This almost sounds like they are just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.
Some of the use cases (the AI assistant interiors a conversation to give restaurant recommendations) sound downright stupid. A categorized list shared in text form (with links) is far, far more useful.
The smart-home push includes a standalone display poised to launch by the middle of next year. That device, code-named J490, is a stripped-down variant of the robot, lacking the arm and conversational Siri — at least to start. It will still have home control, music playback, note taking, web browsing and videoconferencing. It may also include the new Siri visual interface.
Doesn’t all that helpful.
That being said, as long as these devices aren’t priced like the Vision Pro, they will probably sell well. The keys strength of Apple isn’t only the UX and design, but also the fact that’s it’s an affordable status symbol.
They appear to be positioning themselves as a privacy-friendly alternative to a lot of “smart” technology that already exists in a more performant and robust form. That deviates from their usual brand and seems like a gamble, given how little average consumers seem to care about privacy.
It does set them apart, and I can imagine privacy becoming a much more public issue in the near future, I just wonder if they’ll see it through.
