The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this holiday season

Re:The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this ... by semperdark on Wednesday December 27, 2017 @02:54AM (#16013496)

It sounds extreme, but it's definitely necessary in order for a service to be treated like a tool. When was the last time your screwdriver decided to fail for undefined reasons? For that matter, how about your text editor?

For something like a voice interface to become second nature, you need to deeply trust that it'll do what you expect. Work with screwdrivers enough and they become an extension of your hand.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this ... by fermienrico on Wednesday December 27, 2017 @03:43AM (#16013661)

I couldn't have explained it better. You've nailed the core issue - Reliability & Robustness. These attributes of a product disappear in the background when it just works.

Voice activated devices, even Google assistant, are far away from the reliability/robustness we expect from a reliable tool. Therefore, they are not tools yet.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:The Echo Dot was the best-selling product on Amazon this ... by barrkel on Wednesday December 27, 2017 @08:26AM (#16014608)

They're completely reliable for weather, specific queries like will it rain, timers and music. That's enough to be compelling at the price level.

[ Parent | on HN ]