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Prime Day happened, so I decided to enter the world of "smart homes" with 1 plug and an Echo Show. Very cool. My first experience with Alexa. Apple is as rich & powerful of a company as any other, so what excuse do they have for being so bad at this stuff? I didn't consider a HomePod for 1 second. All they had to say was "Siri" and I knew it wouldn't work for me.

And as a bonus - I didn't even know this would happen - Alexa can control my Sonos speaker! Apple is so far behind I'm embarrassed for them.
 
Question: why is it inferior to SONOS in almost every way?
Some Rules of Apple Products:
1. Apple is always right
2. Do not provide compatibility with competing systems unless legally obliged to or otherwise unavoidable
3. If compatible, or there is a workaround, create annoying gotchas to remind the user they are breaking rules 1 and 2
4. If Apple's technology is inferior, pass it off as a minimalism, style or fashion
5. If the product is a dud, make it really expensive so people will hopefully not notice
 
These things have more features than ever, so we need a specialist. Gone are the days when you'd just turn on a speaker and it would just "work" no airplay, no Siri, no nothing.
 

what did you expect from this forum ?[/QUOTE]

I expected them to a) complain about Siri, b) complain about the price, and c) expect the session was an opportunity to submit their wishes and complaints.

I was not disappointed.

I did not expect them to recognize the session for what it is; just another entry-level way for Apple's customers to learn how to better use their Apple stuff.

I hope this forum's denizens stay away from this session in droves. That way, the people for whom it's intended may actually get some value from the event. I hope that the session can stay on-topic and works well for those who attend, so that Apple considers it a success and continues to offer more like them.
 
I think the HomePod may well end up selling in way greater quantities than a refreshed Mac.

One should not confuse the average Macrumours member’s needs as being representative of the needs of Apple’s user base in general.
 
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I’m sorry Craig Federighi is NOT that important, at least not in my eyes yet that’s my own opinion I’m valid to have and form. I especially don’t like the bravado or arrogance of pride form the WWDC opening: rising happiness tones of long haired developer wearing a scarf : in a city that is above 24 celcius all year round (LMAO) or that Craig Federighi is highlighted as an elite for young developers to look up to?! Really?

Nah let’s back to topic and summits what Apple could be doing to alleviate this issue.

The topic is a consumer-oriented question-and-answer session on how to use HomePod, hosted at the Apple Online Communities. If you want to discuss "what Apple could be doing to alleviate this issue," start your own discussion thread. Your feelings about Craig Federighi are also off-topic - I should have known better than to use irony in an online forum.

Again, 'Apple Hosting Live HomePod Question-and-Answer Event on July 25' Discuss!
 
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Another lame duck product under a horrible CEO.

Great engineers made a cool product, but lack of leadership makes it useless. BUt don't worry guys, even though Homepod is way behind other tech giants home solutions and really only responds "sorry, I can't do that on homepod" just remember, share value is up!

So it must be you who is the problem, not siri or homepod because sharevalue is up!
 
My question: Why was sound quality excellent when I first got my HP, then it got terrible, then, with the most recent update, it improved, but still doesn't seem to be on the same level it was back when I first purchased? I was originally thinking about getting one or two more, but now I think I'll just go Sonos.
 
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Oh, yea! This is going to be good!
 

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Dear Apple,

You know you've done something(s) terribly wrong if you have to run a clinic for a freaking speaker!

#foreheadslap
 
Considering they run clinics on how to use the internet, it likely reflects Apple’s broad customer base, including those who are less tech savvy. Obviously the target audience is not on these forums.
 
A good questions is why can I not use this $350 speaker with ... my tv? Or my video game system? Or anything else but the Apple TV for that matter.
Because that’s not what it was designed for. It is very Apple-like to design a product that works in a very specific way for a very specific purpose. What you’re looking for is a home theatre speaker set, or a stereo, not a HomePod.
 



Have a question about the HomePod?

Apple announced that it will be hosting a HomePod live event in its Support Communities on Wednesday, July 25, providing customers with an opportunity to ask Apple support representatives questions about the Siri-enabled speaker.

homepod-event-support-communities.jpg

Specialists will be on hand between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Pacific Time, answering questions about a variety of topics in real time:To participate in the event when it goes live, head to the HomePod Community on the Apple Support Communities, sign in to or create an Apple ID account, click Post > Discussion in the upper-right corner, and submit a question.

Specialists already monitor the Apple Support Communities, and occasionally answer questions, but this event should lead to faster answers.

It'll be interesting to see how this goes.

Article Link: Apple Hosting Live HomePod Question-and-Answer Event on July 25


PLEASE ANSWER WHETHER THEY WILL UPDATE SIRI ON HOMEPOD, AND I WONT HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE!!
 
Although I do not own a Homepod, ALL of these topics listed in the MR article SHOULD BE DESCRIBED in a simple, 20-page owners manual...you know, paper. Not an online link. Not a cd rom included for help. Not an app for your iPhone. A bleeping sets of pages of paper and not in 1 Point Font.

I know other companies love to fail to include owners manual, but Apple takes the cake. It really burns me that they can't include a decent paper manual for 100% of their products. I open up any Apple product and the only paper thing I get is the mandated FCC mumbo jumbo. Not even a Quick Start guide is included.

I'm competent and extremely technical...but I don't have ESP and I don't like buying a product and then wondering the basics.
 
PLEASE ANSWER WHETHER THEY WILL UPDATE SIRI ON HOMEPOD, AND I WONT HAVE TO BUY A NEW ONE!!

Please don't shout. Apple is automatically upgrading the OS on HomePod on a regular basis. They're also continually upgrading Siri on all platforms, so there's no reason to believe they will not be updating Siri for current HomePods.

Apple believes in giving current owners upgraded software at no extra cost. It keeps people much happier than "making them buy a new one."
 
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Maybe they can finally answer why my HomePod disappears on all my devices as an AirPlay option and the only thing that fixes it is unplugging it and replugging it back in. I've messed with the router settings. Apple gave me a new unit and everything and I cannot figure it out for the life of me and it's SOURING the experience that every day I have to unplug it and replug it back in just to AirPlay.
That sounds like a question for Apple Support.
 
"Why does this product exist?"
So I thought, you know, what the heck I might buy it and see. Went on the Apple website and read about it. Every home should have one, right? It lets me:
1. Play music via voice activation, but I can actually already do that by walking past MacBook or phone if I choose.
2. Control lights and various internet connected devices around the home, which I can already do with devices I have
3. Control my calendar etc.

Ok, great. But I want stereo if I am going to enjoy music, so I buy two. Now it's $700, presumably for a small room like an apartment or bedroom. No problem. But honestly, I have my phone, it's with me all the time. And $700 actually buys me a very good bluetooth enabled Dolby Atmos (!) sound bar with subwoofer and money to spare. They sound REALLY good. I guess if I was into home automation I'd find it hard to choose, but personally I prefer infrared movement detectors to voice activation for home lighting - much more convenient and quieter at night. I think the HomePod needs to find something unique to offer, to be honest. Not sure what though.
 
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