I'd like to be able to get information, store information, get and receive calls, texts, slack messages, make appointments, etc. I started with "what do I want to be able to do on a regular basis, from anywhere I am?" Then I go to "does a technology exist which allows me to do that without a screen?" Google Assistant is close-ish, but there's still a lot of work to be done to get past "the Beat up Martin -> Eat up Martha problem," and TBH I don't think they're putting much work into it anymore, progress seems stalled.
The article's author. I agree with the every single point of the article and I want to develop author's idea here because it resonates with some ideas of mine.
> I'd like to be able to get information, store information, get and receive calls, texts, slack messages, make appointments, etc.
This is what Iphone does maybe in the best possible way. My needs are: to write, to program, to use Vim and Emacs, to be as close to body as possible, to be able to control others computers and screens in my house.
> the Beat up Martin -> Eat up Martha problem
That's why author's poind about keyboard-centric device is timeless.
But Google was never close to the computer the author describes (in my opinion). Perfect listening (recognizing everything with no errors) is not a big deal if you already have a perfect keyboard but perfect sounding of anything happening on the screen is where the progress is absent.
Imagine working with CLI using sound only in such a way which make your CLI experience better than GUI.
> for some of these tasks you don't need wifi connection on
And all of this abilities are literally baked in chip. For example, if Google (or user/owner of the device) decides to change "OK Google" to "OK Alphabet" than all the old chips will be unable to support such a newcoming. So, I do not agree that the technology exists, these are way closer to speaking dolls than to computers.
Its not baked into chip, its software and gets updated just like your phone or computer when its connected to the internet.