Oh, if that were only true, I would actually get one or two of them. As it stands, it is just a glorified spy device for the governments and others. So, no sale. Hello iPod HiFi!
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Apple Announces New HomePod for $299 With Full-Size Design, S7 Chip, and More
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Unlikely. The OG is terrific, and never really came down in price, even used.
Does airplay 2 work with raspberry pi yet or are all the solutions still limited to airplay 1?
My HomePod mini died so I just picked up a used HomePod 1st gen last Sun. I do have better monitor speakers but these are great for 360 sound as I just put this on my kitchen island and it hits all directions. If I can a deal on another 1st gen, I'll grab it to pair together.
One speaker for Apple devices and another for everything else (tv box, gaming box, ...)? It's far from ideal.
As a consumer, I don't care whose fault it is. I'm not going to buy a product that doesn't work with my music service of choice. And neither am I going to give feedback to such services, they don't care, as you state.
Another 300 quid HomePod after the previous 300 quid HomePod failed to capture the consumers interest 
. Something tells me Apple doesn’t really understand the smart assistant market and the fact Amazon and Google are popular because they make cost effective devices and have voice recognition technology that is far far superior to Apples Siri. Hilarious really.
. Something tells me Apple doesn’t really understand the smart assistant market and the fact Amazon and Google are popular because they make cost effective devices and have voice recognition technology that is far far superior to Apples Siri. Hilarious really.This reads like an ad, with no comparison against or acknowledgement of the OG
Beat me to it, was just going to say the same exact thing. A lot of hyperbole..."say goodbye to the Space Gray option and hello to the darker, more dramatic Midnight color and a white option." or "Hearing such an enveloping, engaging, dynamic sound come from two compact, wireless, affordable speakers brought tears of joy to my eyes. I'm serious!"
Read the whole article for more like that.
I mean, maybe it really did bring tears of joy (seriously doubt it), but why do I get the feeling that was basically an article essentially paid for by Apple because they invited this gentleman to the demo?
It is Airplay2. For audio, it works and I have used that for almost 2 months without any issue.
Audio is perfectly synced when I play Youtube on Mac and use Pi as Airplay receiver.
GitHub - mikebrady/shairport-sync: AirPlay and AirPlay 2 audio player
AirPlay and AirPlay 2 audio player. Contribute to mikebrady/shairport-sync development by creating an account on GitHub.
github.com
If you have an Apple TV 4K (second or third generation models), you can use your TV's ARC (audio return channel) function to send audio back through to the HomePods. There will normally be a port labelled "ARC" somewhere on modern TVs (my 2018 LG has one, HDMI port three).
You enable ARC on the Apple TV with HomePods, and it allows other HDMI sources connected to your TV like a satellite box, games console, etc, can then send audio back to the HomePods. I use it with my PS5 every day and it works brilliantly.
Pfft. I have a first generation HomePod. It sounds awful - far too much bass. Also Siri is completely useless with regards to understanding what music I'm asking for and then actually playing it.
I use it merely as an AirPlay speaker for Spotify and BBC Sounds. What a let down. I have no interest in the second generation HomePod.
I use it merely as an AirPlay speaker for Spotify and BBC Sounds. What a let down. I have no interest in the second generation HomePod.
I might get one if they have a Black Friday sale for $199. Would like to have a nicer speaker to put on my desk than my built-in iMac speakers.
I can’t believe they didn’t really redesign anything about this. They just found a way to cut costs. Needs a wired option. Otherwise can I use it with my Xbox or PS5? Does it at least have a removable power cable? Probably not.
Although I might or get it, or at least turn off “Hey Siri” if that is an option. I swear I can be in my living room or dining room with my iPhone or iPad in my hand and WHISPER “Hey Siri” and the HomePod Mini in the kitchen responds and says “I can’t do that, you’ll have to use your iPhone.” which is the most frustrating thing.
I can’t believe they didn’t really redesign anything about this. They just found a way to cut costs. Needs a wired option. Otherwise can I use it with my Xbox or PS5? Does it at least have a removable power cable? Probably not.
Although I might or get it, or at least turn off “Hey Siri” if that is an option. I swear I can be in my living room or dining room with my iPhone or iPad in my hand and WHISPER “Hey Siri” and the HomePod Mini in the kitchen responds and says “I can’t do that, you’ll have to use your iPhone.” which is the most frustrating thing.
You fanboys always make excuses for a crap product
It's not my opinion, it's fact. The HomePods are not high enough quality to hear the difference between hi-res or lossless audio and the .aac version.
Neither are any headphones they make - the option is there to supply your own very high quality DAC and headphone setup, but as you wouldn't be able to tell the difference on my $2000 Sennheiser HD800S headphones and $1500 headphone amp coming from a $1000 UAD DAC you really don't need to worry about a £299 consumer speaker or a pair of AirPods supporting lossless audio.
You're welcome to prove you can hear otherwise on the best audio setup you currently own here - http://abx.digitalfeed.net/
The only reason for lossless or hi-res audio to exist is for editing and archival purposes.
Using Siri? No. because Siri is stupid. Or Apple is for not making this possible using Siri.