Apple Sold an Estimated 600,000 HomePod Speakers During the First Quarter of 2018

[jimothyGator]

Not many. Most people are uncritical listeners and unless it’s really really really bad people will say that the sound is good enough. And at $30 it’s not worth the hassle to return it.

First of all, none of us know how many Echo's, Google Homes, or HomePods were returned.

Second, the audio of an Echo, especially Echo Dot, is really, really bad (and remember, we do know that the Echo Dot is the best selling Alexa device). But it doesn't matter, because audio quality is not why someone buys an Echo. That's why I keep harping on the inanity of comparing the HomePod to the Echo: They are in different markets.
[doublepost=1526592181][/doublepost]Oh by the way, for anyone who does want a HomePod, and if you've got a MicroCenter near you, they're going for $300 there. If they're still at the price when Apple releases AirPlay 2, I'll pick up a second one myself.

 

[itsmilo]

i love the sound of my echo but i guess i just dont know any better. also i cant use it at the max at my apartment anyway. dont want to annoy my neighbors

 

[MauiPa]

I'd be all over the HomePod if it could control as many devices as my echo can. I would love to get a device that has the connectivity of the echo but the fidelity of the HomePod

Google is the king of connectivity. thousands of devices!

But sadly, you won't own that many. so other than potentially setting a standard, who cares? As long as you can get switches, locks, thermostats, ?????
[doublepost=1526592487][/doublepost]

i love the sound of my echo but i guess i just dont know any better. also i cant use it at the max at my apartment anyway. dont want to annoy my neighbors

You should try a real speaker some day.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

3 things are necessary...
- improve HomeKit by freely licensing it to device makers with an option for low cost sw encryption
- improve Siri by rewriting it from scratch to actually recognize common language flow
- lower the price

From Apple?

Bullet 1 cuts HK licensing revenue. That's asking Apple to choose to make less money on HK.

Bullet 2 involves much more than "just one software update away." Apple spun that HP was in development for 6 (SIX!) years before release... and a speaker released without being able to pair with another... and is STILL waiting on that software update. Think about that and then think about the scope of the job of re-creating a better Siri from scratch.

Bullet 3 cuts margin in hopes of making up for those lost profits on volume. When does Apple do that?

As a consumer, I actually like all 3 of your suggestions. IMO:

• the cost of things with HK vs. the very same things without HK basically illustrates why HK is relatively niche... and probably never owns the mainstream home. While HK can work really well, HK stuff is just too (relatively) expensive. In typical Apple form, Apple will probably own the "most profitable" niche of the home automation space, while ceding probably 80-90% or more of it to the other players. Select Apple people will enjoy HK in their homes but need to be able to work with HK-competitors everywhere else because theirs will probably dominate outside the bubble.
• Siri's problem is mostly a relative one, as in relative to younger newcomers to the market, Siri seems stuck in Kindergarten vs. maybe third & fourth graders... even though Siri got to school well before those others. This one is perplexing given Apple's enormous resources (money & talent) and it's long-term "just works" mantra. But it is what it is. And there, we just hope that Apple is actually working on some leap frog maneuver to jump over elementary school and take Siri 2.0 to middle or high school.
• Cutting margin is almost an Apple never. Look to the ever-aging technology in the Mini, Pro, etc which can't possibly cost as much as when those were new Macs. If there's ever a place to cut some pricing, it's right there and been right there for a long time. And yet, as costs slide, margin fattens. Apple seems to almost always choose to pocket the cash than cut prices... even when they readily can. As a for-profit corporation, Apple may be entirely in the right about that. But that behavior doesn't support the consumer wants of "lower prices" and volume plays.

Thus, it's hard to see the modern Apple wanting to run with any of your bullets. But I'll wish right with you.

 

[isotropic]

6% market share but probably 30% of the profit. Be suspicious of cheap products as they are going after something else...

 

[Fancuku]

no doubt Siri will be improved with future updates

We have been hoping for Siri to improve how long now? 5 years?
I wouldn't hold my breath for Siri to get better.

