Apple's Phil Schiller on HomePod: We Want to Create a New Kind of Music Experience in the Home That Sounds Incredible

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Ummmmm, perhaps you should reread how Apple is marketing this product. Best quality sound hardware begs for best quality sound software. Or, at the other extreme, garbage in: garbage out.

If Apple made a million dollar HP Magical Deluxe Speaker, the quality of it's sound will be limited by what it is fed.

OR, if "99% listeners don't care about audio quality," won't they be happy to save money and buy just about anyone else's much cheaper smart speaker? If they "don't care about quality," why pay more?

Again, none of that matters to the average user. Even with your standard streaming-quality music from Apple Music, a high-quality speaker such as this will be able to impress most enough to love it.

Remember that most of those 99% have never heard great quality speakers before. They're use to listening to music on their iPhone, with the provided headphones. Their car is likely the highest quality sound system they have and those that have a home stereo most certainly haven't tuned things for the room it's in, so beam forming is going to blow them away.

They don't know what they're missing, so they aren't missing a thing as far as they're concerned. They hear something better than what they're use to, and now the bar is higher and they want it (the HomePod). But since they don't know the bar can go even higher (hi-fi tracks), they won't be upset.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Sound quality is amazing according to all the technology journalists/sites allowed to review it in advance. Interesting that not one audio journalist/web site was invited to review it...

 

[cknibbs]

Just announce a Canadian release date already!

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

I don't get it.. if, as you say, people do not care, why would they pay $350 for this Homepod, which according to Phil Schiller is supposed to "sound incredible" and not just any old bluetooth speaker?? In other words, why would Schiller be trying to market an incredible sound experience to 99% of people who don't give a hoot?

Explained above. Most have never experienced great sound so even if there's even better sound, they're unaware. This sets a new bar for them and will blow them away.

This is exactly how Bose has been successful at selling their systems with their stores (spare us the audiophile complaints about Bose being crap). The average person has no idea music or movies can sound better. They wander into a Bose store at the mall and they're blown away that with decent speakers, these things can sound better. They walk out with a thousand dollars in speakers to improve their home audio experience. Apple will sell in the same way.

Even though it's not hi-fi audio, it's still a lot better than what the average users is use to. That'll sell.
[doublepost=1517358240][/doublepost]

Sound quality is amazing according to all the technology journalists/sites allowed to review it in advance. Interesting that not one audio journalist/web site was invited to review it...

Those guys just look for any reason to slam a product that costs less than $1,000. Why in the world would you give your product to someone you know is going to slam it no matter what?

In addition, the people those sites appeal to are NOT Apple's intended audience. The people that read audio blogs aren't interested in the HomePod and have already made up their minds not to like it or buy it, no matter how good it sounds. Again, there's no point in marketing to them.

There is nothing to be gained, which is why Apple hasn't bothered.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Believe what you wish: I think you are seeing the 99% as too stupid here. 4K TV buyers generally can figure out that they want to feed it higher quality software than lower quality software. If they swallow the marketing message to justify paying much more than competing speaker products, they are probably going to think about the quality of the software they are feeding it too.

Your reply sounds like the one Apple desires: pay up for this speaker on our spin of "best quality sound" but settle for our audio because it"s "good enough." That way exactly what we have just happens to be perfect for 99% of the market.

 

[mattyj2001]

I feel like a lot people are happy streaming music to a Bluetooth soundbar that’s cheaper and multi-purpose. I know I am.

I already purchased a HomePod because, as great as my soundbar (ahem, 'sound projector', as Yamaha would like me to refer to it) is, it's very 'directional', for lack of a better word. Outside the living room it sounds like garbage.

I have an old Big Jambox that I love, but again, directional, you have to be pretty much right in front of it for it not to sound tinny.

I'm looking forward to hearing what this thing can do from the corner of the room. Plus I can dim the lights when the iPhone is charging in the other room. Can't get much more 'smart' than that. Ha ha.

