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Apple Aims to Boost HomePod Sales With New Audio Software Lead

Not my cup of tea, the home pods that is. And anything with Siri in is an irritation.
But looked at the Syng in this article and my jaw is still on the floor at the cost (not saying it aint justified but....). I love my floor standers for sound, no software, no connection issues and a sublime sound across a range of records.
Horse's for courses and all that.
 
vipergts2207 said:
It needed some kind of aux in as well. I mean it's nice that you can watch your ATV with some HomePod speakers in stereo. But then when you go to fire up the PS5 or Xbox, I guess you're relegated to the garbage TV speakers again? Why not just buy a soundbar, or even better a real home theater setup, and be able to route all of your audio through it? While you don't get Siri, she's not all that great anyway and anyone buying a HomePod probably already has an iPhone and Apple Watch on them at all times anyway.
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HomePods can be connected to the AppleTV through eARC, which means they can be an audio output for any device including Playstation, Xbox etc.
 
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whitby said:
When Apple dumped the HomePod I was extremely upset. I am an audiophile, but cannot afford to put my high end equipment in every room and the HomePod is very good from an audio point of view, so they became the default speakers in my rooms that did not have my high end audio equipment installed. So I have 7 HomePods, a media room and a listening room. I use Amazon's Echo devices when I need an intelligent speaker but they sound awful and I do not like to hear music played over them. However as a verbally interactive device they are much better than the HomePods (although they have become more useful over time).

I can fully understand that if you were looking for an equivalent to the Amazon Echo from Apple, the HomePod failed, but as a superb sounding speaker with some interactive capability they were extremely good. The only major issue I have with the HomePod is that the only way to communicate with them is via AirPlay. Physical connection and BT additions would have been useful but not essential in my case. My only problem is that Apple stops updating the software so that whatever devices I have in 10 years time will not play over my HomePods. After all I have had my Martin Logan speakers for 10 years now and they sound as good now as they did when I bought them. I even have a pair of Spendor BC1s from 1973 and they still sound amazing. I have a suspicion that my HomePods will be paperweights in that time frame and I blame Apple for that.
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As you said, HomePods are Airplay compatible, so as long as Apple supports that protocol the HomePods will always be functional. I can't see why they would stop supporting them in the foreseeable future.
 
Well, they could boost HomePod sales by actually making it available in more than a handful of countries. I've wanted a HomePod for years, but it was unavailable in most European countries (the Mini still is) and then it got abolished.
 
Apple needs a portable HomePod...OutPod...for BBQ's, pools, holidays, camping, etc. Queue Apple video with happy campfire people listening to their new portable pod device..
 
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Well to compete with google and Alexa they need to actually answer questions people ask. I use my two HomePod minis as my Apple TV speakers but for any worth while question the google home is always going to be used ahead of it.
 
Got 5 mini hompods around the house and I love them as it's used for Philips hue lighting and turning other electronics on and off connected to the mains with the use of the Philips hue smart plug. Overall it works brilliantly but Siri really needs improving.

I'll say for example hey Siri turn the fan off and she will reply, ok fan turned on when it's already on, really Siri can't you distinguish between on and off 😄. If I give the command a second time 90% of the time it's fine.

For the small size the sound quality is really quite good.
 
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Ghost31 said:
Siri works with the sonos sound bars
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Some Sonos speakers have the capability to be known to HomeKit as AirPlay targets, but that nothing remotely like the Sonos speaker running Siri the way a HomePod does. If you say “Hey Siri, play (song) on Sonos”, it’s the HomePod (or iPhone or some other Apple device) hearing that command, and then actively streaming the song to the Sonos speaker over AirPlay2. That’s hardly the Sonos speaker having “Siri functionality” in the way most people would interpret that phrase.
 
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I’d have at least one HomePod if they supported BBC radio in the UK. I’ve just checked some listenership stats - 5 of the top 6 most listened to stations in the UK are BBC (actually higher than I expected). I’m not sure how it is in other countries, but radio is very big in the UK - particularly on the smaller speakers that people have in kitchens, home offices etc. Retailers such as John Lewis are clearly selling a lot of small digital and streaming radios for these rooms, many of which are a similar price to the HomePod Mini. Support of BBC TV is great on iOS and Apple TV, it’s crazy that BBC radio and podcasts aren’t supported on the HomePod.
 
