Apple Shares First Series of HomePod Ads With Focus on Music

[Phonephreak]

You choose the Homepod if you want fantastic sounding music with a Siri that is specially designed to delve deep into your music requests. You choose Homepod if you care about your privacy and don't want all of your information stored in the cloud available to Google, law enforcement, criminals/hackers and intel agencies. You choose Homepod because you can get technology for $350 that is only available on speakers costing thousands of dollars more. You choose HP because you want the great sound of a home theater system but don't want to deal with the wires, setup, costs, placement problems, etc. You choose Homepod because it has an incredibly powerful processor that will enable your speaker to keep up with years of updates from Apple to keep enhancing it. I could go on, but folks are greatly underestimating the Homepod.

So please tell us how you got yours already. Are you a reviewer? Or are you just repeating what you want to believe?

All we have here is a speaker. Not even wireless as it needs to be plugged in to work. That does some auto EQing. You can say all you want how fancy and technologically advanced it is but That’s all it’s doing. Taming peaks and valleys. Yes it will help it sound better. The home theater world has been doing this for ages. Who cares if it’s active all the time. Do you carry you speaker with you everywhere you go. I tend to put mine somewhere and do t move them too much.

It’s not some revolutionary item. It’s a speaker.
Hopefully it sounds pretty good and will make a great bedroom/kitchen addition.

 

[Datalinks]

I have a pretty good Hi-Fi set-up connected through AirportExpress to my Apple devices. It would be nice if the HomePod could be added to such a set-up and act as a Siri enabled Woofer and/or improving my existing sound quality (highs, mids, lows).

 

[falainber]

So Apple shares the ads. Have they shared the specs yet or do we once again go with "inspirational" messages?

 

[truthertech]

So please tell us how you got yours already. Are you a reviewer? Or are you just repeating what you want to believe?

All we have here is a speaker. Not even wireless as it needs to be plugged in to work. That does some auto EQing. You can say all you want how fancy and technologically advanced it is but That’s all it’s doing. Taming peaks and valleys. Yes it will help it sound better. The home theater world has been doing this for ages. Who cares if it’s active all the time. Do you carry you speaker with you everywhere you go. I tend to put mine somewhere and do t move them too much.

It’s not some revolutionary item. It’s a speaker.
Hopefully it sounds pretty good and will make a great bedroom/kitchen addition.

Wow, you've obviously not read the specs or the reviews if you think "all it does is some fancy EQing." I know the tech in it can be complicated to understand, but take some time to read about it before you make such statements. There's a reason they had to put the power of an A8 processor in it. Read the reviews; you'll come back impressed. As with computational photography, where Apple unleashed the power of a thousand engineers to produce a smart phone camera with the capabilities of expensive SLR's, Apple has put hundreds of software engineers working with audio engineers together for a few years to produce sound quality and capabilities that are only found in speaker systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. Read about the six beam forming mics so Siri can hear you whisper from across the room even when the music is playing loudly. You'll learn about the accelerometer they installed so when you move the very portable Homepod within a room or to another room, it knows it has been removed and it goes about reprogramming those 7 tweeters and such so they sound perfect in the new location. All of this in a plug and play package costing a fraction of the cost of other sound systems, along with a smart speaker that can do much more while protecting your privacy.

Admit it, you're starting to salivate. Come back after you've purchased yours and compare notes with us.
[doublepost=1517244833][/doublepost]

Wow, you've obviously not read the specs or the reviews if you think "all it does is some fancy EQing." I know the tech in it can be complicated to understand, but take some time to read about it before you make such statements. There's a reason they had to put the power of an A8 processor in it. Read the reviews; you'll come back impressed. As with computational photography, where Apple unleashed the power of a thousand engineers to produce a smart phone camera with the capabilities of expensive SLR's, Apple has put hundreds of software engineers working with audio engineers together for a few years to produce sound quality and capabilities that are only found in speaker systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. I know it doesn't seem fair, but that's what having the best engineers in the world and plenty of money can do for you.

Read about the six beam forming mics so Siri can hear you whisper from across the room even when the music is playing loudly. You'll learn about the accelerometer they installed so when you move the very portable Homepod within a room or to another room, it knows it has been removed and it goes about reprogramming those 7 tweeters and such so they sound perfect in the new location. All of this in a plug and play package costing a fraction of the cost of other sound systems, along with a smart speaker that can do much more while protecting your privacy.

Admit it, you're starting to salivate. Come back after you've purchased yours and compare notes with us.

