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Yeah it does give a range... a wildly inaccurate one, but a range nonetheless. If it suits your purposes, who am I to judge? Carry on.

A product went through a limited release in only three markets.

An extrapolated figure for one market can give you an overall idea of sales.

Statistics work.
 
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Oh, isn't it that name, that audiophiles simply LOVE?

I'm not sure if that's sarcasm or not. Because no audiophile that I know would be caught dead with Bose equipment.
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I have to disagree with all you folks who disparage the value of Bluetooth with the HomePod. The worst problem with the HP is its limited usefulness. Without BT I can't even consider the possibility of picking up a pair to run with my t. v. or my sound system. The number and variety of programming sources one can access with the HP is painfully limited. Compared to what I can access on my t. v., for example, the amount and variety of programming available via Apple TV, even taking into account its TV app., is very small.

Apple could fix this, it seems. I have read that the HP does contain BT circuitry but that it is only used for the initial setup. If this is true, maybe a firmware update could change this, but for some reason that seems impossible to understand Apple appears to have no interest in helping us climb out of its notorious Walled Garden. Sometimes the mentality of its corporate culture seems downright psychotic. Maybe the advent of the Bose product will goose it into changing its mind. Certainly this issue of limited usefulness must be having a hugely negative impact on the HP's sales figures. You reap what you sow.

The HP, in short, is a niche product: at least as currently configured it is useless as a general-purpose speaker. Whereas BT will allow the forthcoming Bose competitor to function as such. So, if you can bring yourself to forget about its clunky appearance, it seems to me that it is a much smarter investment, the price differential seems very worthwhile, and my guess is that it is destined to blow the HP out of the water (as I suspect Sonos is already doing).

The pair I have work fine with my TV now that stereo pairing is available. In fact, that's specifically what I bought them for.
 
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A lot of posters are disgruntled about the design of this new Bose speaker, I don’t find it to be that offputting, it does *slightly* make me think of the HomePod. I probably would opt for black versus the white, as I think Black looks more contemporary, where as the white looks outdated to me. Truthfully, it’s all about the sound experience, which I know Bose will deliver.
 
Seeing some crazy comments here that just goes to prove many Apple users buy with their eyes. There is no doubt that the HomePod is a strong contender but even if did sound like a tin can the faithful would still buy it and defend it simply because it bears the Apple logo.

The truth is however that no matter how unappealing it may look to the Apple Cult BOSE are the Masters of this format and always have been. In short it is not about looks but is about sound quality.
 
Would have bought a HomePod if it supported BT streaming. I don't want wires, just a clean looking, HomePod sound quality pair of speakers for my TV.
 
Seeing some crazy comments here that just goes to prove many Apple users buy with their eyes. There is no doubt that the HomePod is a strong contender but even if did sound like a tin can the faithful would still buy it and defend it simply because it bears the Apple logo.

The truth is however that no matter how unappealing it may look to the Apple Cult BOSE are the Masters of this format and always have been. In short it is not about looks but is about sound quality.

Are you getting one?
 
I really don’t see the point. Sonos is far ahead of this with a whole robust ecosystem on offer. Bose should stick with making headphones... Anyway, when Sonos comes out with the high volume product designed with Ikea the smart speaker market will be sucked dry. Even more so, Sonos speakers support every single Apple tech (and almost every imaginable streaming service) except Siri, which in my opinion isn’t much of a loss. There isn’t much incentive to go with HomePod or Bose when you can get better (and very compatible) speaker at lower price.
 
Because with BT you can connect your device to it and leave it connected for ever (I do this in my kitchen with a dedicated ipad and some Harmon Kardon BT speakers). I never turn the iPad off. I have instant music all the time at the touch of a button.

Now bring in the HomePod with Airplay 2 to replace my BT speakers.....

A few minutes after the iPad stops playing the AirPlay connection disconnects. Every sodding time I wanted to place music, later that day, tomorrow, in a hour.....I’d have to re-connect the iPad with the HomePod.

Boxed the HomePods back up and returned them for a refund.

That’s why you need BT streaming.

My iPad Pro will do the same (as with my iPhone) - the device will disconnect after the music has stopped.
If I want it to STAY connected I stream from Apple Music/Podcasts (using my iPad/iPhone), not from the device itself. It will stay connected to that source until another device takes contol.
 
Because with BT you can connect your device to it and leave it connected for ever (I do this in my kitchen with a dedicated ipad and some Harmon Kardon BT speakers). I never turn the iPad off. I have instant music all the time at the touch of a button.

