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Will the future of computing be voice control or Kinect?

kristoffer4

kristoffer4

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 17, 2006
1,026
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Denmark
Now that MS is planing for a PC version of Kinect it seems ineverable that Windows 8 will have Kincet support.

I also seems ineverable that the next Apple OS X release will have Siri control. So will we see a future with kinect style control or voice control?
Could Apple make their own Kinect version at some point?
 
EDIT: And damn it, yes, I want to be able to address the voice controls as "Computer" and say "Engage" or "Make it so." :)

Mousse said:
Voice commands will win out in the end. Millions of Trekkers will "make it so.";)
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I wouldn't be surprised if you ultimately see a mixture of both, like mounting of some kind of sensor where the webcam is now on pretty much everything (notebook lid, monitor, etc). Gestures could then simply move from the trackpad to open space. That makes sense to me, since I don't think we're going to be using Siri to close windows or maximize them or so on. I'm certainly not going to play Super Mario Bros via voice commands.

Similarly, I don't want to be communicating "find me the nearest pizza restaurant" in sign language. :D

Just because MS has patents on Kinect (and Nintendo has patents on what it uses in the Wii) probably doesn't mean that Apple (or anyone else) can't come up with something that gets around those limitations.

Perhaps a future computer (which unlike Star Trek is essentially feasible now) could get by with a multi-touch screen, a gesture sensor, and voice commands, and not need a trackpad at all.
 
Not sure.

Right now, in the wake of MS' failing WP7 platform, they're quite busy with discussing their home-grown innovations that will rocket WP7 into the upper echelons of the smartphone pecking-order:

http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-we-did-siri-first-with-windows-phone-7-video

Microsoft: We did Siri first with Windows Phone 7 [Video]

Without a doubt, the Siri voice recognition feature in Apple's iPhone 4S has generated a lot of press for the smartphone. But try telling that to Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie. In a new video interview at the Forbes web site, Mundie is asked for his opinion on Siri as an alternate user interface. Mundie says, "The TellMe facilities has been in Windows Phone for more than a year."

While Mundie admits that Apple might have an edge on marketing the Siri feature in iPhone 4S, he also feels that many people have hooked on to Siri because, in his opinion, there wasn't much else that was new with the iPhone 4S when Apple launched it in October. The TellMe feature in Windows Phone 7 does most of the same voice recognition features as Siri, including using voice to send text messages and search for anything using Microsoft's Bing. Mundie says, "All that's already there; fully functional and been there for a year."

Mundie also discusses Microsoft's efforts with the Kinect motion sensor device and technology, which has its own voice recognition features. Mundie predicts a big holiday season for the device as it pertains to its Xbox 360 game sales but also hints about Kinect's future applications beyond gaming. That's something that Microsoft confirmed this week when it announced plans for a new Kinect hardware device made especially for Windows in 2012.

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This is just sad now.
 
Kinect has voice control...

Kind of maddening that Apple had the opportunity but didn't go for Kinect when it was in early development.
 
Both.

Siri will be used where appropriate, as will Kinetic.

Siri and Kinetic are two different kinds of technology and shouldn't be compared to each other. Siri is voice control, Kinetic is motion control (EDIT: and apparently voice control too - above post ). They can certainly compliment each other.

steviem said:
Kinect has voice control...

Kind of maddening that Apple had the opportunity but didn't go for Kinect when it was in early development.
Click to expand...

The company behind kinetic told Apple where to go..
http://www.cultofmac.com/67951/how-apple-almost-got-microsofts-kinect-game-controller/


Obsessed with secrecy, Apple had already asked Beracha to sign a stack of crippling legal agreements and NDAs.

He shook his head. Why didn’t he want to do a deal with Apple? No need. The technology was hot. He could sell it to anyone.

“Apple is a pain in the ass,” he said, smiling.
 
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I believe in the future our devices will support a wide variety of inputs. Voice commands and body gestures of course, plus eye tracking, emotional recognition*, and good ol' multitouch.

*Computers will understand your emotional state by your facial expressions and tone of voice.
 
Bonch said:
Genital control will rule all. Wait and see.
Click to expand...

So, what you mean is a technology that reads genital movements as commands? It would be cool to have a toilet interpret two or three shakes as "Flush" :D
 
Imagine an office where everybody talks to their computers. That would be one loud place with no room for concentration. ;)

In my opinion this movement/voice control input is nice for some very specific purposes, but fails miserably as a general input method. Keyboards and mice are pretty decent input devices. Like the steering wheel of a car. Cars have evolved in the past 100 years but you still control them with a steering wheel. There is no need to fix what is not broken.
 
chaosbunny said:
Imagine an office where everybody talks to their computers. That would be one loud place with no room for concentration. ;)

In my opinion this movement/voice control input is nice for some very specific purposes, but fails miserably as a general input method. Keyboards and mice are pretty decent input devices. Like the steering wheel of a car. Cars have evolved in the past 100 years but you still control them with a steering wheel. There is no need to fix what is not broken.
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Well I would agree that neither of these could completely replace the keyboard. And for now a touchscreen is a poor substitute for touch-typists because of the lack of feedback. However engineers are working on that problem; At some point within the next decade you may be able to "feel" a virtual keyboard. If and when that occurs then the conventional keyboard could be increasingly seen as a waste of space.

As an interesting note the earliest cars were not steered by a wheel but rather a tiller.
 
Using my voice controlled computer whilst listening to music would be pretty difficult.
 
roadbloc said:
Using my voice controlled computer whilst listening to music would be pretty difficult.
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Not necessarily. First of all any sound coming from the computer can be compared in software and effectively filtered out. Second, a microphone array or good headset can isolate your voice from ambient noise.
 
APlotdevice said:
Not necessarily. First of all any sound coming from the computer can be compared in software and effectively filtered out. Second, a microphone array or good headset can isolate your voice from ambient noise.
Click to expand...
I don't actually want to listen to myself speak whilst listening to music actually. I want to listen to music.

I'm not totally dismissing voice control, I imagine it's great whilst driving and in other circumstances. But it isn't going to be taking over a physical control such as a touchscreen interface or keyboard.
 
roadbloc said:
I don't actually want to listen to myself speak whilst listening to music actually. I want to listen to music.

I'm not totally dismissing voice control, I imagine it's great whilst driving and in other circumstances. But it isn't going to be taking over a physical control such as a touchscreen interface or keyboard.
Click to expand...

As my earlier post suggests I agree that voice control won't completely replace tactile input. Though on the other hand I believe it will be widely used, filling more than just simple niches like driving. It will be there at least as an option for just about everything.
 
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