 

[Phonephreak]

Wow, you've obviously not read the specs or the reviews if you think "all it does is some fancy EQing." I know the tech in it can be complicated to understand, but take some time to read about it before you make such statements. There's a reason they had to put the power of an A8 processor in it. Read the reviews; you'll come back impressed. As with computational photography, where Apple unleashed the power of a thousand engineers to produce a smart phone camera with the capabilities of expensive SLR's, Apple has put hundreds of software engineers working with audio engineers together for a few years to produce sound quality and capabilities that are only found in speaker systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. Read about the six beam forming mics so Siri can hear you whisper from across the room even when the music is playing loudly. You'll learn about the accelerometer they installed so when you move the very portable Homepod within a room or to another room, it knows it has been removed and it goes about reprogramming those 7 tweeters and such so they sound perfect in the new location. All of this in a plug and play package costing a fraction of the cost of other sound systems, along with a smart speaker that can do much more while protecting your privacy.

Admit it, you're starting to salivate. Come back after you've purchased yours and compare notes with us.
[doublepost=1517244833][/doublepost]

I’m really not all that impressed. It’s not really any more portable than my alarm clock. It needs a wall plug.

And yes it simply eq peaks and valleys. To smooth out the sound. Or they corrupt the artists work by altering the sound to what Apple thinks it should sound like. All audio company’s offer this feature. Pioneer Sony Yamaha b&k. Not new or amazing. Why the push for live eq? You put it where you want it and let it be. Sure if you move it around All the time it may be handy as a time saver but.

The difference in speakers costing thousands of dollars. Your paying for the quality of the drivers and enclosure. Not the simple active dsp chips.

 

[aforty]

These are good ads for a product I don't fully believe in yet.

 

[sliderocity]

These ads just emphasize the poor choice of name. Should have been POD.

The iPod is dead and it would've been nice to see the name persist. HomePod doesn't go well together and Home itself is far too specific for a device that'll be used in offices, retail, etc.

POD would have fit with Apple's newest products: MUSIC, TV, WATCH. HomePod seems like an outlier.

AirPods? EarPods?

 

[Phonephreak]

Wow, you've obviously not read the specs or the reviews if you think "all it does is some fancy EQing." I know the tech in it can be complicated to understand, but take some time to read about it before you make such statements. There's a reason they had to put the power of an A8 processor in it. Read the reviews; you'll come back impressed. As with computational photography, where Apple unleashed the power of a thousand engineers to produce a smart phone camera with the capabilities of expensive SLR's, Apple has put hundreds of software engineers working with audio engineers together for a few years to produce sound quality and capabilities that are only found in speaker systems costing tens of thousands of dollars. Read about the six beam forming mics so Siri can hear you whisper from across the room even when the music is playing loudly. You'll learn about the accelerometer they installed so when you move the very portable Homepod within a room or to another room, it knows it has been removed and it goes about reprogramming those 7 tweeters and such so they sound perfect in the new location. All of this in a plug and play package costing a fraction of the cost of other sound systems, along with a smart speaker that can do much more while protecting your privacy.

Admit it, you're starting to salivate. Come back after you've purchased yours and compare notes with us.
[doublepost=1517244833][/doublepost]

Also curious how you know how many of anyone Apple uses or for how long they have been working on the HomePod. Talk about a dramatic post. Good lord.

 

[Martyimac]

Those 4 ads got my attention. But not in a good way but I am, after all, an old guy. An old guy with a decent sound system for my TV's and pretty sure the homepod isn't going to sound better than they do. I also don't care for being so tightly bound to Apple for the homepod to even work. Can't use the speakers with anything other than  stuff?
3 strikes and you are out .

 

[Baymowe335]

Have you actually actively listened to a Kendrick album or are you just basing your opinion on a preconceived notion that rap isn’t music?

What's funny is I'm a rap guy. Kendrick just kind of sucks. Tupac was better and I think he's also overrated. Biggie was better. Bone Thugs were better. Busta Rhymes is better than Kendrick. Missy Elliot is better. Timberland is better. Eminem is better.

 

[The_Martini_Cat]

I didn't really like the ads. I'm in the market for a HomePod, but these seemed noisy rather than musical. Maybe because songs last longer than 15 seconds? (With the exception of Her Majesty). It's obvious you have to have Apple Music to get the best from this product. Also ... some features not available on launch. Siri, insert crying frowny face icon! ;-(

 

[Martyimac]

I didn't really like the ads. I'm in the market for a HomePod, but these seemed noisy rather than musical. Maybe because songs last longer than 15 seconds? (With the exception of Her Majesty). It's obvious you have to have Apple Music to get the best from this product. Also ... some features not available on launch. Siri, insert crying frowny face icon! ;-(

deleted comment

 

[Lars T.]

This really has to be one of their weirdest launches ever. Your average Joe doesn't even know this exists, tech experts aren't fully aware what it's fully capable of... And man these ads don't help that.

Yeah - next thing they'l have grey people sitting in front of a screen and a woman throwing a hammer at that screen. And the product will have a dumb name like "Macintosh".

 

[spiddyman007]

There’s an iHome trend?

U know. There like in every Walmart and bed bath and beyond and targets and such.

