Apple CEO Tim Cook: Hardware and Software Integration Will Set HomePod Apart From Competitors

[AustinIllini]

You base this on your extensive experience with HomePod?

Multi room: Sonos does it, HomePod won’t at release
Streaming services: Sonos supports 50, HomePod 1
Dolby 5.1 for television: Sonos can expand to it, HomePod doesn’t.

What am I missing?

 

[TonyC28]

So is this a premium speaker that happens to have Siri capability or a Siri speaker that happens to have premium sound?

 

[trichardlin]

I’m missing something here: how is Alexa / Prime Music not a “deep integration” between software and hardware with Alexa (and likewise with Google’s software and hardware)?....

Right now, we can only guess. But I would expect when a song is playing, I can look at my iWatch and see what song is being played. When my phone rings, I expect to be able to use HomePod as my speaker phone. I also expect to control the HomePod with with my watch, my phone and my computer. Of course, it should also become the external speakers for my computers. Etc, etc.
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...
Streaming services: Sonos supports 50, HomePod 1
...

Since HomePod is an airplay device, it will stream whatever you stream on your phone or your computer, which brings up to another advantage of HomePod, it's almost like a smart speaker with a screen you carry in your pocket.

 

[Soccertess]

integration my ass!

And it will be integrated to Siri! Enough said to pass!

 

[LiveM]

Monoaural sound is not premium. It is beyond unacceptable that this simple feature is not possible at launch, while its announcement shows just how little so-called
spacial awareness improves the sound field.

 

[iSayuSay]

Apple TV, Homepod, Carplay.. All the complementary services from Apple are great. But it's locked to the usual BS. I want to use Spotify, not Apple Music. And also Google Maps, not Apple Maps.

I love my Apple TV but Siri is tard as F in this little box. No voice feedback, no Spotify TV app (even tidal has one, why?), no phone or message notification. It's great with quite a lot quirks in the software.

 

[69Mustang]

It's still not the same as having an apple product when it comes to pairing it up. It's a big part of the apple ecosystem just like using apple music over other options.

You're kinda doin' what I accused Tim Cook of doing. Recycling marketing rhetoric. What do you mean it's not the same as having an Apple Product when it comes to pairing up? The HomePod isn't an Apple Watch with a W1 chip. It's a wifi speaker. It pairs to wifi like any other product.

I get where you're going. You're all-in on the Apple ecosystem. Nothing wrong with that but not being all-in isn't the hardship you might think it is.

 

[The Game 161]

You're kinda doin' what I accused Tim Cook of doing. Recycling marketing rhetoric. What do you mean it's not the same as having an Apple Product when it comes to pairing up? The HomePod isn't an Apple Watch with a W1 chip. It's a wifi speaker. It pairs to wifi like any other product.

I get where you're going. You're all-in on the Apple ecosystem. Nothing wrong with that but not being all-in isn't the hardship you might think it is.

It may not have the W1 chip type features but the whole big advantage of homepod is being able to listen to music via hey siri/suggesting new songs/adding music to your playlist by just telling siri. Things you can not do on the sonos. Same with the podcasts app.

 

[trichardlin]

... not being all-in isn't the hardship you might think it is.

I don't know. Sometimes it sure feel like. For example, when someone with an iPhone texts me when I'm working on my computer, I can just reply right there on my computer. But if that text came from an android phone, then I have to pull the damn phone out of my pants in order to reply.

 

[Quu]

With the state of their software lately I highly doubt that.

 

[falainber]

Once multi HomePod is enabled it has so much potential I’m thinking Apple TV, 2 HomePod’s all connected for an amazing sound? Double as an awesome music stereo? That I can control with my iPhone? That sounds good to me

Any stereo speakers with Chromecast can do it. Integration for listening music is really overrated. It was easy to listen to music on all sorts of equipment like forever. If now we need some special integration perhaps something went wrong with the tech progress.

 

[69Mustang]

It may not have the W1 chip type features but the whole big advantage of homepod is being able to listen to music via hey siri/suggesting new songs/adding music to your playlist by just telling siri. Things you can not do on the sonos. Same with the podcasts app.

So we're back at Siri again. Which still goes to my point. Lack of Siri integration is far from not syncing with Apple products. Sonos and Apple have been peanut butter and jelly for a long time. The appearance of the HomePod doesn't suddenly make them incompatible. Your argument only works (somewhat) if a person only uses Apple exclusively. Outside of that niche, it falls apart rather quickly.

 

[The Game 161]

So we're back at Siri again. Which still goes to my point. Lack of Siri integration is far from not syncing with Apple products. Sonos and Apple have been peanut butter and jelly for a long time. The appearance of the HomePod doesn't suddenly make them incompatible. Your argument only works (somewhat) if a person only uses Apple exclusively. Outside of that niche, it falls apart rather quickly.