 

[BSben]

This is almost addictive reading. There are the people who buy vinyl (!!!) who claim iTunes music is inferior to vinyl (!!!).
Until this day there is no evidence whatsoever that vinyl beats MP3 or CD that is convincing.
Anyway Apple have a good track record to provide the best possible experience for the casual user. And the majority of users are just that, audiophiles are a minority. The majority of people will find the sound quality of iTunes/AppleMusic more than satisfying. I am sure the HomePod will sound incredible to the majority of users, but will not convince so called 'audiophiles' as they would rather die than give Apple or other services any credit.

 

[asdavis10]

I think HomePod will be great for those in Apple’s ecosystem who use Apple Music and HomeKit devices. But HomePod is somewhat a beta product. I don’t think Apple knows where this space will evolve to. But if I look at this product similar to Apple Watch then I won’t mind getting on board early while Apple figures it out.

If HomePod is only a step above the Sonos Play1 then it will still be a very good product. It may not be the “insanely great” that Jobs’ Apple would have given us on the first go but there will be room to improve in future generations.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

I have to say, I am intrigued by HomePod. Could be another sleeper hit just like AirPods and Apple TV are. My significant other has already expressed interest in getting one.

My only gripe so far is the lack of color options. It’d be nice if Apple offered a color palette to choose from for the mesh fabric. Stark white and black are too limiting for a product like this, which blurs the boundaries between tech gadget and home decor item.

This is just the initial release. No one ever offers all the options from the start. They have to have something to get you to buy the next release.

I'm sure other companies will release sleeves to put over them in other colors too.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Sound quality is amazing according to all the technology journalists/sites allowed to review it in advance. Interesting that not one audio journalist/web site was invited to review it...

Best I know, nobody has actually reviewed it yet. Instead, they got to go to a demo run by Apple. A demo is not a review. For example, in a demo, the demonstrator- Apple- steers the presentation to their product's strengths. In a well done demo, the outcome is predetermined and the demonstration will be engineered to be sure that the desired outcome is the one that results from it.

Real objective reviews will arrive AFTER 2/9, when independent AV reviewers can pound one of these in their own labs, per their own approaches, with their own musical selections. Instead of focusing on only what these do best, they'll consider everything with an aim to build a clear pros & cons list.

Real reviews will also answer about a dozen questions still flying around and still unanswered or ambiguous. For example, relatively how much smarter is Siri here? As smart as it's competitors? Smarter? Or not as smart? Does it definitely have Siri command access to our own ripped music files on our Macs? With Match or without? AM required or not? Will it play the lossless rips on our Macs or only the Matched copy in the cloud? And on and on.

To a buyer, what it's not (relatively) is perhaps as important as what it is. We don't even have a complete picture of what it is yet. Every "review" so far reiterates what we know from the marketing messaging (mostly from way back when it was first revealed) instead of telling us much new.

 

[canyonblue737]

I have no doubt that HomePod will sound great. So much so that I've ordered several to dot around the house.

But, my gosh, what a shambolic release.

I was hoping this interview would reveal more practical details about what the hell it can do and how.

Instead we're still - just a few days before launch - relying on drip-fed, third-hand information from journalists about things so fundamental as what types of music Siri will work with. So weird.

i honestly believe why they aren't being overly specific about what it will do is because what it DOES isn't what they want it to DO. they don't want to explain details about how it doesn't work in stereo, doesn't support multi-room audio, doesn't support multiple users based on voice, doesn't have the full siri feature set, doesn't have many of capabilities of sonos, alexa, or google assistant... WHY? because they plan on ALL of that. they don't want to explain what it does now and then change it later, they would rather just focus on the parts it does now that ARE like what their vision is and then add "new" stuff later. they just don't talk about the grey areas that are changing.

 

[WannaGoMac]

Explained above. Most have never experienced great sound so even if there's even better sound, they're unaware. This sets a new bar for them and will blow them away.

This is exactly how Bose has been successful at selling their systems with their stores (spare us the audiophile complaints about Bose being crap). The average person has no idea music or movies can sound better. They wander into a Bose store at the mall and they're blown away that with decent speakers, these things can sound better. They walk out with a thousand dollars in speakers to improve their home audio experience. Apple will sell in the same way.

