I wouldn’t have an amazon or google microphone in my house, so it doesn’t matter to me how cheap they are or how well they do or don’t work as a so-called voice assistant.We are now in a world where someone who can afford the HomePod actually prefers proper voice assistant devices. It’s 2020😒...voice assistant devices are pretty much the norm now and they should be capable of doing more than what Siri is (i.e. Google Assistant and Alexa) is capable of. So, I think it’s pretty cool that you’re so nostalgic I’m not preferring a device with a better assistant. It’s admirable. LOL
HomePod is the only option for me. However I’m very much looking forward to the rollout of Siri 2.0, as there is definitely room for improvement in the current capabilities, and many things the Siri technology could be expanded to.