Not true drewyboy. Use the iHeartRadio app for AM/FM and Airplay it to HomePod.
If you can listen to it on your iPhone or iPad (via any app), you can Airplay it to the HomePod.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook: Hardware and Software Integration Will Set HomePod Apart From Competitors
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So typing on a keyboard in front of a computer wouldn't bring attention to you in the board meeting?Of course, it's hardship every time we old folks have to type on that tiny keyboard.And if you get stuck in a board meeting, you definitely don't want to pull out that phone and draw attention to yourself.
You can already hook up an Apple TV (even an older one) or an AirPort Express to a set of speakers of your choice, and play music from a Mac or iOS device losslessly via AirPlay. I'm doing this already, and with way better (stereo) speakers than the HomePod has.
The joke is on anyone under the illusion that Apple values your privacy. That's a marketing ploy for them to have unhindered access to our data. They only value your privacy insofar as you buy their products.
I would almost rather trust a company like google who can tell you what they know about you and what they do with your information
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Refrain from putting "HomePod" and "TV" in the same sentence.
Do yourself a favor and buy a soundbar. Either a Playbar or one that supports Atmos. Don't force yourself into misusing an Apple device just because it is from Apple.
Jobs was the orchestrator. Tim is the caretaker.
Apple used to 'hatch up' the market leading ideas.
Now they 'catch up' and 'patch up'.
The phone range is 2 years behind.
The computer range even more so.
The ecosystem less intuitive.
Even the prices are not competitive.
All the above for any other company would spell disaster.
But Apple can do no wrong it seems even if AR and VR have the same future as 3D TVs have.
People don't want disorientation and ridiculously bulky headsets. It's a doomed project not just a vanity one.
Things have to change surely? Even Apple can't be impervious to market forces forever. Or can they?
I had a similar whinge a year ago when I spectacularly got it wrong - predicting that 2017 was their make or break year. Apple shares haven't been better! So work that out, readers!
Apple used to 'hatch up' the market leading ideas.
Now they 'catch up' and 'patch up'.
The phone range is 2 years behind.
The computer range even more so.
The ecosystem less intuitive.
Even the prices are not competitive.
All the above for any other company would spell disaster.
But Apple can do no wrong it seems even if AR and VR have the same future as 3D TVs have.
People don't want disorientation and ridiculously bulky headsets. It's a doomed project not just a vanity one.
Things have to change surely? Even Apple can't be impervious to market forces forever. Or can they?
I had a similar whinge a year ago when I spectacularly got it wrong - predicting that 2017 was their make or break year. Apple shares haven't been better! So work that out, readers!
Of course it’s not a hardship but using products designed to work together does make many things easier.
It was a comparison of the Sonos then being sold in a similar size and price category . If somehow Sonos has now produced a better sounding speaker, let the comparisons begin anew.
Never said it wasn't easier for some things. I did say it wasn't a hardship to pull a phone out of a pocket... and it's not. But to address your point, it's not black and white that designed to work together makes things easier. Some things? Sure. Others? Not so much. Maps was designed to work in the Apple ecosystem. So was iWorks. So is Mail. Anecdotally, none of those things work better than the alternatives that I've chosen to use. That's neither here nor there. Only the first two sentences are relevant. The rest is just me mini-ranting.
First, if you don't know about the A8 processor and it's capabilities, I'll keep it basic, and here's a quick snapshot from AI about why processing power matters to achieve the technological heights the Homepod has.
"While it may seem like the A8 processor is overkill for the HomePod, the CPU is in charge of quite a bit of tech, like real-time software modeling of the woofer mechanics, upmixing of both direct and ambient audio, real-time buffering, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancellation.
In contrast, an iFixit teardown revealed that the Google Home's processor, flash memory, and RAM are the exact same chips found in the second-generation Chromecast, a product that sells for just $35."
Second, taking over markets obviously isn't referring to the Apple's early history, although they had some great successes then as well, but rather the last decade or two when they became the tech envy of the world by taking over markets with industry leading products and services such as iTunes, iPod, iPhone, iPad, Apple Music, wireless headphones, premium headphones, digital assistant, App store, Apple Pay, Apple Watch, iMac, etc.
I meant convenience, but I agree with you. Besides if your on the Net you have little privacy
It certainly has a nice processor, but what abilities does that processor provide? What can it do that Sonos doesn't?
Let me weigh in on Sonos Play:3. I've owned it for 2 years. It has no smart assistant, it won't play my music files, it only plays streaming music. It will require plugging into an ethernet cable, I've done it twice, for some random reason, and require a new set up process. As mentioned ^ Every reviewer says it is a lesser sound quality compared to the Apple HomePod. It costs $350 so it isn't more affordable, but there are clear drawbacks for someone who already thinks spending $350 on a single speaker is 'okay'.
Sonos does have an aspirational ecosystem, meaning, I want to keep with Sonos and build a home theater setup (4 speakers plus sub). Apple doesn't have an aspirational product line, this is just an accessory. (i've posted about this aspirational ecosystem on this forum already)
I AM the target market for this HomePod.
