My dad lives in assisted living. He’s got his wits about him, which is great, but his mobility is very limited, which is not so great.
While he has an iPhone and an iMac, he an absolute beginner on the iPhone, and if he answers the phone or a FaceTime request 25% of the time, it’s a good day.
Recently, I got him a HomePod mini, thinking Siri is about as far as I can get him to go in embracing technology to get out of his sandbox.
The first time I demonstrated to him the fact that the device was mostly voice-controlled, with pretty much the entire of universe of music available for the literal asking, he got a big goofy grin.
Even though trained as an engineer, the directness and instant gratification of Siri and HomePod were like a thought bomb erupting in his brain.
Once he figured out HomePod mini basics, it became my fancy to check on him throughout the day through the Home app on my iPhone.
In a click, I could see if he was enjoying the HomePod and listening to music.
Interestingly, even though his HomePod was in a different physical location than my home network — hundreds of miles away, in fact — because it was part of my “My Home” device network, I could connect with the HomePod from anywhere.
Which brings me to Intercom. I had first tested out Apple’s Intercom function, which allows you to push a verbal message to a specific HomePod, in my home.
First impressions where that it was (is) kind of gimmicky — it is more like a voice memo than a real time voice messaging function.
The first time I tried it with earnest intent, though, delivered a magical moment.
The first couple of days after getting my dad the HomePod mini, I was dismayed to see him NOT using the device.
Concerned, I called him so we could walk through Siri basics again, but of course he did not answer his phone.
Seizing on the truth that necessity is the mother of invention, I spoke into the Intercom function on my Home app, and said:
“Dad, if you want to listen to some music on your new HomePod mini, say ‘Hey Siri, play Miles Davis.”
Five minutes later, the Home app registered that my dad’s HomePod mini was now playing music.
Then, a week later I wanted to visit my dad when I was in town, but again, he did not answer his iPhone (and does not text), so, again, I spoke into Intercom, and said:
“Dad, call me. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you, and want to stop by for a visit.”
Two minutes later, the phone rings. Now, it’s pretty much my go to with my dad.
This got me thinking, If I can use Intercom to communicate with my dad, and give him timely direction, why couldn’t there be services and networks targeted at seniors that leverage the sound in HomePod for Mental Acuity tests, Fitness (think: Apple Fitness + for seniors) and curated assistance care.
What kind of “platform play” could one build on top of this to services the 23M Americans that are 75 years old or older?
It's a brave new world, and we are only scratching the surface.
