Facebook Delays Home Speaker Dingus

Sarah Frier, reporting for Bloomberg:

Facebook Inc. has decided not to unveil new home products at its major developer conference in May, in part because the public is currently so outraged about the social network’s data-privacy practices, according to people familiar with the matter.

The company’s new hardware products, connected speakers with digital-assistant and video-chat capabilities, are undergoing a deeper review to ensure that they make the right trade-offs regarding user data, the people said. While the hardware wasn’t expected to be available until the fall, the company had hoped to preview the devices at the largest annual gathering of Facebook developers, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing internal plans.

I think it’s arguable whether anyone should have any of these speakers in their homes or offices. But if you buy one from Facebook, I think it’s inarguable that you’re insane.

★ Wednesday, 28 March 2018