Even though it's not hi-fi audio, it's still a lot better than what the average users is use to. That'll sell.
[doublepost=1517358240][/doublepost]

Those guys just look for any reason to slam a product that costs less than $1,000. Why in the world would you give your product to someone you know is going to slam it no matter what?

In addition, the people those sites appeal to are NOT Apple's intended audience. The people that read audio blogs aren't interested in the HomePod and have already made up their minds not to like it or buy it, no matter how good it sounds. Again, there's no point in marketing to them.

There is nothing to be gained, which is why Apple hasn't bothered.

Then apple shouldn't run around saying how "amazing the sound is" to justify the higher price tag.

And most audio sites don't look for "looking for any reason to slam a product", fact is most consumer mass market audio is overpriced for what it delivers compared to smaller companies. The same can be said for macrumors in reverse just as easily. Macrumors has never reviewed any Apple product negatively ever, they just look for a reason to say nice things and generate clicks from us forum suckers.

 

[macsimcon]

I don't get it.. if, as you say, people do not care, why would they pay $350 for this Homepod, which according to Phil Schiller is supposed to "sound incredible" and not just any old bluetooth speaker?? In other words, why would Schiller be trying to market an incredible sound experience to 99% of people who don't give a hoot?

OK, I'll take a shot.

I really like my MacBook Pro, iPhone, and Apple Watch. They're really amazing tools, but if each one cost $10,000, I wouldn't buy them.

A speaker which sounds fantastic is great, but it's being introduced into a market which already includes Sonos, Amazon, and Google, and the last two have already set the price ceiling, particularly when you consider how accurate and extensible Echo and Home are versus Siri, which is...not.

Everyone will agree the sound quality is superb. And then most will agree it's not worth an extra $250 to $300.

The Homepod won't be the market failure that the iPod Hi-Fi was, but it will be close.

And I just love Phil's notion that people are actually using the iPad at work. Those wacky multimillionaires! So insulated, so out of touch. They just crack me up.

 

[FelixDerKater]

That little pod isn’t going to deliver a new high-quality sound people haven’t heard before from proper speakers...

 

[MiamiC70]

Nobody actually reviewed it yet. Instead, they got to go to a demo run by Apple. A demo is not a review. For example, in a demo, the demonstrator- Apple- steers the presentation to their product's strengths. In a well done demo, the outcome is predetermined and the demonstration will be engineered to be sure that the desired outcome is the one that results from it.

Real objective reviews will arrive AFTER 2/9, when independent AV reviewers can pound one of these in their own labs, per their own approaches, with their own musical selections. Instead of focusing on only what these do best, they'll consider everything with an aim to build a clear pros & cons list.

Exactly this

 

[iReality85]

Check those size measurements: 6.8" high X 5.6" wide. This thing is tiny. You can probably put it inside of your own fabric mesh (and thus ANY color) unless that throws off how it optimizes itself.

I think the pics are somewhat misleading. Take a jumbo roll of TP and set it where you think you want this thing to go. It won't be sized much different than that. Even better: take a roll of paper towels and cut it in half. Set that where you want it to go. That's just about EXACTLY the size.

That’s smaller than I thought it’d be. Interesting. Actually seems a little too small to be honest; I could easily see something like this being up to 12” around, especially if it would allow for a punchier bass for a home audio solution in the living room.

Dolby Atmos sound bars are becoming a thing. I imagine connecting a HomePod to an Apple TV could make for a pretty good experience. Better than what average TV speakers would provide, at least.

 

[WannaGoMac]

But I know, nobody has actually reviewed it yet. Instead, they got to go to a demo run by Apple. A demo is not a review. For example, in a demo, the demonstrator- Apple- steers the presentation to their product's strengths. In a well done demo, the outcome is predetermined and the demonstration will be engineered to be sure that the desired outcome is the one that results from it.

Real objective reviews will arrive AFTER 2/9, when independent AV reviewers can pound one of these in their own labs, per their own approaches, with their own musical selections. Instead of focusing on only what these do best, they'll consider everything with an aim to build a clear pros & cons list.