 

[bmunge]

What's funny is I'm a rap guy. Kendrick just kind of sucks. Tupac was better and I think he's also overrated. Biggie was better. Bone Thugs were better. Busta Rhymes is better than Kendrick. Missy Elliot is better. Timberland is better. Eminem is better.

Yeah I don’t know how any rap fan can listen to GKMC or TPAB and say that they suck. Also Em’s new album is hot garbage.

 

[kugino]

i like apple's privacy policy...i just signed up for itunes match to have my 40K library available...i'm not expecting it to sound as good as a properly amped set of mid-level speakers fed by my vinyl rig...but for people interested in music, $350 isn't a lot of money, though it is certainly not chump change.

i have one on order, but will gladly return it if it doesn't meet up to whatever expectations i have...

 

[Baymowe335]

Yeah I don’t know how any rap fan can listen to GKMC or TPAB and say that they suck. Also Em’s new album is hot garbage.

Eminem has cred though. He’s among the best. Artists do stuff later for whatever reason.

Big rap fan and I really do think Kendrick basically sucks.

 

[macguy59]

Some of the worst ads I've ever seen from Apple

 

[JohnArtist]

Makes it seem even more boring.

"Life isn't boring. YOU are boring."
[doublepost=1517284644][/doublepost]

Wow - that "Order Now" went by so fast, you'd think it was a subliminal message!

And yet... you saw it.

 

[Agent2015]

Yes but apparently that ain't working if I understand the reviews right. Only music that you bought through iTunes you can play.

At this point it is not clear exactly what the capabilities and features of the HomePod will be until they get in wild, at least to me. However there does seem to be some clarification day by day. I am pleased to see that it appears that it will support iTunes Match since I do have a significant collection of imported music that I collected over the years on CDs. So that in conjunction to my Apple Music subscription I should be well covered music-wise.

https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/29/homepod-itunes-match-apple-music-icloud-library/

 

[truthertech]

Also curious how you know how many of anyone Apple uses or for how long they have been working on the HomePod. Talk about a dramatic post. Good lord.

Not that hard if you read or listen to Apple quotes. Pretty basic stuff. Talk about a dramatic post.
[doublepost=1517293014][/doublepost]

I’m really not all that impressed. It’s not really any more portable than my alarm clock. It needs a wall plug.

And yes it simply eq peaks and valleys. To smooth out the sound. Or they corrupt the artists work by altering the sound to what Apple thinks it should sound like. All audio company’s offer this feature. Pioneer Sony Yamaha b&k. Not new or amazing. Why the push for live eq? You put it where you want it and let it be. Sure if you move it around All the time it may be handy as a time saver but.

The difference in speakers costing thousands of dollars. Your paying for the quality of the drivers and enclosure. Not the simple active dsp chips.

Remember, when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. You're simply not going to convince anyone that the Homepod is like every other speaker out there.

 

[Phonephreak]

Not that hard if you read or listen to Apple quotes. Pretty basic stuff. Talk about a dramatic post.
[doublepost=1517293014][/doublepost]


Remember, when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. You're simply not going to convince anyone that the Homepod is like every other speaker out there.

Ok. So having a discussion with you is not possible. You won’t even try to listen the other persons POV. They are always wrong if it doesn’t line up with your idea.

The HomePod is a Siri equipped speaker with auto eq. You don’t have to agree but that what it is.

 

[Prasado]

Apple today shared its first series of HomePod ads on its official YouTube channel, titled Bass, Beat, Distortion, and Equalizer.

The four 15-second clips show the word HomePod animated in various ways, with the actual speaker only appearing in brief flashes. Apple also highlights that the speaker is now available to order ahead of its February 9th launch across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia.

The music-focused ads are each set to their own song, including Ain't I by Lizzo, DNA by Kendrick Lamar, Holy Water by Hembree, and All Night by Big Boi. Apple continues to position the HomePod as a "breakthrough speaker" first and "intelligent home assistant" second in the description of each video.

The ads follow Apple's teaser video titled Introducing HomePod shared back in June, after the speaker was previewed at WWDC 2017. It's very possible they'll air at commercial breaks during the 60th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.

Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can also send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete several other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.

The speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven-tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. It stands nearly seven inches tall and is powered by Apple's A8 chip.

Article Link: Apple Shares First Series of HomePod Ads With Focus on Music

This is branding step 1: Stamping the name HOMEPOD into the minds of everyone. (And yes, it’s a speaker.)

 

[zombierunner]

At least no one is responding with 'what's a speaker'.

seriously that ad made me cringe

 

[truthertech]

Ok. So having a discussion with you is not possible. You won’t even try to listen the other persons POV. They are always wrong if it doesn’t line up with your idea.

The HomePod is a Siri equipped speaker with auto eq. You don’t have to agree but that what it is.

Your opinion by definition can't be wrong. Lot's of commenter don't/won't like the Homepod, but you don't/won't have any credibility when all you can come up with is the silly comment that Apple has just produced a speaker that has the same technology and sounds like everything else out there.