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It's not the sound quality that I'm disappointed with, nor is it the cost of the HomePod itself. It's the closed Apple music system. Yes you can airplay music from other devices or sources to the device, but it's not a straightforward procedure. As an example: Say you have a turntable, a vinyl album, and a HomePod. Any manner of playing the music that is on the LP using the HomePod is going to take multiple steps, probably multiple pieces of equipment and either Siri won't be usable at all or it will require a monthly or yearly subscription to an Apple service to be able to use it. Apple used to be known for good, simple, and intuitive. This isn't any of those.

I completely disagree. HomePod is very good, simple, and intuitive *IF* you are an Apple Music subscriber. HomePod isn’t Apple’s home audio solution. It’s an Apple Music accessory. You want it to do things it was never designed or intended to do.
 
You'll have to excuse my ignorance on this one, when i read the below on the Apple website i clearly got the wrong end of the stick.

Home to an intelligent assistant.
HomePod is great at playing your music. But it can also tell you the latest news, traffic, sports, and weather. Set reminders and tasks. Send messages. Hand off phone calls. And HomePod is a hub for controlling your smart home accessories — from a single light bulb to the whole house — with just your voice.

Siri has all kinds of answers.
Thanks to Siri, HomePod is great at the things you want to know, and do, in your home. Set timers. Convert measurements. Get translations. And get live news, sports, weather, and traffic. You can also create lists that anyone can add to.

Siri on HomePod can do ALL of the things that Apple lists on its website. Siri on HomePod can do many other things (not listed) too.

But look again at Apple's page for HomePod. The things you quote are listed at the BOTTOM of the page. The majority of the page is about the SPEAKER and its hardware. About sound quality and music playback.

Apple isn't marketing the HomePod as a "smart speaker" that sounds good. Apple is marketing it as an excellent speaker that also happens to have some smart speaker features.

The problem isn't Apple's marketing, the problem is your inability to understand exactly what Apple is marketing.

Mark
 
Bought one yesterday and ready to return it today. Speaker quality is ok but Siri’s intelligence and lack of smart home integration with my google calendar, SiriusXM, Logitech harmony and Nest are showstoppers whereas my 2 yr Amazon echo supports all these devices. Simply not worth it and doubt Apple will ever catch up.
 
Yep, but unlike many here I am objective and don't get offended when someone critiques a consumer electronics device from a company that doesn't give one iota about them. I also call hypocrisy and arrogance when I see it.

I have an iMac 27 2017 --- love it. I have an iPad Pro 12.9 ----- love it, it has replaced my laptop. I have an iPhone X ---- solid phone, great camera, not big on faceID as it doesn't work nearly as reliably as was made out my Apple and I'm not crazy about the notch, but overall a good device. I have a series 2 Apple watch, solid product.

I just see the HomePod and HomeKit as overpriced, limited products, that if anyone did ten minutes of research they'd find much better value propositions.

"I just see the HomePod and HomeKit as overpriced, limited products, that if anyone did ten minutes of research they'd find much better value propositions."

OK... After comparing other music services a few years ago, I much prefer Apple Music and am solidly in that camp. At $8.33/mo it's a deal.

Which always-on ready for a verbal command speaker, with excellent audio quality anywhere in the room via superior technology, and with the ability to take commands at a normal speaking level no matter the environment, do you recommend as a better value proposition over HomePod? I'm certainly not tripin' over the $349 price.
 
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I’m still dumbfounded HomePod can’t make phone calls. This product fails on so many levels. Mine is going back to Apple.

It can't make phone calls because it doesn't have a carrier attached to it. But you can make phone calls on your iphone and pick them up using the Homepod. The sound is super clear. I tried this with my Homepod and the person on the other line said they could hear better on the Homepod than the phone itself too.
 
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It's not the sound quality that I'm disappointed with, nor is it the cost of the HomePod itself. It's the closed Apple music system. Yes you can airplay music from other devices or sources to the device, but it's not a straightforward procedure. As an example: Say you have a turntable, a vinyl album, and a HomePod. Any manner of playing the music that is on the LP using the HomePod is going to take multiple steps, probably multiple pieces of equipment and either Siri won't be usable at all or it will require a monthly or yearly subscription to an Apple service to be able to use it. Apple used to be known for good, simple, and intuitive. This isn't any of those.

Why would Apple care about plugging in a record player to the HomePod? It’s clearly built for accommodating Apple Music subscribers and growing that business.

I have a turntable and small hi-fi setup, but I think of that as an entirely different entity, and, sadly, I’ll likely be using it less and less, since the HomePod sounds good and I can yell out anything I want to hear instantly, which is likely what Apple is hoping for. It’s rare I actually get to take the time to sit in the sweet spot of my hi-fi system and listen to records hours on end, anyways.

I’ve long said that I listen to digital music on the go and records at home, but the convenience and quality of the HomePod may push me over the edge.
 
Bought one yesterday and ready to return it today. Speaker quality is ok but Siri’s intelligence and lack of smart home integration with my google calendar, SiriusXM, Logitech harmony and Nest are showstoppers whereas my 2 yr Amazon echo supports all these devices. Simply not worth it and doubt Apple will ever catch up.

