Press Play: Audio

(7)

There is an entirely different form of computer output that this blog has yet to touch: audio, as opposed to visual. The computer has had less of a prominent relationship with our ears as it has with our eyes, but it has still opened up a world of opportunity for the audio market.

History

The first speaker, which converts an audio signal to sound, was likely invented by Johann Philipp Reis in 1861 (1), but Altec Lansing claims responsibility for the modern computer speaker. Regardless of the history of it, speakers pushed their technology upon computers, unlike displays which evolved cables and ports as computers increased the amount of available output volume. Speakers generally require a power source, and information source (usually a headphone jack), and the speakers themselves: usually a vibrating metal diaphragm (3).

Current: Headphones, Speakers, and More

Computers can output sound in a vast array of ways today, usually through headphones or standalone speakers. They range vastly in quality and price; headphones can range from practical giveaways to tens of thousands of dollars (4), and have a wide variety of peripherals attached to them to marginally improve sound quality. They still generally connect to most computers through a 3.5mm headphone jack, but Bluetooth variants and other wireless technologies have taken hold in the speaker and headphone market, and appear to be making special headway in the phone market (see: recent iPhones).

Future: Smart Speakers

Audio is beginning to become interactive, and will only become more intelligent as time goes on. Speakers have been paired with microphones to become dual input/output devices that read and analyze speech, and return additional audio output that informs the user based on their input. Currently, Apple's Siri and Google's Assistant lead the market and have been trailblazers in developing the software for this (5). However, Amazon's Alexa may prove itself to be the leader in the crucial standalone hardware market for this emerging technology; the smart speaker has become a hot product for big technology companies, and both Google and Apple have announced competitors to it in the past year (6).

Relation to Computer Science

Audio, speakers, and headphones all are used to convey an input, usually an audio file or something similar, into something the user can understand - in this case, sound.

(1) https://web.archive.org/web/20150612190406/https://www.integratednetworkcable.com/technology/the-forgotten-johann-philipp-reis

(2) http://www.alteclansing.com/about/

(3) http://www.edisontechcenter.org/speakers.html

(4) http://mashable.com/2017/01/07/most-expensive-headphones/#te_Z9v8_4iqa

(5) https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2017/06/05/apple-unveils-349-homepod-compete-amazon-echo-google-home/102523820/

(6) https://www.whathifi.com/advice/smart-speakers-everything-you-need-to-know

(7) https://audioengineusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/product_image_sq_hd6_wal_2_no_grills.jpg

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 7, 2017 at 8:00 AM

    I'm actually afraid of all the technology that is being developed. And I know that sounds crazy, but just look at how much information these things hold. AI is fun to work with and to think about up until the point where we start seeing robots taking over our lives and identities. Maybe I'm just being crazy. I keep thinking back to what if a robot hacked Equifax and like what if it was a robot that was doing all these crazy things in the technological world.

    More related to your topic, I'm curious what your take is on Bluetooth technologies and other ways to transmit data.

    ReplyDelete

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