Apple Receives FCC Approval for HomePod, Suggesting a Launch Could Come Soon

[WatchFromAfar]

I use all Apple products except for several Echos and Dots which I like. I think Siri blows compared to Alexa and Google.

So you're saying you don't use all Apple products.
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People will care. They don’t need to understand the complex processing going on behind the scenes - they’ll just notice the better sound.

That’s the groundbreaking part. Letting an ordinary person plunk a speaker down anywhere they have room, not having to do anything other than turn it on, and start enjoying quality sound.

I think you're missing the point about what Homepod will do. Yes it does an acoustic analyses of the room it's in and provides a stereo image for that room but it doesn't, and can not, care if :

you're in-front of it, or
you''re behind it. or
you're to the left of it
etc etc

People thinking they can dump Homepod anywhere and get great sound are going to be sorely disappointed. It will do the best it can for the room it's in but your seating position is , as it's always been, is up to you.

 

[deanthedev]

Many audio purists believe tube amplifiers give better sound than solid state. There is engineering that backs up at least some of those claims:http://www.theaudioarchive.com/TAA_Resources_Tubes_versus_Solid_State.htm

Many purists think the way the copper wire is wound in their $1,000 cables also affects sound.
[doublepost=1516571565][/doublepost]

So you're saying you don't use all Apple products.
[doublepost=1516570318][/doublepost]
I think you're missing the point about what Homepod will do. Yes it does an acoustic analyses of the room it's in and provides a stereo image for that room but it doesn't, and can not, care if :

you're in-front of it, or
you''re behind it. or
you're to the left of it
etc etc

People thinking they can dump Homepod anywhere and get great sound are going to be sorely disappointed. It will do the best bit can for the room it's in but your seating position is , as it's always been, is up to you.

No speaker can do that, so why are you complaining about the HomePods inability to tell where you are in a room?

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Many purists think the way the copper wire is wound in their $1,000 cables also affects sound.
[doublepost=1516571565][/doublepost]

No speaker can do that, so why are you complaining about the HomePods inability to tell where you are in a room?

Because sadly people on here think they can place it anywhere and magic will happen.

 

[deanthedev]

Because sadly people on here think they can place it anywhere and magic will happen.

Not as sad as people condemning it without listening to it first.

Speaker placement has a huge effect on sound. Most people don’t know that. They can continue to be oblivious to this fact and put the HomePod where they like and not have that placement result in inferior sound quality.

 

[nt5672]

zzzzzzz. Who cares? They're so late to market there's no hope of overtaking Amazon or Google. Especially at that price point. Yeah, a few people will buy them, but like someone above said, it's too little too late.

Yep, give it a couple of years and then Apple will drop it like a hot potato. If it's not overtaking the world, Apple does not care. If buyers are lucky, they'll get 1 software update before Apple drops it, unless of course they release it with so many bugs they have to do the every two week beta releases for six months.

 

[Abazigal]

This is an ironic comment, in that everyone who (finally) purchased AirPods has placed quality sound LAST on their list of beneficial features. Now Apple is going to try and sell these same customers on high fidelity for top dollar. Good luck with that.

That’s like saying people who buy a laptop place computing power last. Every product is a package of compromises and different people value different features differently. When I choose an iPad or laptop, it’s primarily for the portability and we knowingly give up some processing power in exchange for a thinner and lighter form factor.

Different sets of priorities for different use cases. When I am outdoors, I care about factors such as portability and ease of use, and so I go with Airpods. At home where space isn’t an issue, I can fall back on a device like the homepods since there is no opportunity cost to doing so.

Just like I may stream YouTube outdoors on reduced resolution to save on bandwidth. It’s not that I don’t care about image quality, but that there are other concerns at well. But when I am at home with an unlimited internet connection, these concerns are no longer valid and so I watch YouTube on 4K on my smart TV.

 

[nt5672]

I think you believe most average users care about the highest quality of sound. Most don’t. Tech people do. Add that it doesn’t support Spotify and imo Siri is a negative feature, ill bet my bottom dollar at $350 per unit, sales will be average after the initial fanboys and audio people scoop them up.