1. I won't buy a half-baked product.
2. I'm not thrilled with first-gen Apple products, they are abandoned quickly, usurped by a much better product. (iPad vs iPad 2; Watch vs Watch series 1)
3. ^^These two factors combine to entrench my hesitance with HomePod
4. No aspirational product line.
5. The backwards-looking product ignores a world full of products and doesn't integrate with say, TV.
6. It's a personal product, it isn't good for a party with mixed devices.
7. (A friend of mine mentioned it like this
Don't agree that your concerns are typical of the "target" market, e.g., most folks who buy Apple's products understand and accept that Apple necessarily has to iterate new technology whether it is iPhone, Apple Watch, Homepod, etc., or that there isn't an aspirational product line with Homepod since Apple never discloses that, but you outline some great things that hopefully Apple will add, and your post is that rare thoughtfully written on on MR.
If they stick with it, I think it could be a great product someday (perhaps the next hardware revision). But right now I'm not getting who it's for. Audiophiles who are deaf in one ear and don't need stereo? People who live alone and can live with a siri that only understands one person in the house?
There's a reason reviewers have been so enamored with the sound from the iPod and why it blows away the cheap speakers from Amazon and Google. It starts with the simple fact that Apple's great sound engineers have the processing power to do things that cheaper speakers will never be able to do. Here's quick snapshot from an AI review:
"While it may seem like the A8 processor is overkill for the HomePod, the CPU is in charge of quite a bit of tech, like real-time software modeling of the woofer mechanics, upmixing of both direct and ambient audio, real-time buffering, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancellation.
The A8 is also in charge of Siri, which works with "Hey Siri" and can be used to do anything from checking the weather, converting units of measurements, playing a podcast, checking nearby traffic, setting a timer or reminder, and even sending a text message.
In contrast, an iFixit teardown revealed that the Google Home's processor, flash memory, and RAM are the exact same chips found in the second-generation Chromecast, a product that sells for just $35."
Not crazy at all.
I recall watching a B type movie (i think it was a failed pilot) when i was a kid. It was about an astronaut landing on a parallel earth. On this earth the US government is a police state that watches and listens to what is going on in everyone's home with devices builtin to the TV sets.
While we don't live in a "police state" (at least not yet), the technology to spy in everyone's household now exists and its actually controlled by private companies. Frankly i think that is scarier than the government since companies have no limitations imposed on them.
You'll have to hear it to understand what it can produce as a single speaker. I'll trust the consistent reviews that were pretty much awestruck by the room filling sound. As far as "stereo," etc., it won't take a hardware revision, instead the beauty and reason behind the A8 processor is what Apple will be able to do with software updates. Not only does it enable the Homepod to do things with sound that Echo, etc., can only dream of, but it allows future improvements that will make your investment in the Homepod even more valuable.
I know you didn’t say it wasn’t easier. I was the one that brought that up to try to counterpoint your hardship argument, which you keep throwing out, even though no one, other than yourself, has used.
Because Sonos doesn't tie into Apples ecosystem, which is important for many Apple users.
/Discussion.
Odd you say that, when the very next comment after I mention hardship was this one:
"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."
Everyone is for sale.
Apple's time schedule is self-imposed. Delays in minor products like HomePod and AirPods don't really concern anyone but haters. Yeah, I agree they should clean that up, but it's really just about releasing good products. AirPods are truly great, so the few month delay is meaningless now. People love them and they work great.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/technology/virtual-assistants-alexa.htmlhttps://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/technology/virtual-assistants-alexa.html
There's a huge Internet myth about personal assistants in the home. Yes, Apple will be adding things over time to the Homepod, but Day 1, the Homepod will be able to do what the vast majority of users of Echo and Google use their personal assistants for, i.e., play music, set a timer or ask about the weather.
Here's a good article about the "uselessness," meaning how few are actually used of the vast majority of the Echo features.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/technology/virtual-assistants-alexa.html
That's the point people are missing, and it boils down to, if most people are using their digital assistants to listen to music, with an occasional set a timer, check on the weather, etc., what will they rather have, a tinny sounding Echo, or a fantastic sounding quality speaker like the Homepod? Especially since with Amazon and Google, you don't have any meaningful privacy. (Folks should ask themselves why Google and Amazon are selling these devices at a likely loss to get them in your home.)
There's a huge Internet myth about personal assistants in the home. Yes, Apple will be adding things over time to the Homepod, but Day 1, the Homepod will be able to do what the vast majority of users of Echo and Google use their personal assistants for, i.e., play music, set a timer or ask about the weather.
Here's a good article about the "uselessness," meaning how few are actually used of the vast majority of the Echo features.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/15/technology/virtual-assistants-alexa.html
That's the point people are missing, and it boils down to, if most people are using their digital assistants to listen to music, with an occasional set a timer, check on the weather, etc., what will they rather have, a tinny sounding Echo, or a fantastic sounding quality speaker like the Homepod? Especially since with Amazon and Google, you don't have any meaningful privacy. (Folks should ask themselves why Google and Amazon are selling these devices at a likely loss to get them in your home.)
I never said it was a hardship. Being able to answer it on your Mac is a huge convenience.
Comparing to a $50 echo isn't really the point. Compare to $300 worth of stereo speakers plugged into an airport express, or to a sonos (if the supposed value proposition is good sound).