenient.
Fifth, to make up for the shortcomings of Siri Voice Assistant's near-field voice application. Although Siri voice assistant is also one of the mainstream voice assistants currently, its main application method is mainly near-field voice interaction. In the case of long distance, Siri's recognition degree will also be reduced, so there is a shortage of far-field voice applications. This is related to the innate design of mobile phones, watches, iPads and other devices. Amazon Echo has realized far-field speech interaction through its smart speaker. In order to make Siri gain more competitive advantages, Apple must also devote greater space-wide voice interaction.
From the above analysis, it can be seen that Apple’s introduction of smart speakers and occupation of home entrances is not groundless. Its hardware, content services, and ecology in the industrial chain have been established, and smart speakers are just the next step in its ecology—the center of interaction.
Fourth, Apple's incoming giants melee
VoiceLabs predicts in its “2017 Speech Report†that the sales volume of smart voice equipment in 2015 and 2016 will be 6.5 million units, and in 2017, this figure may reach 24.5 million units. According to Global Market Insights data, the annual growth of the global voice market in the next seven years is 34.9%, and it is expected that the market size will reach US$11 billion by 2024. If you add value to the value of goods and services, and the value of data, the market size is hard to imagine.
Such a large market size will certainly attract the participation of all players. With respect to smart speakers, Amazon was launched as early as 2014, and Google was launched in May 2016. After that, it launched a market battle. The recent entry of Microsoft and Apple will undoubtedly aggravate the "war" between the giants.
With its first-mover advantage, Amazon currently has 7,000 features, and with its e-commerce advantage and promotion of investment resources at no cost, by the end of 2016, Amazon Echo smart speaker sales have already exceeded 6 million units. Google also followed closely, providing more diverse and complete services through its search advantage.
Although Apple's smart speakers have not yet been released, Apple's smart speakers have been introduced because of Apple’s reputation, the existing user community of the device, and the layout of Apple’s smart home ecology. In addition, siri supports 18 languages ​​and has accumulated for many years. It may seize a large number of markets and greatly increase the competition in the industry.
But on the other hand, one of the key aspects of smart speakers is the hardware device technology itself. On the other hand, it is more connection and integration. Integrating more services and hardware into its own ecosystem will gain advantages. This is very much looking forward to. See Apple's practice.
Conclusion: Contention for Family Entrance
Smart speakers are generally considered to be the entry point of voice interaction for the whole family. Whoever seizes this entrance can control the input of all information, as well as data flow and consumption flow. Its market size and potential are unimaginable.
As Apple's appealing consumer electronics industry, its entry will bring new changes to the industry as a whole? Will Apple's smart home break out this year? How will the Siri voice assistant evolve? Everything is waiting to be announced. However, it is foreseeable that the entry of major giants into the family will further promote the development and popularization of the smart home industry.
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