When you read this kind of comments on MR you know Apple has a hit product.
And this is certainly no exception.
And this is certainly no exception.
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Apple Unveils $349 HomePod Smart Speaker to be Available in December
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...depends a bit on how the detail works out: Amazon's hardware products are very much designed as cash registers for Amazon, and are thus highly subsidised. Apple have the opportunity to be a bit less mercenary - time will tell.
(Will it be able, for example, to play my local iTunes library without an Apple Music subscription...?)
couldn't agree more...all this crap is a too late, and Apple doesn't seem to be playing catch up very well either...wtf happened to this company! With my echo I can say, turn on my TV with lights, and everything turns on, what does this piece of crap do, hey siri what is the weather? LOL that would have been great 3 years ago...c'mon Apple
This type of product is almost an inevitable failure if you really think about it. Smart Speakers seems like one of those products that you really need scattered around a home to get the full use out of it. The problem with Apple's business model is there high profit margins kill anything like this because they can't accept only having normal profit margins per device. Bottom line unless your willing to accept rather normal profit margins your not going to get people to buy these things and deploy them throughout there house like an Echo and a Dot.
"Hey Siri, please set a reminder for June 4th, yes yesterday, to not watch the Keynote since it was such a waste of time."
Sure, I'd like the price to be lower; I'd like it to be free and mow my lawn, too. But those comparing it to an Echo Dot or even Echo are the ones smoking something strong. I like my Dots (for controlling my lights, setting a timer, getting the forecast, etc.), but their audio quality is . If this has comparable sound quality to a Sonos Play:3, the it's exactly on part with a Dot ($50) plus Play:3 ($300). If it's more comparable to a Play:5 ($500), then it's a heck of a bargain.
And put two-and-two together here, folks: Of course it's going to support multi-room audio, which you can't do with an Echo nor would you want to, considering the audio quality. This isn't $350 for what an Echo Dot does, and you all know that.
All that said, I would like to see lower cost HomePods where I can accept lower quality audio, and just want hands free Siri. And I want them to trim my hedges.
And put two-and-two together here, folks: Of course it's going to support multi-room audio, which you can't do with an Echo nor would you want to, considering the audio quality. This isn't $350 for what an Echo Dot does, and you all know that.
All that said, I would like to see lower cost HomePods where I can accept lower quality audio, and just want hands free Siri. And I want them to trim my hedges.
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If it sounds any good I might consider these. But how will they work with the Apple TV? I didn't see any details on how to actually connect them to anything? Will they even try compete with a Sonos Play Bar / Play Base + Play 1/3/5 as surrounds or wil they be strictly 2.0-only?
Personally, as one who have paid a lot on audio over the years I don't find the price to be bad at all. What kind of equipement do you people normally purchase? Unles the audio is horrible, there is nothing wrong with these prices.
Personally, as one who have paid a lot on audio over the years I don't find the price to be bad at all. What kind of equipement do you people normally purchase? Unles the audio is horrible, there is nothing wrong with these prices.
This is actually a real speaker that sounds excellent that is made for a whole-home setup like the sonos is. This is not a tinny, crappy speaker like the Echo is.
Apple is down 1%? Wow. It will be up 1% tomorrow. Riveting.
Too late for me Apple, I am invested in SONOS and just because I am an Apple Music subscriber doesn't mean that I don't enjoy Pandora or other free services still. True I can't talk to it, but phone control is enough. I am kind of curious if Apple will withdraw support for SONOS as a result of HomePod.
**IF** combined with the whole-house-audio / multiple AirPlay 2 speaker concept all controlled by voice from wherever you happen to be, this might be amazing. But even in my small 1100sf house I would need 3-4 to cover all rooms without blasting, plus 1 for the patio and maybe 1 for the workshop, that's $2k. No thanks.
"We've been working on this for years."
And apparently need 6 more months?!?
Genius. Let Google Home and Amazon products gain that much more traction.
And apparently need 6 more months?!?
Genius. Let Google Home and Amazon products gain that much more traction.
You're missing out on what this product is.
The HomePod is NOT a competitor for the Echo. It's a competitor for those looking at Sonos or Bose equipment, but also like the Siri interface.
Then, when this product outsells the Sonos and Bose equipment, you'll ignore that, but instead still focus on it not outselling $50 junk in a completely different category.
Speaker's about a hunnit, hunnit-fiddy beyond what I expected. Nothing was said about it functioning beyond the garden, so a possible additional demerit (for me at least). Hopefully the sound is the saving grace. Not my cup of tea, but for the Apple fan who must have everything Apple... I guess it could have been worse.
I haven't heard the HomePod speakers, of course. The Echo speakers are really good.
My Android phone and my Home device both respond to "OK Google" but once I complete the request, the phone's screen says "answering on other device" and the Home is the device to respond. I don't notice any delay, Home behaves like it would if there was no phone in the room. I'm sure Apple can figure something smart out for this.
Yeah you obviously don't have high standards if you claim that the Echo speakers are really good
For the life of me I can't imagine why I'd want one of these things to have a screen when the point is to talk to it from across the room. Meh.
I do wish Apple weren't getting out of the router game. These things could play well together.
Why would anyone need to connect a Sonos and Echo, it's really duplicating nearly all functions. And echo and a powered speaker is the comparison