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Barclays Says AirPods Continue to Grow, HomePod Sales Have Been Underwhelming
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Based on their record sales numbers and record satisfaction? Wrong.
Did you read the article? They admitted they don't know how many HomePods have sold. It's simply fake news and clickbait.
I'm not sure just throwing Spotify at the HomePod makes it that much better. I've transferred playlists over to iTunes music, so Im still able to say 'Hey Siri, play my _______ playlist. The only difference I guess is it doesn't require you to have Apple Music. But the biggest thing is just making Siri more robust. That's going to have to be something system wide in iOS.
Sales have been underwhelming because the product is unfinished. And when the software to allow synchronous play over multiple speakers takes this ridiculously long to complete, they can't be shocked that sales have been underwhelming.
The geniuses incentivized people to buy just one for now.......or wait indefinitely.
The geniuses incentivized people to buy just one for now.......or wait indefinitely.
I for one can understand your reaction. If your home consists of products from different ecosystems, HomePod is not for you.
However, for us all-in with Apple (HomeKit), HomePod is pretty much perfection.
However: I would not rule out that Apple will increase HomePod's capabilities to include more compatibility with other "non-competing" peripherals.
Time will tell. If Apple cannot conquer, they will adapt to customer needs (within reason).
Let's just say there is serious room for improvement.
I got to touch one at the local 'center of the universe' (local being 2 hours away) and it's HEAVY!!! like I could almost see using a pair of them for arm toning. And I had to tap the top a couple of times to get it to respond. When it finally came on, it was playing music, and it was so low that I had to tap the '+' sign a few times, and then a few times more, and then more. It seems like the volume adjusts in small increments, which isn't all bad, however with so many microphones, can't it have 'adaptive volume control' and automatically jump about a flea fart to a mouse fart maybe? I mean something that can be heard?
Still HEAVY, really surprisingly HEAVY. The bottom also feels almost like a gel, which I thought weird feeling. It's not likely to slide anywhere, but I can see where it would likely cause the issues people have reported. I had an exercise ball resting against a wall, that tore a large patch of the paint off in a rather odd egg/ovoid shape.
Moderator tangent warning: Getting the paint off the ball was danged hard. Harder than it would have seemed...
Another moderator tangent warning: I was a programmer on an IBM mainframe back in the day, and we had this amazing color dot matrix printer, but when we had to move it, it took two people to heft it and move it to another desk. Then when it needed the IBM touch, I watched the neatly dressed service tech take the covers off and saw two huge blocks of lead across the front and back of the inner chassis. The service guy joked that people buy IBM equipment by the pound. And also that if it weighed less, people wouldn't want it. Weight = quality. It didn't *need* the weight, it didn't print that fast, but it had to *feel* heavy to justify the price. Humans are really funny...
Audiophile is a niche market. If sound quality is all Apple is aiming for then this will never be a market leader. The more exacting the requirements for using a product the harder it is for that product to be widely adopted.
- HomePods will not work with anything but an IOS device. Android devices will not work. There goes 50% of the market.
- For voice control, only Apple ecosystem sources can be used, and not all of those work with HomePod. And right now only IOS based sources will work. MacBook and iMacs won’t.
- By not using Siri and instead using apps some other services can be used, but now you need to have your IOS device with you and that music source app running and Airplay synced to the HomePod. Too many AND’s in that statement for this to be described as simple. Not rocket science but each requirement loses some people.
- Some music sources just are not possible. Anything that plays physical media like records, CD’s and tapes, or stored music (iTunes or otherwise) on a computer or NAS device, unless you have loaded them up to iTunes Match.
Some of the criticisms above also apply to Alexa and Google Home. But their voice AI is judged as being better and their cost is much less. And they aren’t claiming premium sound. Apple should have aimed for as broad of a market as they could get, and #1 on that list should have been Android compatibility. Way too many people knocked out by that one action alone.
And ultimately, Apple needs to have realistic expectations about sales. Most people put price ahead of a premium sound, so with everything but sound quality being equal, cheaper will still sell better.
I didn't really expect it would work out anytime soon.
Primarily, I don't want TV speakers plus these additional music speakers.
The Apple TV is actually a multiple user device, it's just a pain to switch accounts. I get why iphones & ipads are single user devices, but there needs to be some way of having devices use multiple accounts on devices intended for 'public' spaces. What better way than just using voice recognition to look up and automatically switch accounts?