My point is it will never sync like it will with apple products. That was my whole point. A big selling point for the homepod is the integration. It's a big reason why people buy these speakers.

Homepod is the only option for me as I only use apple music.

 

[lnikj]

But ... but ... the HomePod costs more so it must be better ...

 

[69Mustang]

I don't know. Sometimes it sure feel like. For example, when someone with an iPhone texts me when I'm working on my computer, I can just reply right there on my computer. But if that text came from an android phone, then I have to pull the damn phone out of my pants in order to reply.

Wow, I didn't think about that. That does seem like quite a hardship. The reach to the pocket is bad enough, then having to read it and type a reply... ughh.

Seriously, that's your example of hardship? 🙄

 

[richpjr]

It will be interesting to see how it plays out between Google/Amazon vs Apple. I guess it depends on your needs.

I have an Echo right now and I love how I can control my lights, thermostat, oven, Neato vacuum, home security system and Harmony hub with it. I fully expect the Homepod to sound much, much better than the Echo - as it should for the price difference. The Echo sounds about what you expect for the price. But I never listen to music on it as I have a nice home theater system so I guess I'm not the target market, unless my devices all supported Homekit (which I don't think they all do). I am also skeptical about any claims Apple makes about high quality audio after listening to Beats headphones. You can buy much better sounding headphones for the price you pay for Beats - yes I know that is subjective.

 

[JadawinUK]

Am I the only one that thinks it's crazy to put all these home microphone/camera devices in multiple rooms of your house?!

Ever heard of iPhones?

Btw, Cook seems to be a walking buzzword and phrase collection now, only beaten by Phil "Magical" Schiller.

 

[verniesgarden]

I don't know. Sometimes it sure feel like. For example, when someone with an iPhone texts me when I'm working on my computer, I can just reply right there on my computer. But if that text came from an android phone, then I have to pull the damn phone out of my pants in order to reply.

you can turn on text forwarding, it'll push the text messages to your mac's messenger.

 

[69Mustang]

Ah yes, the dominant ecosystem and brand Sonos. Apple could buy Sonos with today’s sales.

How does a comment Apple's sales dominance refute the assertion made my AustinIllini? True, to say Sonos is better is an unfounded opinion, but your reply... it's completely out of left field and has nothing to do with the quality of Sonos or the HomePod.

Here's essentially what you did:
AI: Cindy and Jane are pretty but Cindy is way better lookin'

You: Cindy, she's alright. Jane's dad could buy Cindy's family with pocket change.

Erbody: wut?

 

[Crzyrio]

Wow, I didn't think about that. That does seem like quite a hardship. The reach to the pocket is bad enough, then having to read it and type a reply... ughh.

Seriously, that's your example of hardship? 🙄

It’s about convinenice and your crazy if you don’t think messages/calls on Mac’s are a huge plus to the ecosystem.

 

[maverick808]

For example, when someone with an iPhone texts me when I'm working on my computer, I can just reply right there on my computer. But if that text came from an android phone, then I have to pull the damn phone out of my pants in order to reply.

Sorry you've missed it all this time but SMS text message forwarding from iPhone to Mac has been available for years now. It's a setting on your phone to forward texts to nearby devices.

 

[bernuli]

People who want quality sound at home most likely already have a quality sound system.

People that want a quality voice assistant at home probably already have something with Alexa.

So is the Home Pod going after some new market that does not exist yet? Or is it just another Apple hardware /software integration that comes without innovation?

 

[A MacBook lover]

How does a comment Apple's sales dominance refute the assertion made my AustinIllini? True, to say Sonos is better is an unfounded opinion, but your reply... it's completely out of left field and has nothing to do with the quality of Sonos or the HomePod.

Here's essentially what you did:
AI: Cindy and Jane are pretty but Cindy is way better lookin'

You: Cindy, she's alright. Jane's dad could buy Cindy's family with pocket change.

Erbody: wut?

He’s implying that Apple has more reasearch, more capital, and better access to better components (and probably cheaper too).

And the HomePod is a result of that. AirPods were too. Excellent hardware, excellent software to provide an amazing, seamless, and immersive experience. Great price too.

 

[truthertech]

Using extortion, threats, illegal tactics, bullying.....

Oh, you're right, the human carnage left in Apple's wake! Won't someone stop this evil corporate monster! Just last week I heard that Tim Cook was holding a gun to people's head to force them to buy an Apple Watch at their new HQ store, and having security take a couple of kids' iPhones away until they agreed to buy a set of AirPods! 🙁

 

[mariusignorello]

Oh, you're right, the human carnage left in Apple's wake! Won't someone stop this evil corporate monster! Just last week I heard that Tim Cook was holding a gun to people's head to force them to buy an Apple Watch at their new HQ store, and having security take a couple of kids' iPhones away until they agreed to buy a set of AirPods! 🙁

I can just see the giant lightning strike (no pun intended) over Apple’s corporate offices.