3 ms·

It seems insane to me that Amazon wants me to pay them money to put something in my home that will make it far easier to order things from Amazon. That's not ev

It seems insane to me that Amazon wants me to pay them money to put something in my home that will make it far easier to order things from Amazon. That's not even considering all the valuable data they are mining from all the Echo units out there. They should be paying ME for this privilege.

AndyMcConachie 9y ago
I have no idea why you were downvoted I completely agree with you.
matt_the_bass 9y ago
On the other hand, people are doing just that. So perhaps Amazon is a genius in that regard. Same thing with their key service.
melling 9y ago
Why does Google want to sell you the same device? I doubt if I’d buy much more than the basics like paper towels, detergent, etc. Most things require research. Voice as a user interface is a real goal. Let’s hope Amazon vs Google increases functionality. “Alexa, open the garage door, turn on the lights, and set the oven to 350”
plandis 9y ago
People have been generally receptive to Alexa/Home, this helps those companies gather additional voice data and supervision from various different people. Plus perhaps they will start making profit on the devices themselves. What is insane about that? It seems like a great business idea, even if you don’t personally like it
- Erik816 9y ago
  It's not insane for Amazon and Google to sell what people are willing to pay for. I just find it insane that so many people are willing to pay for the privilege of being even more tied into a retailer and probably giving up a fair bit of privacy at the same time. Most people seem to put zero value on that, whereas I would want to be compensated for it. But hey, no accounting for other people's preferences.
  - jacksmith21006 9y ago
    Can only speak for myself but love having our Google homes around our house and they provide much convenience.
azinman2 9y ago
I doubt that shopping is on the top 5 uses. It’s not really compelling given there are so many variations of product color, size, etc. It’s better to think of it as a new UI that’s always on but without a physical device you need to touch.
- nine_k 9y ago
  Think about ordering food and groceries.
  - azinman2 9y ago
    I can understanding putting a 'bookmark' on something (add to a shopping list), but food/groceries I don't think makes sense unless you're ordering something _highly_ regular with no customization potential and you it's 100% clear how it's going to get to you (timeline, costs). It makes sense for Dominos, but do I really trust it to get the 0% yogurt who's brand I forget in the exact size I want, for which if you ask me the # of ounces I'll look at you blankly? Also keep in mind it's not a 'conversation' interface... it's query/answer. It also doesn't allow me to do multiple things at once, so if I were to inspect my fridge and order a bunch at once it'd go like this: Me: "Alexa" Alexa: "<ding>" Me: "Order a honey crisp apple medium sized" Alexa: ".... ok ordering you a medium sized honey crisp apple" Me: "Alexa" Alexa: "<ding>" Me: "Order peanut butter ummmmmm norm-" Alexa: "... what kind of peanut butter do you want? You can say <18 options>" ... it's a pretty crap experience compared to instacart on your phone, which is worse than instacart on your desktop, which is worse than being inside the grocery store on your way home from work.
jacksmith21006 9y ago
Had an Echo since came out in 2014 and now several Google homes and never ordered anything on either. But family uses our Google homes all the time for music, questions, etc.

AndyMcConachie 9y ago

I have no idea why you were downvoted I completely agree with you.

matt_the_bass 9y ago

On the other hand, people are doing just that. So perhaps Amazon is a genius in that regard. Same thing with their key service.

melling 9y ago

Why does Google want to sell you the same device? I doubt if I’d buy much more than the basics like paper towels, detergent, etc. Most things require research. Voice as a user interface is a real goal. Let’s hope Amazon vs Google increases functionality. “Alexa, open the garage door, turn on the lights, and set the oven to 350”

plandis 9y ago

People have been generally receptive to Alexa/Home, this helps those companies gather additional voice data and supervision from various different people. Plus perhaps they will start making profit on the devices themselves. What is insane about that? It seems like a great business idea, even if you don’t personally like it

Erik816 9y ago
It's not insane for Amazon and Google to sell what people are willing to pay for. I just find it insane that so many people are willing to pay for the privilege of being even more tied into a retailer and probably giving up a fair bit of privacy at the same time. Most people seem to put zero value on that, whereas I would want to be compensated for it. But hey, no accounting for other people's preferences.
- jacksmith21006 9y ago
  Can only speak for myself but love having our Google homes around our house and they provide much convenience.

azinman2 9y ago

I doubt that shopping is on the top 5 uses. It’s not really compelling given there are so many variations of product color, size, etc. It’s better to think of it as a new UI that’s always on but without a physical device you need to touch.

nine_k 9y ago
Think about ordering food and groceries.
- azinman2 9y ago
  I can understanding putting a 'bookmark' on something (add to a shopping list), but food/groceries I don't think makes sense unless you're ordering something _highly_ regular with no customization potential and you it's 100% clear how it's going to get to you (timeline, costs). It makes sense for Dominos, but do I really trust it to get the 0% yogurt who's brand I forget in the exact size I want, for which if you ask me the # of ounces I'll look at you blankly? Also keep in mind it's not a 'conversation' interface... it's query/answer. It also doesn't allow me to do multiple things at once, so if I were to inspect my fridge and order a bunch at once it'd go like this: Me: "Alexa" Alexa: "<ding>" Me: "Order a honey crisp apple medium sized" Alexa: ".... ok ordering you a medium sized honey crisp apple" Me: "Alexa" Alexa: "<ding>" Me: "Order peanut butter ummmmmm norm-" Alexa: "... what kind of peanut butter do you want? You can say <18 options>" ... it's a pretty crap experience compared to instacart on your phone, which is worse than instacart on your desktop, which is worse than being inside the grocery store on your way home from work.

jacksmith21006 9y ago

Had an Echo since came out in 2014 and now several Google homes and never ordered anything on either. But family uses our Google homes all the time for music, questions, etc.