The 1st Apple’s intelligent speaker, HomePods, it’s not shipping until Dec, but in step with a report by Nikkei, Apple supplier Inventec Appliances is already making projections that future models might need facial and image recognition.
The Taiwanese company president David Ho, recently told reporters, “We see trends apple engineers are designing smart speakers that will not only come with voice recognition features but additionally incorporate features like image facial and recognition,” and that “such AI-related options are set to make people’s lives more convenient and to make the product easier to use.”
Although the HomePod wasn’t specifically mentioned in Ho’s comments, it’s obvious that was the product he was referencing. once rumors regarding the HomePod started circulating last year, facial recognition was among one of the features Apple was supposedly considering. If integrated into HomePod, the unit may theoretically perform automatic changes to a room, depending on who it senses is present.
It’s not fully unlikely that future versions of the HomePod can have Face ID, providing Apple is rolling out the tech to iPads in 2018. The features started on the iPhone X, uses a dot projector that maps a face using up to 30,000 points, allowing users to unlock their devices, make payments, and yes, send Animoji.