I tried the HomePod mini last month or so. It’s ok but unfortunately for apple I already had an echo dot which I got on promotion for $10aud. Honestly they sounded the same Watt wise just apples fires the bass into the ground so it resonates a bit better. Couldn’t justify the $150 to keep it, and I really wanted to. If the sound was twice as good I would have kept it. And you can’t link more than 2?! The clincher for sending back?
“Hey Siri, what’s $650x8”.. “I can’t do that yet”. Meanwhile the echo answers all kinds of stuff.
i don’t have any other Amazon or Google products in my home but the $10 echo made the mini look like overpriced junk and I’m an apple guy through and through.
 
ian6969 said:
I’d have at least one HomePod if they supported BBC radio in the UK. I’ve just checked some listenership stats - 5 of the top 6 most listened to stations in the UK are BBC (actually higher than I expected). I’m not sure how it is in other countries, but radio is very big in the UK - particularly on the smaller speakers that people have in kitchens, home offices etc. Retailers such as John Lewis are clearly selling a lot of small digital and streaming radios for these rooms, many of which are a similar price to the HomePod Mini. Support of BBC TV is great on iOS and Apple TV, it’s crazy that BBC radio and podcasts aren’t supported on the HomePod.
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I have given up and go direct to the BBC via beeb web site (radio, iPlayer etc.). Apple has a lot of things wrong on many of the audio services that make it awkward to use.

Though iPlayer on Apple TV is OK, I still use the other device pliers that support BBC 4k.
 
Simple, either lower the price or maker Siri actually do some stuff. WTF is even the point of Siri currently? Apple really slept on Siri and it's frustrating to watch Amazon and Google do so much more on their end.
 
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yadmonkey said:
I love my HomePod. It would have sold better if people cared about sound quality and not being data-raped by competing products.
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It sold bad because it is bad. I have all apple devices and looking for a compact speaker for my home cinema, and homepod doesn't fit. simply because of the stupid WIFI only setup.
 
yadmonkey said:
I love my HomePod. It would have sold better if people cared about sound quality and not being data-raped by competing products.
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And if Siri could do more than set timers. And I know it's on Spotify but not being able to verbally prompt music from Spotify really angers me. I know I can AirPlay but the new update broke that too.
 
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Unregistered 4U said:
Yeah, but, it would have just cost more, and cost was the real limiting factor.
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An aux / optical port and associated electronics costs next to nothing for electronics manufacturers. This kind if components cost peanuts. Cost was not the factor, desire to fully lock in only to apple products and services was the reason.
 
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Hire someone new to fix your podcast app and apple music app as well. Or do you have sufficient enough user base that it is no longer a priority?
 
For my living room/TV/movie watching I want (and have) 5.1 sound with 400+ watts bass. No HomePod will ever be able to shake the floor like what I've got. So if I were to have any Apple audio-device, it would have to be bluetooth, and preferably battery powered, and able to stream *anything* over BT. I would use it in my garage, or on my deck, bedroom maybe. I'd accept and easy-to-disconnect charging plug that doubles as AC power when I don't need it to be mobile. Kind of like my Bose Soundlink Mini - which is just perfect for those uses.
 
zeezun said:
stop capping. homepod doesn't have the best sound quality in the market . not even with the dumb siri as software
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I have 2 HomePods. They sound good. I’m happy with them but condo living doesn’t allow for a real music setup.
 
Supermacguy said:
For my living room/TV/movie watching I want (and have) 5.1 sound with 400+ watts bass. No HomePod will ever be able to shake the floor like what I've got. So if I were to have any Apple audio-device, it would have to be bluetooth, and preferably battery powered, and able to stream *anything* over BT. I would use it in my garage, or on my deck, bedroom maybe. I'd accept and easy-to-disconnect charging plug that doubles as AC power when I don't need it to be mobile. Kind of like my Bose Soundlink Mini - which is just perfect for those uses.
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I miss my home theater. 7.1 klipsch set up. All kg floorstanders. 3 SVS subs powered by 2500 watts.

system was amazing. Insane volumes. Superb dynamics range.
 
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