Was waiting for HomePods to become available in Denmark. Will be looking into Sonos instead.
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Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini
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You guys really overestimate the minis don’t you?!
iPod Hi-Fi still going strong in the bedroom with a cheap Logitech bluetooth adapter. Now someone has to tell the news to the stereo guys in the living room.
I sound test it with Devialet and I hardly hear a difference.
I have 9 throughout the house and play music constantly (bedroom, kitchen, dining, living, office, garage/gym). As someone mentioned they’d be $200 a few times per year at Best Buy.
For its small footprint, ease of use w/ Apple Music, big/full sound, sale price, I didn’t think there was much competition.
My alternative would likely be integrating dumb speakers with Denon HEOS (have receiver for HT). B&O, Devialet and some other drool worthy options get pricey. Sonos 5 doesn’t get me excited at $500 but maybe it should.
I’d understand U1 update w/ Max branding. They just released AirPods Max (and 6k display) that fit in between consumer and high-end pro markets. To discontinue this without successor seems a little incongruent with Apple - and missed opportunity at upgrade.
For its small footprint, ease of use w/ Apple Music, big/full sound, sale price, I didn’t think there was much competition.
My alternative would likely be integrating dumb speakers with Denon HEOS (have receiver for HT). B&O, Devialet and some other drool worthy options get pricey. Sonos 5 doesn’t get me excited at $500 but maybe it should.
I’d understand U1 update w/ Max branding. They just released AirPods Max (and 6k display) that fit in between consumer and high-end pro markets. To discontinue this without successor seems a little incongruent with Apple - and missed opportunity at upgrade.
I love my stereo pair. I use them exclusively for playing music, for which they are great. MUCH better than the HomePod Mini, it’s night and day. I like my HomePod Mini though, in a small room it’s fine.
Siri is as dumb as a bunch of rocks, I can imagine my very positive opinion of them being different if I used them as a hub etc.
I’ll happily use the big HomePods for years, the only bummer will be if they break. What to replace them with, hmm.
Siri is as dumb as a bunch of rocks, I can imagine my very positive opinion of them being different if I used them as a hub etc.
I’ll happily use the big HomePods for years, the only bummer will be if they break. What to replace them with, hmm.
I just bought one full price from John Lewis. If a 2021 HomePod is released on March 23rd then you’re still within the return window. Likewise if there is a fire sale price drop JL will either likely honour it or you can return it and buy it cheaper elsewhere.
Gamble but worth it if you want another.
Oh, and agreed on Mini. I previously bought two and ended up returning them. Sound quality on the Mini is sadly garbage.
I'm really not sure what you're talking about regarding excessive Bass levels. The HomePod struggles with bass frequencies below ~40 Hz. That said, overall the HomePod EQ is awfully close to a Harman curve, which is the "ideal sound" that most high end speaker systems try to achieve. Personally, I think the sound is focused, tight, and balanced, and I've heard all kinds of details in music that I never could in the past. Before HomePod you would have had to spend significantly more money to get a system with such a good frequency response and EQ.
100% agree. It's why I went Sonos. Premium product, really good sound, expandable with subs, surrounds, soundbar etc and integrates well with the Apple Ecosystem and many, many others.
My economics of understanding may be terrible but look.
HomePods are the only speaker that Apple has mad to have Dolby Atmos. We can't let that get taken away. the HomePod has way better base and fillings than the HomePod mini. The big HomePod may be expensive but it definitely has better sound quality and more fillings.
This is really disappointing, as others have said. I currently have two full-sized HomePods as a stereo pair in my living room for my TV, and I love them. They fill the entire room with sound. I have two HomePod minis in my bedroom as a stereo pair for that TV, but I can't set them as the default audio out. I'm hoping Apple at least gives us the ability to do that with two HomePod minis as a pair.
This is terrible news!
I have been waiting for an introduction in Sweden for years, was expecting to buy four of them as soon as that happened.
Hopefully there’s more to this story, just waiting to be released.
I have been waiting for an introduction in Sweden for years, was expecting to buy four of them as soon as that happened.
Hopefully there’s more to this story, just waiting to be released.
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If the issue is the original homepod doesn’t sell well because of the price, I don’t think they’ll just switch names and be done with it.
Privacy and integration with the rest of the ecosystem, I suppose.
With news of how many smart TVs phone home with data on how you use your smart TV, relying on an Apple TV to provide the “smarts” while keeping your TV disconnected from the internet is not an unwise choice.
Then there are also the Apple TV apps which tie in with my other apple devices, such as TV+ / arcade / music / podcasts / photos / airplay mirroring. For a while, Apple TV was also one of the few ways one could catch Apple keynotes.
The 5th gen, with its 3gb ram and A10X processor, also remains speedy enough in everyday usage. I may also be one of those oddballs who actually likes using the Apple TV remote. It’s small and slim and light and I can readily scrub through content with it.
Granted, it’s more pricey than the other alternatives, but for something I bought in 2017, seems like a small price to pay for all these benefits amortised over 4-6 years.
If these keep working for another 10-15 years as dumb airplay speakers then I'll be thrilled. They sound awesome.
The curse of the iPod HiFi strikes again. The HomePod was too expensive. You could get better sound quality for less money. The overpriced AirPod Max headphones will be next to go.
Didn't see that coming! If expensive audio gear isn't going to sell well for apple I wonder how the AirPods Max will do over time.
Not surprised. Apple has been notoriously uncommitted to home audio products, often lacking any follow-through, going back decades.
I don’t know how anyone would expect to take them seriously or consider investing in a home audio system based around their products.
I don’t know how anyone would expect to take them seriously or consider investing in a home audio system based around their products.
Losing a lot of faith in Apple lately. They ask us to invest ridiculous sums in these products in the first place, they never supported HomePod well to begin with, and how do we really think software updates and issues will go down the line now? Extremely disappointing.
The writing was on the wall very early on, this Mark Gurman article is from two months after launch
Apple’s Stumbling HomePod Isn’t the Hot Seller It Wanted
When Apple Inc.’s HomePod smart speaker went on sale in January, it entered a market pioneered and dominated by Amazon’s Echo lineup of Alexa-powered devices. Apple has been touting the HomePod’s superior sound quality but so far hasn’t enticed many consumers to part with $349.
www.bloomberg.com