@dandycat Second the idea of an Apple sound bar with the TV integrated, and like you I haven’t taken advantage of Arcade on the aTV either. I would’ve already bought a Sonos bar if they weren’t so overpriced here in Canada (and haven’t dropped in price even after all this time).
@peterimoore If I feel the Sonos is overpriced here in the U.S., I don't want to imagine what they must be like in Canada. No, thank you.
And yet, I feel like my price ceiling for an Apple product, in this case a soundbar that I want to be a real thing, is much higher than it is for other companies. I may balk at, say, a $500 Sonos soundbar, but one at that price from Apple? Let me start saving my pennies!
@dandycat well it’s Apple after all, so I can’t see them doing something cheaper. 😂 And if I’m going to have a digital assistant built-in the device, I’ll take Siri over Alexa any day.
In case you’re curious, it’s $500 CAD before taxes, which here in Ontario isn’t pretty.
@peterimoore Cheaper? Definitely not. Way more expensive than that? Oh, definitely yes.
You've got an interesting opinion about Siri vs. Alexa. Usually I hear the exact opposite from, well, pretty much everybody. Granted, I'm in agreement with you, but I'm curious to know what is it about Alexa that makes it such a disappointment for you?
@dandycat I’m not particularly comfortable with Amazon having listening privileges in my house. Honestly if I were to buy a Sonos I’d likely find out if Alexa could be disabled first before I pulled the trigger. Between Amazon and Apple respecting privacy, I know who I’d pick.
@peterimoore That's a good point. It's exactly why I've resisted having any Amazon products in my home. Is Alexa ojectively better than Siri? Maybe. Doesn't mean it's worth the sacrifice. I recall there being an issue with Apple storing Siri messages for a short time before they were caught and then implemented an opt-out option for it. Do you happen to know if that's possible with Amazon's products, or do they just take and take?
@dandycat Honestly not sure whether Amazon will let you opt out, but I wouldn't be the slightest bit surprised if they don't. As to Siri vs. Alexa I'm of the opinion that Siri needs work as it still gets things wrong, although it's much better than it was — never used Alexa.
@peterimoore All fair points, and I thank you for them! Here’s to hoping that Siri will continue to improve. I still dream of the day where Siri isn’t just a talking encyclopedia. Sometimes that’s handy, but I’d love to have a true virtual assistant. I want a proactive computer that’ll actually help me run my life and not just a voice that’ll occasionally tell me what the weather’s like.