 

[jm001]

Not sure about these type of speakers. I mean with the stories I've heard about Google's and Amazon's it gets creepier and creepier.

 

[citysnaps]

Not many. Most people are uncritical listeners and unless it’s really really really bad people will say that the sound is good enough. And at $30 it’s not worth the hassle to return it.

I guess that sums up the differences.

If you’re an uncritical listener, not much into music, and sound quality doesn’t hit the threshold of three “really” bads, then a HomePod competitor may be for you.

If, otoh, you’re into music and fussy about sound quality, and are willing to pay more for better quality, then HomePod with much better sound is the way to go.

 

[prasand]

Comparing overall shipments is misleading.

Personally, I think it's more appropriate to compare who captured the most sales at the price point. Comparing, someone selling a million $1 products, versus another selling 100,000 $100 products ... to me is a bit pointless.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Of course the software will be updated over time. I'm expecting five years of updates for this device, maybe even ten. It is a speaker and speakers are supposed to and will last a long time. Since the CPU in it is massively overpowered for what it does, updates should be no problem as well.

10 years of software update support? From Apple? What else from Apple is like that?

I fully agree that speakers have a long, long life. And I buy the thinking that it CAN be updated to remain a great speaker for 10+ years. But it's Apple. And modern Apple wants you to throw it out and buy the next generation over and over again... not keep any 2008 tech from Apple pretty up to date with software updates.

In short, you are RIGHT in that it CAN be updated and still sound great 10 years from now. I'm doubting Apple will choose to support that idea though.

 

[flyinmac]

Who the heck is “Alibaba”?????

And even they outsold Apple???

Some company that isn’t even on the radar outsold Apple??? Now that’s a telling story.

 

[Glideslope]

Drop the damn price.

$249 and a hell of lot more people would buy this gimped product.

Don't tell me how to keep my shareholders happy. Tim.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

6% market share but probably 30% of the profit. Be suspicious of cheap products as they are going after something else...

Unless you are on the payroll or maybe hold a lot of stock, the "but who makes the most profitable?" angle never does a thing for us consumers. Yes, Apple can pretty much ALWAYS win any contest that makes that THE gauge, but how do we consumers benefit on how much relative profit our favorite company makes?

As consumers, we used to care about a positive answer to "what's in this for me?" It has this feature or that feature and those features really make it great for my/our purposes as a consumer(s). Now, we tend to rally around how much money the mothership takes from us as a group. Again, great for the corporation... great for shareholders with many shares, great for executive bonus programs and maybe even product developer bonus programs too. As a consumer though, I just can't do much with how much relative profit a corporation makes.

 

[flyinmac]

10 years of software update support? From Apple? What else from Apple is like that?

I fully agree that speakers have a long, long life. And I buy the thinking that it CAN be updated to remain a great speaker for 10+ years. But it's Apple. And modern Apple wants you to throw it out and buy the next generation over and over again... not keep any 2008 tech from Apple pretty up to date with software updates.

In short, you are RIGHT in that it CAN be updated and still sound great 10 years from now. I'm doubting Apple will choose to support that idea though.

I’m sure glad that I don’t have to worry about whether my old speakers will continue to work in 50 years (or 5 like Apple).

I keep enjoying the tunes pouring out of my “ancient” speakers. I can plug them into anything and know they’ll work (unless I blow them - but I haven’t found their limit yet).

 

[jerryk]

Who the heck is “Alibaba”?????

And even they outsold Apple???

Some company that isn’t even on the radar outsold Apple??? Now that’s a telling story.

Alibaba is Chinese site that sells everything. Want 5,000 Macbook batteries, go there. Want 10,000 aircraft screws, that have them. Sort of like PayPal and Amazon mashed together.

They are huge and own part of Yahoo and many other companies.

 

[Junior117]

I mean, if they brought it to other countries (like Canada...), it would have been at least a little bit higher. (Like... maybe, 1,000 units higher?)

 

[jerryk]

The biggest differentiators are the software and AI infrastructure powering the system.