Yep, but when Apple obsoletes them after 18 months and they no longer work with anything, thereby forcing buyers to replace them at the 3 year mark, I'll be laughing my ass off.

I also have good audio gear purchased decades ago that even today, while no longer perfect, still performs better than any Apple device ever will. Unfortunately for Apple, they have chosen to not be compatible with anything except Apple, so even though I have never owned anything other than Apple computers, I'll pass on any Apple devices that don't integrate with anything except Apple. Smart folks will do the same thing, otherwise you'll only be able to listen in the Apple ecosystem, like Microsoft of the late 20 century.

 

[EdT]

Many purists think the way the copper wire is wound in their $1,000 cables also affects sound.
[doublepost=1516571565][/doublepost]

You know how I know you didn't even bother to look at the document? Because the site was a link to an engineering site, not a high end audio fan-zine that pushes cables. Maybe if you had actually looked you still wouldn't have agreed, but rather than insults you would actually find some documentations to back up your claim.

Nahhhhh, insulting people is more fun, and less work. You wouldn't bother.

Bye.

 

[magicschoolbus]

I still fail to see what makes this device useful. At least with Alexa she can order you anything you want in the world. This is just a wireless speaker with siri.. I mean, I have a Bluetooth speaker and if I want Siri I can just take out my phone which I have on me anyway and ask Siri something and it will come through that safe Bluetooth speaker I'm already streaming to. Am I missing something? What is the it factor with this product? I see nothing about this that seperates it from its competition and how it solves any type of already existing problem.

 

[deanthedev]

You know how I know you didn't even bother to look at the document? Because the site was a link to an engineering site, not a high end audio fan-zine that pushes cables. Maybe if you had actually looked you still wouldn't have agreed, but rather than insults you would actually find some documentations to back up your claim.

Nahhhhh, insulting people is more fun, and less work. You wouldn't bother.

Bye.

How is pointing out that there’s a placebo effect in audio equipment an insult? Unless you buy into the idea that expensive cables have a “sound” (which is something I’d have no way of knowing since you never mentioned it, nor were you the person who brought up tubes in the first place). Little touchy, are we?

I’ve read those studies years ago (among many others). I’ve worked with audio both as a studio recording engineer and live sound engineer. I consider myself an audiophile, but hate being lumped in with those who claim a piece of wire alters sound. Or that your cables sound better after they’ve been “broken in” with several hours of listening. Or any other the other countless BS theories “purists” claim affect sound.

If that insults you, then so be it.
[doublepost=1516597634][/doublepost]

Yep, give it a couple of years and then Apple will drop it like a hot potato. If it's not overtaking the world, Apple does not care. If buyers are lucky, they'll get 1 software update before Apple drops it, unless of course they release it with so many bugs they have to do the every two week beta releases for six months.

I remember people saying the exact same thing about the Apple Watch.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Speaker placement has a huge effect on sound. Most people don’t know that. They can continue to be oblivious to this fact and put the HomePod where they like and not have that placement result in inferior sound quality.

I don't understand; you say "Speaker placement has a huge effect on sound", which is totally true, then you say in the next breath "oblivious to this fact and put the HomePod where they like and not have that placement result in inferior sound quality"? Which is it? Either placement effects sound or it doesn't or are you suggesting people are just going to fluke a fantastic Homepod placement?

 

[Poindexter333]

God I really hope this sounds great. I love the idea of the microphones and sound sweep optimizing the output for the room. I do wonder how it will know the listening area target. And I have several rooms where something this small would be great. Don't care that much for Siri. I just want a great speaker to listen to my music and movies.

I'm a long-time audio collector, and I do have my expectations under control- for what sound can come from a grapefruit-sized speaker, but knowing Apple, I think it's rare that they would release a piece of crap at this price point. Of course I wish it was cheaper. Fingers crossed.