Real reviews will also answer about a dozen questions still flying around and still unanswered or ambiguous. For example, relatively how much smarter is Siri here? As smart as it's competitors? Smarter? Or not as smart? Does it definitely have Siri command access to our own ripped music files on our Macs? With Match or without? AM required or not? Will it play the lossless rips on our Macs or only the Matched copy in the cloud? And on and on.

To a buyer, what it's not (relatively) is perhaps as important as what it is. We don't even have a complete picture of what it is yet. Every "review" so far reiterates what we know from the marketing messaging (mostly from way back when it was first revealed) instead of telling us much new.

Excellent point, they weren't reviews at all.

 

[edawg13]

It is not so much the price that bothers me. I expect this from Apple but I also expect it to be the best available on the market. However, without support for so many different services, Spotify, Nest, Amazon music, SiriusXM amongst many it does not compete with Alexa or Google Home. It made sound a heck of a lot better, but it certainly does not have the features that others have due to Apple's Ecosystem and proprietary ways.

 

[macsimcon]

It is not so much the price that bothers me. I expect this from Apple but I also expect it to be the best available on the market. However, without support for so many different services, Spotify, Nest, Amazon music, SiriusXM amongst many it does not compete with Alexa or Google Home. It made sound a heck of a lot better, but it certainly does not have the features that others have due to Apple's Ecosystem and proprietary ways.

EXACTLY! If this could replace the monitors I have connected to my receiver, through which comes audio from my cable box, DVR, Apple TV, and Roku, and if it could do stereo, I'd buy two of them in a minute.

But it can't do that, and without some physical hardware connections, it's not likely to do that, which sucks.

 

[DocMultimedia]

I bought the Apple Watch on the first day, and think it's great (but have no need for cell version). I'm waiting for my HomePod to arrive. We'll see how it goes. Marketing won't sell these, quality/usefulness will.

I've talked about ordering the HomePod to those in my office, and no one had ever heard of it. Will be interesting to see how it goes. I wonder if there will be a Super Bowl commercial where Apollo (the Greek God of Music + other stuff) sits around on Mount Olympus listening to a HomePod. Or some other crazy sort of 1984 commercial.

 

[PaulRustad007]

I get that Apple likes music....but I cannot stream my home library to the Homepod unless I have iTunes Match. I get that Apple likes TV but Siri cannot locate anything on my NAS let alone play it. I get that Apple wants to make money via iTunes but allow us to at least play our music on your device without having to pay Apple money. There is no way Siri cannot read the metadata on my NAS to catalog and play my movies. It used to be "it just works" with Apple, now it is "it just works with your credit card only."

rant over.

 

[falainber]

It's all BS talk. The only thing I understand is that they want to have as much presence between you and the artist as possible to monetize it. This smells like another Ping. They can't improve the original music no matter how hard they try. They can screw it up by offering Bose-like speaker and pretending that they are making a revolution in sound reproduction.

 

[Leguna24]

99% of listeners don't care. For the vast majority of users, a normal 128bit MP3 is perfectly fine.

Apple markets to the average user. They're the largest percentage of the market and the largest potential to make money.

Just look at how going after hi-fi audio has worked out for Tidal.

Also, how's Neil Young's high end audiophile player doing?

 

[Foxglove9]

I wonder if this will sell any better than the last speaker Apple released.

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Also, how's Neil Young's high end audiophile player doing?

Hahaha. Great example.
[doublepost=1517359970][/doublepost]

Then apple shouldn't run around saying how "amazing the sound is" to justify the higher price tag.

And most audio sites don't look for "looking for any reason to slam a product", fact is most consumer mass market audio is overpriced for what it delivers compared to smaller companies. The same can be said for macrumors in reverse just as easily. Macrumors has never reviewed any Apple product negatively ever, they just look for a reason to say nice things and generate clicks from us forum suckers.

My point still stands. Apple has absolutely nothing to gain from giving a HomePod to an audio-focused review site because the people that read those sites are not their target market. At most they'd gain nothing from a positive review (I've seen what people on those sites are saying and nothing could make them want the HomePod because in their mind it could never be a decent product), and at very worst, big news sites like Fast Company or CNN would pick up on negative coverage and it would lower sales.

Nothing to gain from allowing those sites to review it, which is exactly why they haven't bothered to allow them to do so.