Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Offering Discounts on HomePod to Apple Music Subscribers
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Google Home Minis and Chromecast Audio with a real stereo system is a much better experience.
Those people won't even get close to the Home Pod.
Big question for any product: WHY?
A: because Apple says so!
Consumers: Not... good... enough.
1) Siri is almost useless. All these "AI" voice companions are little better than animatronics and kitsch robot toys of the past and present. I had high hopes for Siri (and the others) when it came out, but it hasn't become a helping hand--it's a hampering hand.
2) Apple Music. Unless you are just into the corporate propaganda rock, Apple's curation is complete CRAP. And crap is a very nice word for it, because crap doesn't do justice for how abysmal Apple's curation of all music happens to be. They center around music, in PR, but in actuality they center around pop-aganda and astro-turf nonsense ONLY. It's impossible to set up a satisfying playlist in most genres of music without a major waste of time. The USER must curate their own and Apple offers nothing, only directions back to U2 or Ed Sheehan or Adele or Minaj, etc.
3) Why would I listen to music on that speaker when I already have a ton of worthy bluetooth speakers I can link into and port my own collection of music? FOR FREE.
4) What is this going to b come in the future? A: nothing more than it is. There is nothing more that it can become until they fix the first two problems described above.
A: because Apple says so!
Consumers: Not... good... enough.
1) Siri is almost useless. All these "AI" voice companions are little better than animatronics and kitsch robot toys of the past and present. I had high hopes for Siri (and the others) when it came out, but it hasn't become a helping hand--it's a hampering hand.
2) Apple Music. Unless you are just into the corporate propaganda rock, Apple's curation is complete CRAP. And crap is a very nice word for it, because crap doesn't do justice for how abysmal Apple's curation of all music happens to be. They center around music, in PR, but in actuality they center around pop-aganda and astro-turf nonsense ONLY. It's impossible to set up a satisfying playlist in most genres of music without a major waste of time. The USER must curate their own and Apple offers nothing, only directions back to U2 or Ed Sheehan or Adele or Minaj, etc.
3) Why would I listen to music on that speaker when I already have a ton of worthy bluetooth speakers I can link into and port my own collection of music? FOR FREE.
4) What is this going to b come in the future? A: nothing more than it is. There is nothing more that it can become until they fix the first two problems described above.
Tim Cook always prides how Apple says no to so many products. This should have been one of those. I’ve got one. Very nice speaker. That’s about it, the most underwhelming Apple product I’ve ever owned. Screams that Tim felt pressure to expand somewhere new and market data drove him to smart speakers.
Too little... too late, Apple.
And this is coming from a current Apple Music subscriber and HomePod owner that would like to have a second one to pair up. Until that price comes out of the stratosphere... they can expect dismal sales numbers for this product, no matter what they do.
$249 would be a more reasonable price. $199 and they would actually start selling a few.
And this is coming from a current Apple Music subscriber and HomePod owner that would like to have a second one to pair up. Until that price comes out of the stratosphere... they can expect dismal sales numbers for this product, no matter what they do.
$249 would be a more reasonable price. $199 and they would actually start selling a few.
Sure if decent sound doesnt matter to them
HA! Hopefully this makes TC & Apple wake up and stop increasing prices for products that hardly have any improvements from the years before. Years ago they had the right balance of price, usability, style etc - now - even as an Apple fan - I’m starting not to see the £200 increase for me to buy the equivalent of my 2014 MBP in 2018. And I used to be one of those fan boy things a little.
Take a hit on profits and make your products stand out in software and hardware, so people feel like the extra value is worth paying.
I don’t give a scooby doo if investors are upset about not making more and more profits every year. We live on a finite planet with finite resources. It’s unrealistic to expect there to be growth all the time. Apple made more profit under Scully et al before Jobs came back. Look where that almost got them They’re making more profit under Cook now too. Focus on the products more, TC. iPhones aren’t selling as much? Make your software stand out and give people incentives to subscribe to services you offer to them. Take the less profit hit. Think long term.