Now bring in the HomePod with Airplay 2 to replace my BT speakers.....

A few minutes after the iPad stops playing the AirPlay connection disconnects. Every sodding time I wanted to place music, later that day, tomorrow, in a hour.....I’d have to re-connect the iPad with the HomePod.

Boxed the HomePods back up and returned them for a refund.

That’s why you need BT streaming.
You have to keep the Bluetooth speakers charged. I have an echo dot in my kitchen hooked up to a Bluetooth speaker. It’s nice but I have to keep the Bluetooth speaker charged all the time.

With airplay I can play anything from my iPhone to my HomePods.

With the echos I have and the google Home mini I have to find some work around for some things like podcasts and audiobooks. With airplay I can just play whatever I want.
 
What would be a great feature for homepod is a 'play-along' mode where it listens like shazam for any songs playing and plays the same song from apple's music library in sync with the heard song and with relatively matched volume. If the source mutes or pauses it does the same. This would make it possible to easily add them as fill speakers around your home to an existing wired stereo. Just a thought.
 
I



Bose today revealed the "Bose Home Speaker 500," a new smart speaker that comes with Amazon Alexa built into the device and support for Bluetooth music streaming from iOS and Android smartphones. The Wi-Fi enabled speaker has many of the same features as competitor devices like HomePod and Sonos One, including music streaming, smart home automation, smart assistant inquiries, multi-room music syncing, and more.

In "early 2019," Bose says that it will introduce support for AirPlay 2 in the Bose Home Speaker 500, as well as in a pair of smart soundbars also announced today, the Bose Soundbar 500 and Bose Soundbar 700. For the Bose Home Speaker 500, the device includes an eight-microphone array for near-field and far-field voice pickup -- all when it's both silent and noisy from currently playing music.

bose-speaker-home-.jpg

For music playback, users will be able to play Spotify or Amazon Music directly from the Bose Home Speaker 500 when it's connected to a home Wi-Fi network. Buttons on the top of the speaker will also allow customers to set up to six different presets for playlists, Internet radio stations, and more. Of course, with Bluetooth any audio can also be streamed from a smartphone or tablet.

The company says the Home Speaker 500 has "the widest soundstage of any smart speaker available today," and is encased in an anodized aluminum shell that measures 8" high by 6" wide by 4" deep. Two custom drivers pointed in opposite directions ensure that sound reflects off surrounding walls to separate instruments and "place vocals where the artist did," all without "artificial effects or distortion."
Notably, Bose's smart speaker includes a front-facing display, but it doesn't appear to be a touchscreen. In the announcement, Bose says that, "when touch control is preferred ... there are buttons for basic functionality located right on the top," allowing users to skip track, adjust volume, and more. In the owner's guide, Bose says, "The speaker display shows speaker information and icons as well as the streaming service, album and artist currently playing."

bose-home-speaker-500.jpg

To compare, the HomePod has a 6 microphone array that allows the speaker to hear spoken Siri commands even when loud music is playing. HomePod measures in at 6.8 inches tall and 5.6 inches wide, so Bose's option is also slightly larger. Compared to the Bose Home Speaker 500's aluminum, Apple went for a mesh fabric webbing around the HomePod, and it only has a small 272 x 340 LED display at the top to display Siri's waveform when commands are invoked.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 will launch in October for $399.95, which is about $50 more than HomePod's $349.99 retail price and $100 more than recent discounts for Apple's speaker. The Bose Soundbar 500 and 700 will cost $549.95 and $799.95, respectively, and also launch in October at Bose retail stores, Bose.com, and at authorized Bose dealers.

Article Link: Bose Introduces HomePod Competitor With Display for $400, AirPlay 2 Support Coming in 2019

So I thought this speaker was ugly too...but then I went and listened to it...holy crap!! It was far beyond what I was expecting! Expensive though
 



Bose today revealed the "Bose Home Speaker 500," a new smart speaker that comes with Amazon Alexa built into the device and support for Bluetooth music streaming from iOS and Android smartphones. The Wi-Fi enabled speaker has many of the same features as competitor devices like HomePod and Sonos One, including music streaming, smart home automation, smart assistant inquiries, multi-room music syncing, and more.

