Love it. Alexa mesh wifi speakers all around the house will now give me wifi and hifi everywhere
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Apple Music Now Playable on Amazon Echo Speakers via Alexa in United States
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The two don’t really compete.
The people buying a cheap amazon echo or google home device are not in the market for a HomePod. Likewise, the people willing to pay for a HomePod have shown that they value sound quality first and foremost and are willing to pay a premium for it, hence an echo or home device is not going to appeal to them.
It’s possible that Apple is doing this to prevent users from defecting from Apple Music. I am actually a bit confused on the motivation though. Apple Music isn’t profitable any more than Spotify is, so this doesn’t feel like a push to chase revenue. Could Apple be chasing music streaming subscribers to retain influence with record labels, and to possibly push its video streaming and news service next year (easier to sell a bundle when your users are already using one of them)?
The two don’t really compete.
The people buying a cheap amazon echo or google home device are not in the market for a HomePod. Likewise, the people willing to pay for a HomePod have shown that they value sound quality first and foremost and are willing to pay a premium for it, hence an echo or home device is not going to appeal to them.
It’s possible that Apple is doing this to prevent users from defecting from Apple Music. I am actually a bit confused on the motivation though. Apple Music isn’t profitable any more than Spotify is, so this doesn’t feel like a push to chase revenue. Could Apple be chasing music streaming subscribers to retain influence with record labels, and to possibly push its video streaming and news service next year (easier to sell a bundle when your users are already using one of them)?
A music is a huge revenue bringer, and seems to make profit too. To push its relevance it needs to expand and be available everywhere. No music label is interested to only sell to the 20 percent apple crowd.
Apples closed environment was always a failure on the long run. One of the areas steve was wrong and too short sighted.
Nowadays apple is not good enough anymore to deliver a significant better experience than others, because they have copied apples success patterns.
Apples strategy must becoming a major player on the whole market when it goes to digital services. With devices it should stay with its strategy of high integration between devices, but that doesn’t work anymore too.
A watch MUST become independent from iPhone - this tight integration is the same old and wrong strategy they tried with iTunes and iPhones.
Steve i guess would have figured that out by now .. maybe!
As a UK Apple Music subscriber I was hoping I'd be able to use my Echo with the service but if Apple can't pull their finger out then I'm unsubscribing in protest. There's plenty of alternatives.
I think it’s for the android users on Apple Music. An android user of Apple Music won’t buy a HomePod because they don’t have an iPhone and many won’t have an iPad. They may switch away to google play music or amazon music because they can get an echo or google home. This way Apple can appeal to more android users.The two don’t really compete.
The people buying a cheap amazon echo or google home device are not in the market for a HomePod. Likewise, the people willing to pay for a HomePod have shown that they value sound quality first and foremost and are willing to pay a premium for it, hence an echo or home device is not going to appeal to them.
It’s possible that Apple is doing this to prevent users from defecting from Apple Music. I am actually a bit confused on the motivation though. Apple Music isn’t profitable any more than Spotify is, so this doesn’t feel like a push to chase revenue. Could Apple be chasing music streaming subscribers to retain influence with record labels, and to possibly push its video streaming and news service next year (easier to sell a bundle when your users are already using one of them)?
I have 2 HomePods, 2 echos and a google home mini.
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Not going to unsubscribe but I was looking forward to cancelling amazon music and using my Apple Music subscription on my HomePods and echos.
Thanks for sharing your home setup.
If I were to use you as an example, Apple seems to be trying to cater to Apple Music subscribers who are using echo devices (which probably outnumber existing HomePod users). It could be a move to prevent users like yourself from defecting to a more cross-platform alternative such as Spotify.
I was considering this until Amazon gave me 2 months free when I switched to family plan. Amazon don't really give discount for family plan and I don't see the point staying with them. When my free 2 months is over I'm switching back to Apple Music unless Amazon gives me discount like their single plan.
Amazon may be “scummy” but compared to anything Google they are a group of choir boys.
Alexa adds things to my shopping list on my watch! IFTTT is your friend here...
ex
The two don’t really compete.