Take a hit on profits and make your products stand out in software and hardware, so people feel like the extra value is worth paying.
I don’t give a scooby doo if investors are upset about not making more and more profits every year. We live on a finite planet with finite resources. It’s unrealistic to expect there to be growth all the time. Apple made more profit under Scully et al before Jobs came back. Look where that almost got them They’re making more profit under Cook now too. Focus on the products more, TC. iPhones aren’t selling as much? Make your software stand out and give people incentives to subscribe to services you offer to them. Take the less profit hit. Think long term.
Not sure if serious but it’s one of the best sounding speakers you can buy within this price range that’s why.If that's so why would anyone buy a HomePod ?
Obviously voice assistant wise isn’t as smart as google or Alexa but on a daily basics do I ask Siri anything but basic questions/timers/lights/creating meetings or ringing people? What else do people need it for?
I have a google mini as well and I can’t say I ask it many questions any different to Siri
Maybe.But combine that with the fact that more and more smartphone manufacturers advertise their good speakers (Google, Apple, etc.) and you start to see the pieces align.
Same here. Apple Music subscriber and HomePod owner. The sound coming out of it the HomePod is fantastic for its size. I would love to get a second one, but the prices are too high for what it is. Siri is ABSOLUTE TRASH on this thing. I have to say Hey Siri, twice, to get it to respond at least 50% of the time. Then, at random times, it will blurt "mm hmm" or "I'm sorry, I didn't get that" when no one said anything even remotely close to sounding like "Hey Siri." I keep waiting for Siri to get better, but I have been waiting years and looks like I will continue to wait.
If I had to do it all over again, I would go with a couple SONOS One speakers. This is what I recommend to people who ask if I like my HomePod.
Exactly! Which is why you would still should not buy this. There are plenty of highly recommendable vendors who does speaker for a living which would be quality of this. B&O is a personal favorite of mine.
Another Apple Music Family plan (UK) user here, without an email : /
Hopefully Apple are sending the emails in phases…
Hopefully Apple are sending the emails in phases…
You're making an assumption based on what manufacturers advertise, which doesn't prove your initial point.
The only way to see the "pieces align" is show third party data showing how many people use their smartphones speakers for media in lieu of external speakers, be it sound system or blue-tooth speakers.
...therefore not buying HomePods?
The scam is on the software side - Apple restricting what music source can be played on these gorgeous speakers.
Which smart speaker would you call high quality? With no coloration of the sound?
Instead of just listing B&O as a favorite, why not share what B&O speaker model you recommend over HomePod.
A nice looking, and by all accounts - nice sounding speaker, hampered by inadequate software. Sad.
Had they just given it an Optical or RCA in and Bluetooth, they could sell them at $350. Now they're having to slash the price because Siri isn't a selling point - it's a liability.
Had they just given it an Optical or RCA in and Bluetooth, they could sell them at $350. Now they're having to slash the price because Siri isn't a selling point - it's a liability.
It's very telling when a smartspeaker that can control your house, make calls, order pizzas and aid with pretty much anything you throw at it costs less than a regular "dumb" bluetooth speaker.
The price is subsidised with your personal information. You are the product.
Does anyone else get a strong sense tech is going to take a BIG hit in 2019?
Phones over $1000, Google's biased search engine, Facebook (and others') selling your info, Social Media restricting FREE speech, lack of phone improvements to warrant upgrading, longer phone cycles, the higher-end computers really asking a small fortune for current tech...
Phones over $1000, Google's biased search engine, Facebook (and others') selling your info, Social Media restricting FREE speech, lack of phone improvements to warrant upgrading, longer phone cycles, the higher-end computers really asking a small fortune for current tech...
Yeah we may be in a bubble. The deals for financing phones are drying up (no more free with trade-in, or half price with trade-in, etc) and not many people really want to pay $35+ per month for a phone payment after paying half that or nothing for their current phone that most likely is still a perfectly good device.
In the thought system we live the customer is always right and what sells is best, live with it