FWIW I don't respond to trolls or haters of any kind. Life's too short.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

God I really hope this sounds great. I love the idea of the microphones and sound sweep optimizing the output for the room. I do wonder how it will know the listening area target. And I have several rooms where something this small would be great. Don't care that much for Siri. I just want a great speaker to listen to my music and movies.

I'm a long-time audio collector, and I do have my expectations under control- for what sound can come from a grapefruit-sized speaker, but knowing Apple, I think it's rare that they would release a piece of crap at this price point. Of course I wish it was cheaper. Fingers crossed.

FWIW I don't respond to trolls or haters of any kind. Life's too short.

It won't; it'll optimise itself to a room but where you choose to place yourself in that room is up to you. On a unrelated note, once it's done it's fancy sonic sweep of a room to provide fantastic stereo for the room where does Homepod think the actual humans are gonna be?

 

[gnipgnop]

On a unrelated note, once it's done it's fancy sonic sweep of a room to provide fantastic stereo for the room where does Homepod think the actual humans are gonna be?

It won't matter. It's designed to deliver the audio in a way that works on all sides of the unit. The specific way that it handles that will change based on the placement (i.e., in front of a wall would be different than in the center of a room). That's what the CPU and audio beam forming are for. They've specifically mentioned that part of what the CPU is doing is adjusting to the reflections of sound, not just how to project the audio around the unit. It's plugged into a power source, so theres no issue with the CPU constantly working to adjust what's happening with the audio in relationship to the environment and sound reflections.

 

[citysnaps]

I still fail to see what makes this device useful. At least with Alexa she can order you anything you want in the world. This is just a wireless speaker with siri.. I mean, I have a Bluetooth speaker and if I want Siri I can just take out my phone which I have on me anyway and ask Siri something and it will come through that safe Bluetooth speaker I'm already streaming to. Am I missing something? What is the it factor with this product? I see nothing about this that seperates it from its competition and how it solves any type of already existing problem.

For starters, adaptive beamforming on both HomePod's speaker and microphone arrays, that permits dynamic self-equalization. That if done well, will drive excellent sound and additional features.

 

[EdT]

For starters, adaptive beamforming on both HomePod's speaker and microphone arrays, that permits dynamic self-equalization. That if done well, will drive excellent sound and additional features.

I’m skeptical, but if it manages to sound great compared to other sound systems I will be interested. I’m not looking for an AI assistant so even if it doesn’t do as well there it wouldn’t be as important to me personally. My concerns will center around how it sounds and what it’s limitations are for music sources and ability to become a main music system and not just a wireless speaker.

 

[deanthedev]

I don't understand; you say "Speaker placement has a huge effect on sound", which is totally true, then you say in the next breath "oblivious to this fact and put the HomePod where they like and not have that placement result in inferior sound quality"? Which is it? Either placement effects sound or it doesn't or are you suggesting people are just going to fluke a fantastic Homepod placement?

Please.

The HomePod adjusts itself to provide optimum sound wherever you install it. It removes the problem of poor speaker placement affecting sound quality. It sounds good anywhere you put it.

Have you even been following this thread?

 

[gnipgnop]

My concerns will center around how it sounds and what it’s limitations are for music sources and ability to become a main music system and not just a wireless speaker.

It doesn't necessarily need to be a main system. Think about it this way: how likely is it for someone to have a large component style system with furniture sized speakers etc. in every room of their house? They might have a system like that for their living room or home theater space, but what about other areas? That's typically going to be handled by either built-in wall and/or ceiling speakers (expensive to install) or smaller shelf-style systems (which is exactly the type of market that the HomePod is targeting). I think HomePod will appeal to both types of customers: either someone who wants to have a very reductive main system that saves space and still sounds good, or for those who want to add audio support in other parts of their homes.

 

[WatchFromAfar]

Please.

The HomePod adjusts itself to provide optimum sound wherever you install it. It removes the problem of poor speaker placement affecting sound quality. It sounds good anywhere you put it.

Have you even been following this thread?