I have 2 Echos and a Google Home. I spent a good few weeks considering a Homepod, as I wanted better sound and I love Apple. In the end I got a pair of really nice powered speakers and attached a ChromeCast Audio to them. This option cost me just over $200 and it can be controlled reliably from the Google Home. Also, and maybe most importantly, I can use Spotify/Google Music. The Homepod didn't stand a chance in the end.
Love my HomePod. Wish they were selling better but I'm happy regardless. Maybe Apple will lower the price and I can save money when I buy additional HomePods?! 
Mark
Mark
I own none of these. I liked the HomePod design, so, that's why I considered it for a Stereo setup. Got no Apple TV and so far, got no intention to get one. I want to wire down the HomePod, my way.
If I can't do that, no purchase. Simple as that.
You and SeniorCat1 have valid points. I'm not fond of the idea of 'connected' anything. I know what can happen, and what WILL happen in the future. I asked an alarm company tech if there were back doors in their alarm boards, and he looked shocked, and a little embarrassed. He thought for a second or two and said that 'everything has back doors', and was quiet. I pressed with one question, did their monitoring center know when a back door was opened. I could probably answer that, but was curious to see if he knew. He said it would be an interesting question to ask someone, but don't expect an answer.
So, under that scenario, I'm supposed to trust a 'connected house' to be 'safe'? To be able to be monitored? To know if it's violated in any way? And that some script kiddie with a new notebook doesn'y unlock all my doors and open my garage door, and hack the security cameras and alarm controller? I'll keep my 'antique tech', thanks.
Glad it works out for you but I don't walk marathons so I need something that stays secure without resorting to taping it to my head so it doesn't fall out and get stomped by ~29,000 people.
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Yes, and apps like Houdini make it quick & easy to migrate anything you have on Spotify to Apple Music.
I still use Spotify's "Weekly Discovery" to discover new music, and save them to new playlists. Then I simply import those playlists to Apple Music – it's so easy with Houdini (I'm not affiliated in any way – I just appreciate apps that break the walls between providers).
Glad it works out for you but I don't walk marathons so I need something that stays secure without resorting to taping it to my head so it doesn't fall out and get stomped by 29,000 or so people.
Earrings! Seriously! Someone needs to come up with earrings that the Airpods attach to, and they could sell a million of them.
I guess my ears are weird enough that the Airpods stay in place really very well. I've had Shure's and Bose, and Beats, slip out all the time. I use BackBeat Fit's for exercising because of the sweat that really don't fit 'in' my ears, but also don't fall off my head either. Win/win? The battery is dying in them now, which is sad...
That's a perfectly valid point – which means that HomePod is not for you. At least this first iteration of HomePod.
I'd be surprised if Apple didn't add more connectivity options for future HomePods. A digital input would be nice. Connectivity seems to be THE most limited part of HomePod.
Love my HomePod. Wish they were selling better but I'm happy regardless. Maybe Apple will lower the price and I can save money when I buy additional HomePods?!
Mark
Just a curious question: Are they 'upgradable', meaning can the OS in them be flashed? I'd assume yes. There is room for improvement, and an ability to get there. It'll just take time. I doubt that Siri is a one trick pony, and will evolve over time to be more robust.
That does not even have the basic bluetooth connectivity. That alone is a big fail in my opinion.
You bring up some very good points in your well thought out post. I’m thinking that the iOS market alone is huge and Apple is satisfied with this, at least initially. There are a few hundred million iPhones of recent vintage in use today. That is a huge potential customer base, and Apple certainly has a loyal group of customers. And Apple loves captive customers.
I also think Apple prefers to keep a higher profit margin instead of an even larger market share. Plus it will sell more Apple Music subscriptions which is typical Apple. IMO, Apple sells a good product at a premium price and healthy profit margin. But there is more money to made with each customer, using proprietary connectors so there are dongles to be sold, buy a HomePod- you have to sign up for a monthly subscription to Apple Music. Then we have the storage capacity upgrades, RAM upgrades at big profit, increased iCloud storage for a monthly fee, etc. I think it all fits into Apple’s business model quite well.
Thanks, I’ve been thinking about some wireless headphones for a while and think the AirPods are kinda overpriced BUT, they seem incredibly popular and are one cool little gadget! I’ve tested out some makes including Beats and don’t like their sound. I prefer the more natural sound that Apple goes for.
Plus I’ll be moving to the iPhone X or 11 later this year.
Nobody said they were not fashionable. Apple spends billions so people will feel like they are doing the right thing when they overspend for Apple products that under deliver. Of course, in certain parts of certain cities the most important fashion accessory is Apple gear prominently displayed. What better choice is there?