You bought a product that doesn’t work with all of your non-Homekit compatible products, was never advertised or marketed to work with your non-homekit compatible products, and your disappointed? I can’t imagine why. o_O
 
Box it back up, return it and use the money to get a Sonos. That is how you get the most out of it.
Yeah if you want a speaker that doesn’t sound nearly as good. which is the primary purpose of a, you know, speaker.

if i want more siri commands i’ll use any of the multiple devices i have including two that are on my person.
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The video forgot to include how nice it is for anybody to be able to access the owner's iMessage, calendar, etc.
and you forgot to include that ou can turn that optional feature off.

not that i ever ask siri on my own personal devices to do this, ever. reading is better.
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Complete with advertising Audiophile quality (laughable).

Omitting the fact you need a coaster.
only if you have a living finish piece like oiled wood. which you don’t.

and as you know sonos does it too. oops. but but but apple!
 
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Why are the Siri voices at 2:15 and 2:23 different? Also, Siri pronunciation and vocal emphasis is terrible in the first clip so it's weird that they used it for the video. Did they begin recording this before Siri self-downloaded the high quality voice back? Lol.
 
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Listen closely, the background music really resembles the old Mac vs PC music!

I hope this was intentional!
 
You'll have to excuse my ignorance on this one, when i read the below on the Apple website i clearly got the wrong end of the stick.

Home to an intelligent assistant.
HomePod is great at playing your music. But it can also tell you the latest news, traffic, sports, and weather. Set reminders and tasks. Send messages. Hand off phone calls. And HomePod is a hub for controlling your smart home accessories — from a single light bulb to the whole house — with just your voice.

Siri has all kinds of answers.
Thanks to Siri, HomePod is great at the things you want to know, and do, in your home. Set timers. Convert measurements. Get translations. And get live news, sports, weather, and traffic. You can also create lists that anyone can add to.

I asked Siri yesterday in the apple store to find me a good chicken recipe..it said "Sorry Homepod can't find this" at least it knew the answer to what is 8x4
 
Box it back up, return it and use the money to get a Sonos. That is how you get the most out of it.

Wrong. I am selling my dumb Sonos 5. HP is smarter, sounds better and is more versatile. Why you here just to hate on Apple? I bet you didn’t buy and have zero experience with it,
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I also like using my iPhone's Control Center for HomePod control.

Even better would be a small remote, say for $29, that would just offer basic functions; volume up/down, play/pause, next track, etc. Kind of like the remotes that came with the Mac Mini.
Why? Speaking is so easy.
 
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I love the HomePod. It sounds amazing, Siri works great and I will buy at least two more. This video helps those that own one learn more of what they can do, which is a good thing.

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They just closed a deal with China which gives the Chinese government full access to all iCloud Data of Chinese Population. canceled my iCloud sub after that came out.
And then looking at the TOS in some parts google seems to have better privacy than apple...

Hahaha. Google and privacy don’t ever belong together.
 
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I'm starting to think if I really need my homepod.

the main reason I bought it is for sound and music and podcasts. However so far the most I've used it for has been for my lights which for me isn't worthy of £319

I'm very tempted to pull the trigger and buy the amazon Alexa echo for my lounge and the Alexa dot for my bedroom. That would come to £139 for two smart speakers compared to the £319 for the homepod while being a far better voice assistant which so far is all I have used it for.

The echo sound wise will be ok for my needs I reckon and now I realise the heating I use which is hive supports Alexa.

homepod is a great piece of kit but I feel the assistant is so limited that if I'm mainly using it for that then Alexa is the way to go.

tough decision and I wish I used the homepod more for it's main strengths.
 
Still got mine, still planning a second one when AirPlay2 drops, still happy with it. So y'all jest keep fuming your fumings.
 
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Bought one yesterday and ready to return it today. Speaker quality is ok but Siri’s intelligence and lack of smart home integration with my google calendar, SiriusXM, Logitech harmony and Nest are showstoppers whereas my 2 yr Amazon echo supports all these devices. Simply not worth it and doubt Apple will ever catch up.

The reason those products don’t work with Apple/HomeKit are not Apples fault. Perhaps you should ask them when they plan on supporting HomeKit. Maybe they don’t like Apples restrictions on HomeKit (like privacy and encryption). Regardless, it’s the responsibility of each manufacturer to decide if they want to support HomeKit.
 
There is so much stupidity on every HP thread. We don’t care if you buy something else. We don’t care that you use Spotify, things that aren’t in HomeKit or still think a competitor does more. Really, we don’t care.

I love the HomePod. It sounds amazing, Siri works great and I will buy at least two more. This video helps those that own one learn more of what they can do, which is a good thing.
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Hey MR, where’s the dislike option?
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Hahaha. Google and privacy don’t ever belong together.

No one said that. And apples TOS is even worse...
 
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Perhaps Apple could do something extraordinary and simply tell us its plans for HomePod of the next 6 and 12 months?

Why does this need to be a secret?
 
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Perhaps Apple could do something extraordinary and simply tell us its plans for HomePod of the next 6 and 12 months?

Why does this need to be a secret?
Not sure any company releases a new product and immediately releases upgrade information. For example, when I bought my Sonos Play:1, nowhere did Sonos advertise “Wait, don’t buy this yet. We're releasing a Sonos 1 with Alexa capability in 6 months.” Would have put quite the dent in their Play:1 sales I would think. Ah well, the Play:1 now belongs to daughter as I experience the HP excellence in music daily.
 
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