New Apple and Amazon smart displays target shared household tasks
Apple’s $299 HomeView and Amazon’s $499.99 Echo Show 16 could give smart displays a clearer role as shared family computers. The idea is a communal screen for household tasks such as checking calendars, controlling smart-home devices and seeing who is at the door, rather than a device for homework or paying bills.
The new models pair more capable hardware with displays and software designed for shared, always-available use, including easier switching between household members. That addresses shortcomings of earlier smart displays and tablets, which could be underpowered, difficult to share or prone to being carried away. Their prices are much higher than older models, and the writer says more testing is needed; the article also notes that the two devices differ in how they work.
In short
- Apple and Amazon have rethought smart displays as shared household screens.
- HomeView costs $299; Echo Show 16 costs $499.99.
- Their usefulness still needs testing, and the price is a trade-off.
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The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A shared smart display could make everyday household coordination easier by keeping calendars, smart-home controls and door-camera feeds visible to everyone in one place. More capable hardware and simpler switching between household members may address problems that made earlier devices awkward to share, giving the screen a useful role between a phone and a full computer.
The case against
A communal screen may add little if household members already manage these tasks on their phones or tablets, and an always-available device raises practical questions about privacy and who controls shared information. At $299 and $499.99, the new models cost substantially more than older displays, while their usefulness and ease of sharing still need testing; their differing approaches may also make them uneven fits for a household.
Explained simply
Smart displays are internet-connected screens with voice control. They can show information and run household services, such as calendars, video calls and controls for lights or other smart-home devices.
Apple and Amazon are major technology companies that make devices and services for homes. Their smart displays are intended for shared use, so different people in a household can access useful information and controls from one screen.
These devices sit between a voice-controlled speaker and a general-purpose computer. Their usefulness depends on how easily household members can share them and whether they support the tasks people want; price and differences in how each system works may also affect who chooses them.
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Originally published by The Verge as “The HomeView and Echo Show 16 could be the family computers I’ve been asking for”.