The people buying a cheap amazon echo or google home device are not in the market for a HomePod. Likewise, the people willing to pay for a HomePod have shown that they value sound quality first and foremost and are willing to pay a premium for it, hence an echo or home device is not going to appeal to them.
It’s possible that Apple is doing this to prevent users from defecting from Apple Music. I am actually a bit confused on the motivation though. Apple Music isn’t profitable any more than Spotify is, so this doesn’t feel like a push to chase revenue. Could Apple be chasing music streaming subscribers to retain influence with record labels, and to possibly push its video streaming and news service next year (easier to sell a bundle when your users are already using one of them)?
Not sure I 100% agree with this.
Buy a Amazon Alexa Dot, connect it to $300 of proper stereo speakers and Apple music sub, and you have a music player that's vastly superior to a HomePod for audio quality, and at the same time vastly better AI / Smart home integration.
While this is possible, I think majority of consumers might still prefer integrated solutions. They won't be thinking "I will buy these two products separately and hook them up together", unless they already had the speaker from before. It's going to be 1 vs 1. Echo vs HomePod.
That said, the HomePod seems to be doing well enough at its current $250 discounted price that maybe Apple is taking notes and we might see an updated version at a lower price.
I had a 3 month free trial of the individual plan and it expired this month and they gave me a month for £3.97 but I won’t renew next month because it goes up to £7.99.
I already pay for Apple Music and google play. I don’t really want google play music but it comes bundled in with YouTube premium which I do want.
I also got Spotify for 3 months for 99p. I won’t renew it when t expires. So hopefully in the next 3 months Apple Music will come to echos in the UK. Otherwise I’ll just have to make do with prime music as I’m not paying for 3 subscriptions.
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I did have a Sony stereo but I gave it away when I got my first HomePod. It’s much more convenient to subscribe to a music steaming service and have a good quality smart speaker. Having a stereo and CDs is cumbersome and takes up too much space. Not to mention trying to keep the CDs away from my toddler. Plus there is the added benefit of having the speakers all over your house so you can listen to audio all over the house.
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You're living in a bubble.
Lets be clear about one thing - homepod is not in any way, shape or form unique. Spouting out that its an amazing feet that Apple has got a mic to work 20 feet away is nothing when multiple competitors had it 2 years before they did. Apple were VERY late to the game, and really didn't bring anything new that we didnt already have, they just slapped a few of the features together:
- Decent quality speaker (Competitor: Sonos)
- Long range mic (Competitor Alexa / Google Home)
- Voice Control (Competitor Alexa / Google Home)
The only difference was that at the time, Sonos had little to no "Smart" voice integration (which has obviously now changed).
Then we come to Siri. I'm very much aware that Siri is the main interface for Homepod, and I'm not saying it should flat out be removed without a replacement.
Siri has deep rooted issues that clearly can not be fixed, else they would've been 8 years ago when it first became apparent how utterly limited it was. You probably dont know that Alexa and Google Home are both trouncing Siri in terms of voice assistance and updates.
The fact that we now have no less than FIVE different, non connected versions of Siri floating around for devices (yes, they are individual AI's and not the same one, as has been proven time and time again using network tracing, decompilation and basic command issuance) is very worrying - it's meant that it'll never be possible to actually have an Alexa level smart assistant, and instead we'll forever get the response "Heres what I found on the web for when does the mall open".
Also theres one thing people here seem to forget - INTERNATIONAL USERS. Siri may be able to tell you all about your local area in the stares. But in Europe and Asia its utterly useless at anything more than telling you the weather or setting a timer.
Siri needs throwing away and starting again - it is not a voice assistant, it's a convoluted list of if/else statements that Apple should be ashamed to be associated with.
Siri isn’t as good as Alexa or google home but it’s not completely useless here in the UK. It can tell you some local information, like transit information, cinema showings and store opening times.
Apple aren’t going to get rid of Siri because they need to have their own AI. It will never be as good as the google assistant or Alexa because Apple are not heavily investing in it like amazon and google.
Now we need the reverse - streaming Amazon Music on the HomePod (outside of using Airplay from an iPhone, etc.)