Don't be daft, it makes it sound good it a room; where you choose to put yourself, well that's up to you.

 

[EdT]

It doesn't necessarily need to be a main system. Think about it this way: how likely is it for someone to have a large component style system with furniture sized speakers etc. in every room of their house? They might have a system like that for their living room or home theater space, but what about other areas? That's typically going to be handled by either built-in wall and/or ceiling speakers (expensive to install) or smaller shelf-style systems (which is exactly the type of market that the HomePod is targeting). I think HomePod will appeal to both types of customers: either someone who wants to have a very reductive main system that saves space and still sounds good, or for those who want to add audio support in other parts of their homes.

I can’t say I wouldn’t use a HomePod as a room speaker but many are saying it is a Sonos competitor and not a Dot or Google Home replacement and Sonos can be a surround sound system, well mostly anyway using their sound bar and bass box. I’ve already got a Sonos system on one tv with this setup. My other tv I have a high end 7.1 system but I don’t have a good way to run wires to the rear speakers. If I can replace that system using HomePod(s) and the sound is superior to Sonos I would buy it. The Sonos system is a $2-3000 dollar system if you buy all the components so I’m not looking for one HomePod component to match that, I expect to pay a similar amount. If the sound is better I would pay more, but eventually there is a cutoff point. Without knowing if the HomePod can even attempt to do this I can’t say what that is.

But if all it is is another wireless speaker then it’s not a Sonos replacement.

 

[Mabus51]

Yep I completely agree, I have four echoes throughout the house, got them on Black Friday for under $30 each, no way I’m spending that much on the HomePod... hope apple doesn’t make a whole lot of them, otherwise I can see them going on sale very very quickly
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It’s really not at all, you obviously don’t have any in your house otherwise you wouldn’t be calling it a Boring product, and as far as Sound is concerned connect it to a Bluetooth speaker, problem solved

It's as boring as Siri is useful. I've used Siri once since it launched and just don't have a use for it. If I want to look something up I generally find it faster than to use a voice activated system. As for music playback which is the only use I would have for HomePod it depends on the sound quality, especially at the $350 they're asking for.

 

[oneMadRssn]

This is exactly what I have been trying to say over and over. We will have to wait and see what the reviews are but Sonos has been in the speaker biz a lot longer than Apple so we shall see. 2 Sonos Play One's as stereo for less money, or 1 HomePod? Hmmmmm

Yep. And as someone above reminded me, the HomePod won't support Spotify natively, or really anything but Apple Music.

Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly willing to pay the Apple tax when it's warranted. I will plunk down $2,000 for a Macbook over a $1,000 windows laptop every time. I've owned every generation of Apple TV, each time choosing it over the usually much cheaper streaming boxes. iPhones, iPods, etc. All worth the Apple tax. This one just doesn't seem worth it - it seems like the Magic Mouse 2 of speakers.

 

[deanthedev]

Don't be daft, it makes it sound good it a room; where you choose to put yourself, well that's up to you.

Only one being daft is you, trying to find an argument where there is none.

 

[citysnaps]

I’m skeptical, but if it manages to sound great compared to other sound systems I will be interested. I’m not looking for an AI assistant so even if it doesn’t do as well there it wouldn’t be as important to me personally. My concerns will center around how it sounds and what it’s limitations are for music sources and ability to become a main music system and not just a wireless speaker.

I think it's important to keep in mind, that if beamforming and adaptive self-equalization are well-implemented, HomePod will sound much better than sound systems of a similar size. And perhaps better than some somewhat larger ones as well.

 

[MacsRuleOthersDrool]

I regularly use my TV to play music through the Apple TV, it sucks, especially after using nice headphones while commuting and desktop speakers when in my home office so I'd really like one or two of these.
Though Apple is pissing me off a bit lately so I'm not sure I'll be a launch day buyer and should probably do some competitive research first as well.

Do like I do: Run your TV sound through your stereo. Most TVs have REALLY terrible sound; but run it into your audio system and VOILA!