Amazon has a big lead on everyone with integration with hundreds of device categories with Alexa skills. I can say "alexa turn on the office fan" and it does on. Or I can say "Alexa play Brahms everywhere" and throughput the house all of my Alexas start playing the music. Because of this I have most of my Alexas paired with bluetooth speakers with have much better sound than the built in speaker.

Also, they use Alexa as an order portal to the rests of Amazon. From the shower just yell "add bath soap to my shopping list" and it adds the soap you to your amazon shopping list. Later you are making dinner and use up the steak sauce and tell it to add steak sauce. And Then at the end of day you have it order the list and in 2 days it is one your doorstep or in a Amazon locker nearby.

But Google is hot after them. As everyone saw with the Duplex demo from Google I/O, Google's AI prowess is second to none. And they are pushing this to Android phones, their speakers, and even wearable computers. Their Home and other speakers are just one of many places they will have an AI presence.

Microsoft is once again late to the game, so has teamed up Amazon to link Alexa with Cortana, and the Azure and AWS compute infrastructures.

 

[kagharaht]

Honestly, the sound is the best for one speaker system. As far as Siri. Dumb as a rock. Rudimentary AI is all it is.

 

[stopthenonsense]

The HomePod serves a different purpose than the Echo. I have both. The Echo is like an assistant in the house, while the HomePod is for music. Plus I have a main echo with the echo dots in every room, and it still costs less than the homepod. I can call people in other rooms, control things and order from amazon when I see my dog food is running low. These aren't meant to be the same product.

 

[jerryk]

Unless you are on the payroll or maybe hold a lot of stock, the "but who makes the most profitable?" angle never does a thing for us consumers. Yes, Apple can pretty much ALWAYS win any contest that makes that THE gauge, but how do we consumers benefit on how much relative profit our favorite company makes?

As consumers, we used to care about a positive answer to "what's in this for me?" It has this feature or that feature and those features really make it great for my/our purposes as a consumer(s). Now, we tend to rally around how much money the mothership takes from us as a group. Again, great for the corporation... great for shareholders with many shares, great for executive bonus programs and maybe even product developer bonus programs too. As a consumer though, I just can't do much with how much relative profit a corporation makes.

Buy a lot of stock.

 

[stopthenonsense]

Honestly, the sound is the best for one speaker system. As far as Siri. Dumb as a rock. Rudimentary AI is all it is.

I swear Siri makes me want to dump Apple. Worst is asking for directions in the car. She has to give you a full run down of how many stars it has. Amazing that first to market is still worst!

 

[flyinmac]

The HomePod serves a different purpose than the Echo. I have both. The Echo is like an assistant in the house, while the HomePod is for music. Plus I have a main echo with the echo dots in every room, and it still costs less than the homepod. I can call people in other rooms, control things and order from amazon when I see my dog food is running low. These aren't meant to be the same product.

Now I’m picturing telling the Echo to deal with Siri. Let the other smart device translate it so Siri can understand your instructions.

Echo... tell Siri to...

 

[jerryk]

The HomePod serves a different purpose than the Echo. I have both. The Echo is like an assistant in the house, while the HomePod is for music. Plus I have a main echo with the echo dots in every room, and it still costs less than the homepod. I can call people in other rooms, control things and order from amazon when I see my dog food is running low. These aren't meant to be the same product.

But your Echo can also play music from either Amazon's free service, or a wider collection, like Spotify. And with Bluetooth and 1/8" jacks you can plug your echo into a nice speaker, or as I do, an amp that drives a media room.

 

[JoEw]

Apple invest in your voice assistant before you release a product almost fully dependent on it. Let it be a lesson, people won’t just blindly buy your products.

 

[OllyW]

Is is tweakable in software to lower the bass? Thought it was too bass heavy for my liking when I tried it.

I thought the same both times I heard it demonstrated. I don't think you can adjust the bass unless you are using AirPlay. Apple have made a decision about how it will sound and if you don't like that sound or it doesn't work with your choice of music then you are out of luck.