In "early 2019," Bose says that it will introduce support for AirPlay 2 in the Bose Home Speaker 500, as well as in a pair of smart soundbars also announced today, the Bose Soundbar 500 and Bose Soundbar 700. For the Bose Home Speaker 500, the device includes an eight-microphone array for near-field and far-field voice pickup -- all when it's both silent and noisy from currently playing music.

bose-speaker-home-.jpg

For music playback, users will be able to play Spotify or Amazon Music directly from the Bose Home Speaker 500 when it's connected to a home Wi-Fi network. Buttons on the top of the speaker will also allow customers to set up to six different presets for playlists, Internet radio stations, and more. Of course, with Bluetooth any audio can also be streamed from a smartphone or tablet.

The company says the Home Speaker 500 has "the widest soundstage of any smart speaker available today," and is encased in an anodized aluminum shell that measures 8" high by 6" wide by 4" deep. Two custom drivers pointed in opposite directions ensure that sound reflects off surrounding walls to separate instruments and "place vocals where the artist did," all without "artificial effects or distortion."
Notably, Bose's smart speaker includes a front-facing display, but it doesn't appear to be a touchscreen. In the announcement, Bose says that, "when touch control is preferred ... there are buttons for basic functionality located right on the top," allowing users to skip track, adjust volume, and more. In the owner's guide, Bose says, "The speaker display shows speaker information and icons as well as the streaming service, album and artist currently playing."

bose-home-speaker-500.jpg

To compare, the HomePod has a 6 microphone array that allows the speaker to hear spoken Siri commands even when loud music is playing. HomePod measures in at 6.8 inches tall and 5.6 inches wide, so Bose's option is also slightly larger. Compared to the Bose Home Speaker 500's aluminum, Apple went for a mesh fabric webbing around the HomePod, and it only has a small 272 x 340 LED display at the top to display Siri's waveform when commands are invoked.

The Bose Home Speaker 500 will launch in October for $399.95, which is about $50 more than HomePod's $349.99 retail price and $100 more than recent discounts for Apple's speaker. The Bose Soundbar 500 and 700 will cost $549.95 and $799.95, respectively, and also launch in October at Bose retail stores, Bose.com, and at authorized Bose dealers.

Article Link: Bose Introduces HomePod Competitor With Display for $400, AirPlay 2 Support Coming in 2019
Okay, so its looks are nothing to write home to Mother about. Granted. But let's talk about the ways in which it is NOT ugly. First and foremost, it handles Bluetooth. This means a pair can be used with a television or a sound system (there are millions of Bluetooth dongles that turn anything with an audio jack into a Bluetooth device). And the page announcing Bose's new soundbars cryptically promises the availability of "optional bass module and surround speakers." If these are destined to be the surround speakers in question, they can also be used in a home theater setup. I'll be curious to learn how, if at all, they are going to interact with the new soundbars.

So what it is distinctly far from ugly about these speakers is that Bose decided not to go into the business of dictating to its customers what purposes their product can and cannot be used for. Quite to the contrary, they seem to be going out of their way to maximize its usefulness. Unlike Apple, whose refusal to give us Bluetooth deprives us of a highly significant amount of our freedom of choice and once more locks us into that damned Walled Garden for no visible reason other than Apple's own commercial interest. They want to steer us to Apple Music AT ALL COSTS which is supposed to mean that the end customer pays the cost, but the HomePod's lukewarm reception in the marketplace suggests that it's actually Apple itself footing most of the bill for this one , another stroke of Tim's genius. These Bose rivals are genuine all-purpose speakers, the HomePod very much is not, and right there the moderate price differential starts to seem eminently reasonable.

And my personal feeling is that Apple chintzed a bit on the HomePod's amplifiers. My listening room isn't especially large and yet I frequently find myself wishing I could bump up the volume a little.

Plus which, Siri continues to make like a Hoover as much as ever it did. Nothing in the wind to suggest this is going to change in the foreseeable future.

I don't imagine I'll be all that happy to look at them (maybe some judiciously applied duct tape will help), but I have a strong hunch that, as long as I start reading positive reviews about their sound quality, one or more pairs of these will be finding their way into my home.
 
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Awesome. Alexa + Bose = instant win. Apples smart home market products are a total joke.
Hi there,
I bought the Bose 500, but I can't make it play any music through Alexa. It only plays music through the Bose app, or bluetooth, or if I connect it to an echo unit. I even spend 3 hours with a Bose rep. to figure it out. So its not fully working with Alexa. To play music, it tells me to discover Bose Home Speaker 500 in the Skills, which I did, and still won't play. Any input on this?
 
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