4 ms·

People said the same thing about personal computers in the early 70s and look where we are now.

elvirs 9y ago
computer did things that nothing else could do. alexa is doing things that practically every other smart device can do as well
- mrep 9y ago
  > computer did things that nothing else could do. Humans can do anything a computer does because we made them. We just cannot do everything a computer does as fast. > alexa is doing things that practically every other smart device can do as well So did the first iphone but there is a lot more to it.
- prawn 9y ago
  Those other methods involve you having your device at hand or getting it out of your pocket, unlocking it, etc. The Echo isn't at its full potential, but the basics can be useful and you can see where it's going. Once they handle a broader variety of things, they will be a no-brainer for every household that isn't nervous about privacy issues. (i.e., almost everyone) I use it to set cooking timers without stopping what I'm doing or needing a hand free. My kids use it to play music. e.g., my three year old can play a particular album without knowing how to spell it and without having to nag me to do it. They also love asking it questions like "how many teeth does a horse have?" or "how much does an elephant weigh?"
Alterlife 9y ago
Is that a fair comparison? A PC is an expensive general purpose computing device. Alexa is a cheap device which exists for the sole purpose of locking you into the Amazon-prime ecosystem. I have an Alexa which was gifted to me. My son loves it. The rest of us enjoyed it the first day and never looked at it after. Digital assistants have value, but Alexa on its own caters to a frivolous use-case that trades away a lot of privacy for little value.
- mrep 9y ago
  > A PC is an expensive general purpose computing device. Alexa is a cheap device which exists for the sole purpose of locking you into the Amazon-prime ecosystem. PCs started out the same way but gradually expanding into solving more and more solutions. Oh, and I have never used my echo to do anything with prime. > I have an Alexa which was gifted to me. My son loves it. Marketers chase after young people because they tend to lead changes. You might want to look at why your son loves it.
  - Alterlife 9y ago
    Well, my son is 7. He loves everything :-) . Do you not use your Echo for prime music? About Alexa and Prime, I would also point you to this from the horses mouth: https://www.amazon.com/primeinsider/tips/alexa-tips.html https://www.amazon.com/primeinsider/tips/alexa-tips.html . I'm curious by the way: what do you use the echo for which your phone doesn't do better?
    - deleted 9y ago
      [deleted]
    - mrep 9y ago
      No, I use spotify to play music on my echo The echo serves as a good home music speaker which I can control through spotify on my phone/computer/voice (through echo). Outside of that, setting timers, asking the weather, random questions (my girlfriend uses cooking/math conversions a lot, but alexa isn't as good as google for random facts from my experience). My girlfriend loves to use it while getting ready and cooking since her hands are busy for hours during those times.
    - jjeaff 9y ago
      What can you do with your phone that isn't easier on your laptop? Alexa is easier than pulling out your phone, finding the app you need, waiting for it to load, possibly having to authenticate, then making the change you need, in lots of cases. Thermostat, lights, podcasts, quick questions, timers and more.
  - deleted 9y ago
tonyedgecombe 9y ago
Actually people have been predicting the smart home since the 70s and they were mostly wrong.
patentatt 9y ago
But they were right: nobody needs a computer from the 70’s - they were and are not a mainstream product. Alexa may be in a similar spot now, and may someday evolve into something that finds a mainstream ‘killer app’ - but let’s not call naysayers short-sighted
toasterlovin 9y ago
Computers offered a huge delta of improvement over hiring a room full of human calculators. Home automation, on the other hand, offers a pretty negligible delta of improvement over turning your lights on and off with a wall switch.

computer did things that nothing else could do. alexa is doing things that practically every other smart device can do as well

mrep 9y ago
> computer did things that nothing else could do. Humans can do anything a computer does because we made them. We just cannot do everything a computer does as fast. > alexa is doing things that practically every other smart device can do as well So did the first iphone but there is a lot more to it.
prawn 9y ago
Those other methods involve you having your device at hand or getting it out of your pocket, unlocking it, etc. The Echo isn't at its full potential, but the basics can be useful and you can see where it's going. Once they handle a broader variety of things, they will be a no-brainer for every household that isn't nervous about privacy issues. (i.e., almost everyone) I use it to set cooking timers without stopping what I'm doing or needing a hand free. My kids use it to play music. e.g., my three year old can play a particular album without knowing how to spell it and without having to nag me to do it. They also love asking it questions like "how many teeth does a horse have?" or "how much does an elephant weigh?"

Alterlife 9y ago

Is that a fair comparison? A PC is an expensive general purpose computing device. Alexa is a cheap device which exists for the sole purpose of locking you into the Amazon-prime ecosystem. I have an Alexa which was gifted to me. My son loves it. The rest of us enjoyed it the first day and never looked at it after. Digital assistants have value, but Alexa on its own caters to a frivolous use-case that trades away a lot of privacy for little value.

mrep 9y ago
> A PC is an expensive general purpose computing device. Alexa is a cheap device which exists for the sole purpose of locking you into the Amazon-prime ecosystem. PCs started out the same way but gradually expanding into solving more and more solutions. Oh, and I have never used my echo to do anything with prime. > I have an Alexa which was gifted to me. My son loves it. Marketers chase after young people because they tend to lead changes. You might want to look at why your son loves it.
- Alterlife 9y ago
  Well, my son is 7. He loves everything :-) . Do you not use your Echo for prime music? About Alexa and Prime, I would also point you to this from the horses mouth: https://www.amazon.com/primeinsider/tips/alexa-tips.html https://www.amazon.com/primeinsider/tips/alexa-tips.html . I'm curious by the way: what do you use the echo for which your phone doesn't do better?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - mrep 9y ago
    No, I use spotify to play music on my echo The echo serves as a good home music speaker which I can control through spotify on my phone/computer/voice (through echo). Outside of that, setting timers, asking the weather, random questions (my girlfriend uses cooking/math conversions a lot, but alexa isn't as good as google for random facts from my experience). My girlfriend loves to use it while getting ready and cooking since her hands are busy for hours during those times.
  - jjeaff 9y ago
    What can you do with your phone that isn't easier on your laptop? Alexa is easier than pulling out your phone, finding the app you need, waiting for it to load, possibly having to authenticate, then making the change you need, in lots of cases. Thermostat, lights, podcasts, quick questions, timers and more.
- deleted 9y ago

tonyedgecombe 9y ago

Actually people have been predicting the smart home since the 70s and they were mostly wrong.

patentatt 9y ago

But they were right: nobody needs a computer from the 70’s - they were and are not a mainstream product. Alexa may be in a similar spot now, and may someday evolve into something that finds a mainstream ‘killer app’ - but let’s not call naysayers short-sighted

toasterlovin 9y ago

Computers offered a huge delta of improvement over hiring a room full of human calculators. Home automation, on the other hand, offers a pretty negligible delta of improvement over turning your lights on and off with a wall switch.