Apple Unveils $349 HomePod Smart Speaker to be Available in December

[Stlcheer]

I don't hate it. I just don't see a reason for me to buy it. Plus I think it's priced a little high.

 

[josete]

Does it support any non-Apple music services? If not, Sonos has nothing to worry about.

You can listen Spotify or whatever via Airplay 2

 

[Mtmspa]

These are probably marked up $60 speakers. For $350 I'd rather get something like a $285 pair of JBL LSR305 pro studio monitors and a $30 Chromecast Audio. Add an optional Google Home and you have the ultimate experience.

And you provide all your data to Google. enjoy.

 

[Born Again]

Apple could have been a bit more creative with the naming.

what about iPod?

 

[nsayer]

Sound quality aside, isn't the Echo a better device?

Only insofar as it exists today. As for the rest, we don't yet know.

 

[Mtmspa]

This may very well sound better then the Google Home, but you're right when you say Google's assistant blows Siri away. Plus this thing is $350 and limits you to only use Apple Music. Sonos, Bose, etc. all provide the option of using many different music services.

Decide you don't like Apple Music? You now have a $350 brick.

Have you used Apple Music on a Sonos? It sucks.

 

[TonyC28]

Maybe I'm getting old or out of touch, but I just can't justify paying Apple prices these days.

 

[nsayer]

I'm sure it sounds great but I think that Amazon and Google have the market in this space until Apple gets Siri working better and they release a lower price option.

People said nearly the same thing about Blackberry in 2007.

 

[Mtmspa]

yeah, all of them are gonna jump on board with a $350 speaker. people who would buy this already own sonos and wouldn't buy this to begin with. just bc u have apple music doesn't mean you are gonna drop major dollars for a little speaker. My point is they are limiting this to apple music only. Good luck!

So, if they sell a couple million that would be successful.

 

[nsayer]

A mono speaker? How hi-fi..

Did you miss the part where it has multiple tweeters aimed in different directions?

 

[Bazooka-joe]

It may be $350 but it's the extra 120 a year to subscribe to Apple music that makes the price totally unacceptable. If I could stream my music from iTunes match then I would consider it but I'm not going to pay a subscription to Apple Music just so I can use their speaker

 

[apps1991]

Spotify compatibility will make or break the HomePod for me

 

[Mr Retina]

Your perspective on sound quality may be different than mine.
We'll see how the homepod sounds come December.

Water is wet

 

[lordofthereef]

Also, why do you suppose this speaker won't be available until the end of the year? That's a long way away.

Brand new product requiring yet another entirely new fabrication process.

It's also something they may be trying to gauge interests on. Afaik Apple hasn't ever made a speaker system before.

Lastly, perhaps thisnisnwhen various back end (Siri, iTunes streaming) things are to be solidified. Apple probably wants their brand new product to be as smooth an experience as humanly possible for buyers. I mean that's generally always the goal. But this gives them Tim to roll it out.

And one more; give us something to buy when they can't make enough iPhones lol. Mostly kidding about this.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Have you used Apple Music on a Sonos? It sucks.

The difference is the Sonos let's you choose from many different services. You can even plug into it's input and play anything you want on it. Bose's SoundTouch offers the same options including Bluetooth connectivity above and beyond everything else.

This appears to be a "subscribe to Apple Music" or have a deadweight object on your desk. Very limited product for $350.

 

[Partron22]

That looks like a five inch woofer. We used to call those mid range, and get them from Chihuahuas.
You'll not be hearing 40Hz out of this boombox quality device.

 

[Mtmspa]

they can't really tout home automation bc homekit is still sitting idle. So they spin it as a high quality speaker with bonus siri!

So the HomeKit stuff they mentioned was a lie?

 

[TheRealDGD]

I'm flabbergasted. People think $350 for speakers is "off-putting". Without having listened to the things.



What third world country do you come from that you can't afford $350 for a speaker? Let me put that simply: Anybody who has bought a new iPhone, or a top-of-the-range Samsung phone or something close to add, has the disposable income for this. So you are seriously telling us that you can't pay $350 for speakers? If you don't want to spend that money, fine with me, but you are saying you can't afford it?



You really made my day here. Of course on MacRumors the most important thing is that Amazon is selling something for £50. And you can put that Amazon thing on a glass table and then it gets even louder.

I come from the same Country Apple does and can afford it, I said the masses to whom this is directed to be a Game Changer for home sound cannot. Those people you refer to with iPhones, most of them are getting wiser over time to overpriced, constantly changing devices that become disposable in a few years hence the upgrade cycle you see with consumers. And 350.00 is not SPEAKERS it is 1 SPEAKER but then I am sure you will explain how stereo sound will emanate from that also....

 

[lordofthereef]

You can listen Spotify or whatever via Airplay 2

Would that require another dedicated device? Or could you just tell the speaker you want to listen to a Spotify playlist?

I don't even use Spotify but I do use google
Music so same question there.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Maybe I'm getting old or out of touch, but I just can't justify paying Apple prices these days.

you aren't alone....and it's neither. they are out of touch.

 

[cola79]

If i would want multiroom with good sound i would buy either sonos or active speakers plus chromecast audio.

And if i was a handicapped person who benefits from services like the echo offers, I'd buy one of these.

I wonder which group of customers apple wants to catch with their homepod?

It will just work well enough with Apple Music, which has not really good audio quality compared to all competitors in the streaming market.

No real integration of streaming services.

And the price os way too high. People don't pay that much for home audio. Sonos best selling item is the play 1, and Amazon did not offer a cheap echo if there was a true mass market for higher priced audio speakers.

So 200$/€ seems to be the top of what the people in general want to spend, the less the better.

And about streaming you need to integrate all services, otherwise only real brand enthusiasts will buy it.

 

[DakotaGuy]

Spotify compatibility will make or break the HomePod for me

I'm pretty sure the HomePod will be Apple Music subscription only.

 

[MacManTexas56]

Would that require another dedicated device? Or could you just tell the speaker you want to listen to a Spotify playlist?

I don't even use Spotify but I do use google
Music so same question there.

it's only gonna work with Apple Music. you won't be able to tell it to play spotify or google play music.

 

[batmccoy]

Why, if the echo sounds like S**T, why buy it? I guess the majority of people don't care about sound quality.
I am in fact looking forward to hearing the HomePod, if it truly sounds good, I could find a "home" for it.

This market of "smart speaker" isn't really about music quality. That's just Apple marketing looking for a window into the space. Having a smart home means a device in each room that can hear you (mic). The device needs to be able to respond with a small speaker but that's it.

The Echo dot is affordable enough allowing you to buy several. Now you have a smart home that's listening for your commands in multiple rooms.

Many people already have speakers that work with echo when they want to play quality music.

 

[lordofthereef]

it's only gonna work with Apple Music. you won't be able to tell it to play spotify or google play music.

Someone was mentioning something regarding airplay 2, is why I asked.