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Apple's Craig Federighi Confirms There's No October Event in the Works
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The Real comparison will be Sonos versus the HomePod, not Google. Even though we will see comparisons with All models, The HomePod is competing primarily against Sonos.
You don't think the home max will be in competition? It seems like it might be the superior option between all three devices. But time will tell once they all release.
Superior? Superior is a term that is loosely based on what the consumer finds they have the best sound. But as of right now, Sonos is the only one that has something available on the market versus Apple and Google.
you gotta love Apple people's crafty wording "for the season". That only applies to the current Fall season. Winter is upon us. 
Well as far as sound quality, ease of use, compatibility, etc. It's gonna be an interesting upcoming year as many have already implemented smart speakers in their homes.
I think the frustrations have got to the heads of the MacRumors readers.
I mean, look at the forums, we've all gone batsh*t crazy and have turned to emailing the heads at Apple to get some answers.
Wow, horrible memory you’ve got there.
You seem to have forgotten that just yesterday, Cook said it was “not time to share any details.” So just one day later, you think now it’s time? Why would you think that? Cook didn’t even give a timeframe, so my guess would be about a year.
No matter how bad you want it, it really doesn’t make any sense to wake up each day expecting that, no doubt, today will be the day they announce the new mini—only to be crushed again and again, on a daily basis, when it doesn’t happen.
What exactly was the Mac mini cannibalising again?
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You will probably have to go down personally and listen to the HomePod for yourself.
I don’t think I’ve seen Apple ever release a product that was dead before arrival. The Lisa seemed close but it shipped for a few years before its demise. Cube did very well but quality control was horrible with acrylic.
The Home Pod “may” sound great, even incredible, yet its main song to fame is such a failure because it Paola heavily in comparison to the competition yet mostly because of its features that have failed to evolve. Worse the the competition had 2.5yrs lag before getting their AI working and they’ve ALL surpassed even Bixby!
Apple ... I don’t want to hear ANY top executive state in an interview, on stage presenting a product nor publicly speak about a product using the words “innovative” “great” “amazing”. Not until at least siri has been exponentially improved both in power over the web with services beyond Apple’s own and current API restricted set of partners and leap frog the competition!
Even IBM Watson is being setup to do financial stock and ETF trades! That is power!
The sad Part is IBM is an Apple Business partner and instead Apple settled on making a few apps!
The age of the Apps is over!
Back is the simple idea of a dumb-terminal (its now mobile or stationary), and web search and connections to services and actions we’ve all being doing in a modal fashion.
The iPhone X is priced too high. Smartphones are now becoming commodities so a top tier niche for hose with money to flaunt is gone. Nokia’s Veru lineup died twice over a few years ago trying this even after going android. The market on a global scale doesn’t care. They’d rather bling it out with diamonds. Smartphones are not jewelry. Sales will plummet.
Siri is now under Federighi’s watchful eye (and bushy eyebrows) so I’m praying major overhaul and goods will occur! This will greatly improve Apple’s entire product mix. This is now critical. Alexa is already getting into cars and speakers being sold across the EU and increasing. THis will hugely affect recent R&D dollars used for the HomePod.
Already starting to suspect every iOS update six months after the AirPods released has been made to affect Bluetooth performance for 3rd party headphones. My suspicion from personal findings of my own.
Either way I really hope this fiscal year Apple looses revenues and profits immensely! His will shake up the executive mix a LOT put their wealthy stock maturizing on a low and pinch them as a company to look hard enough beyond their walls to see what’s really going on!
Aesthetics where never an issue after the original iMac. Apple has gotten fat and complacent with their achievements. Get some young daring blood in each department a chance to really bring forth rich new take for the future. Please Apple
And therein lies Apple’s failure. Apple is obtuse to the market in terms of the HomePod. All Apple did was add an aging Siri connection to what seems like great speakers (I’d estimate is comparable in sound quality to the B&O M5 not Sonos Play:1 / One).
The HomePod as Apple is marketing is a connected speaker but is to be a speaker first and foremost. The issue with their marketing is that it does NOT math with the product in this aspect.
The HomePod doesNOt have any sound in/out aux ports. It will ONLY play music sourced from Apple Music or an iOS or OSX device that has AirPlay compatibility - which means it’s only compatible with their products.
Speakers have for the most part always been Herero-genius meaning they’ll play music from any source or sources not secluded to the manufacturers own presentation as a source! Sonos does this, B&O, Marantz etc all does this. The Echo itself does this via limited streaming services but still can outside of Amazon’s Prime music service. The HomePod cannot - not independently from an OS X/iOS device.
If you have an Android, Windows device (smartphone / PC) the HomePod is uselesss. Sure a PC with iTunes may work, but only via their software not from Any other software. This is BAD for a consumer market in a target market segment that is defined by allowing the user options and flexibility and openness.
Apple forgot one major things with speakers: tha people LOVE to her THEYRE music their way, not forced to get their music from one medium or source.
Think how many people globally have an Android device, a Windows PC and nothing from Apple? Apple understood this with the iPod after its 2nd year ever being released (although a 3rd company helped to make that happen). This is the single reason why the iPod flourished and thrived even against entrenched heavy hitters with 2yrs lead on Apple. How the hell does Apple ignore this now and does the opposite thing?!!
This is why Sonos will win day in/out anywhere because they never forgot people and their music are in love and never to separate them.
Hey, 3 out of 15 Apple products qualify for "Green: Buy it!" in the Macrumors Buy It Guide. What more do you customers want from them?
Now get in line for your low production X iPhone and have a "missed sale" Merry Christmas!
I am actually surprised. It feels like there's still so much HomePod functionality we don’t know about and to not live demo a new product line before it launches seems unusual. Plus I would have thought that a general media focused event
- formally announcing their TV/Film streaming service,
- it's integration with the Apple TV TV app (with demo),
- Amazon finally launching their streaming service on Apple TV,
- it’s integration with the Apple TV TV app (with demo)
- and perhaps even new iPod Touches,
- wrapping up with a HomePod feature review and demo
Having said all that the AirPods never received a live keynote demo so ♀️