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Apple Music has been cross platform for a number of years now - being accessible on both Android and Windows. Extending it to Echo's seems like a pretty logical step to me.
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Apple Music has been cross platform for a number of years now - being accessible on both Android and Windows. Extending it to Echo's seems like a pretty logical step to me.
Interesting this does not work with other devices that have Alexa built in, such as the UE boom/blast etc.
That is true, and I don't disagree with you.
I actually wish, people would make these things, but in the style of 2+1 speaker set ups you get for computers.
2 small satellites and a bass for the floor.
Nothing different from what they always did.
iPod/iTunes was available on Windows too, and if they didn't make that choice probably the Apple we know today wouldn't exist. Windows support for iPod was instrumental in making it a sensation for many years, helping make of Apple a mainstream brand and putting a lot of cash in Apple's bank. Without that brand recognition, all that money, and the know–how acquired developing handled devices, we wouldn't have had the iPhone.
Same for Apple Music on Android. Music is a service with a very wide potential, it makes a lot of sense to not limit to Apple devices, almost everyone has a streaming subscription today, but millions of people just can't afford Apple devices even if they wanted.
Cook strategy seems pretty clear to me. He knows that products like the iPhone come once in a lifetime, therefore he is focusing on expanding Apple services. For all the people incensing Job's genius, he failed a lot, for decades, and it took him 30 years to reach the level of success iPhone has given to Apple.
All the people criticising Cook for the HomePod, besides maybe studying a bit of Apple history, should just remember iPod Hi-Fi. HomePod by all accounts has taken the lion share of high-end streaming devices, iPod Hi-Fi was dead in the water and discontinued after a year.
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Majority of consumers buy what they can afford. That's way you see millions of $50-100 streaming devices sold and few $350 HomePod sold. "Integration" is for people that have money for it, certainly not the primary driver of buyers of technology. If for no other reason that, if you don't have the money, you don't have the money. Period. House, car, food, holidays, health, education, you really don't think they all come before a streaming service integrated with a streaming device for most people?
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me too. am going to go back to Spotify I think. they don't have no excuse why its us only and not available in the uk!
Apple has an active installed user base of 1.3 billion.
Netflix only has 148 million subscribers worldwide. Apple doesn’t have to open up.
Apple’s customers are loyal, unlike most other brands, where customers might be loyal to the os but not a specific manufacturer.
Also, Apple’s customers tend to be the type who buy software and subscription services.
Amazon only has around 100 million Prime subscribers, so it is interesting to see Apple partner with such a small player.
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I can’t airplay to it, so what good is that?
The two don’t really compete.
The people buying a cheap amazon echo or google home device are not in the market for a HomePod. Likewise, the people willing to pay for a HomePod have shown that they value sound quality first and foremost and are willing to pay a premium for it, hence an echo or home device is not going to appeal to them.
It’s possible that Apple is doing this to prevent users from defecting from Apple Music. I am actually a bit confused on the motivation though. Apple Music isn’t profitable any more than Spotify is, so this doesn’t feel like a push to chase revenue. Could Apple be chasing music streaming subscribers to retain influence with record labels, and to possibly push its video streaming and news service next year (easier to sell a bundle when your users are already using one of them)?
That logic does not makes sense, if you value sound quality above all, you are buying neither of those speakers .
Simple fact - this is apples answer to the echo, very expansive one. You don’t have a choice, buying one , you are not demonstrating that you value sound quality . It’s the only option.
Actually , if sound quality is the top preference , one would buy a complete Sonos system at home with Alexa integration. Movies / music
When I bought my iMac Pro, I was demonstrating anything , my Mac Pro 2013 needed an upgrade, iMac Pro was the choice .
The HomePod is not a sound system , its being marketed as a home assistant , great at music , Siri intergration and home automation.
Has this been confirmed as US only?
Amazon initially said this was coming on 17th December I assumed it had rolled out early in the US.
EDIT: Just seen on the Apple support site, US only. Apple as a services company LOL. Cant even get this in place in its biggest markets. Dire.
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