I/O 2016: Google's new Home hardware takes on Apple's HomeKit and Siri

The smart home battle between Apple, Google and others continues to heat up, with Google on Wednesday announcing Home, a new voice-activated hardware kit that brings the Google assistant service to any room in your house.

Like Amazon Echo, Google Home is an always-listening piece of hardware that allows users to issue commands using natural language. The hardware will launch later this year, though Google has yet to announce a price.

Demonstrated by Google at its annual I/O conference, Home allows users to control connected devices in their home, get answers from Google, stream music, and more.

The hardware itself is a small speaker, with swappable exterior shells that can be chosen to match a home's decor. And because it's always plugged in, Google Home is capable of pumping out room-filling sound for music and voice feedback.

Home is also designed with multi-room support, allowing users to own multiple hardware units and place them throughout their house. And it'll play nice with Chromecast, allowing users to rely on just their voice to queue up content on an HDTV.

55 Comments

loekf 41 comments · 11 Years

About 8 years ago

No competition for HomeKit, because HomeKit is a joke. It's a missed opportunity for Apple. They could have made the AppleTV the central hub, but looks like they insist on buillding it around your phone (or iPad).

I have an Amazon Echo here, loving it.

cali 3494 comments · 10 Years

loekf said:

No competition for HomeKit, because HomeKit is a joke. It's a missed opportunity for Apple. They could have made the AppleTV the central hub, but looks like they insist on buillding it around your phone (or iPad).

I have an Amazon Echo here, loving it.

Yeah Apple is really dragging their feet here.
I do think iPhone is a better hub since it's always with you and not in another room, but how much progress has HomeKit really accomplished? Apple TV was certainly lacking a ton of features and opportunities.

And where's the Home app?
HealthKit/Health
HomeKit/Home.
i figured we would get Home at least by iOS 9.

onlyhope 39 comments · 9 Years

Let's see, Google can read your email, track every click you make while you're online and has exposed (via Android OS) your private data to just about any hacker in the world. Now they will have the opportunity to know where you live, when you are home and what you are doing while you are home (they're listening) - including what room of the house your are in.

Isn't that handy...

antonpablo 90 comments · 9 Years

Apple should come out with a Siri/HomeKit device like the Echo and Google's.. Or add this capability to the next gen AppleTV..

techprod1gy 838 comments · 11 Years

I really feel like Apple has simply dropped the ball. The good news for them is they already have the "ECO SYSTEM" so will be able to see what the competition does, learn from it and then put their spin on it like they have done in the past. This type of technology isn't quite there yet for prime time but will be soon.