What is “NPD’s Checkout Service”? Is this some cash back opt-in scheme that lets them track user purchases from a small and self-selected group of users?
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Day One HomePod Pre-Orders in U.S. Beat Out Most Other Smart Speaker Pre-Orders
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Same here. Have had mine for more than two weeks now. Superb sound, and Siri nails it every time. HomePod has exceeded my expectations.
Will be purchasing a couple more when AirPlay 2 comes out.
Actually, this was my first Apple pre-order since the very first iMac in the summer of 1998. So one pre-order every other decade.
You’re one person, though. You might be an exception but that’s antectodal evidence. I think most everybody would agree that Apple has bigger fans of their brand than Google or Amazon.
Case in point, you don’t see Amazon or Google rumors forums, do yah?
They partner with Slice. Users with their App agree to let Slice scan their emails for e-receipts. They collect data from these receipts to see what people ordered.
If you bought something in a retail store and didn’t provide your email then they can’t track those purchases. It’s mainly for online sales tracking.
Umm not really, reviews already said it’s not anywhere near as good as a Goolge home in regards to AI and even the Google Max sounds better to some.. it will probably remain in third position is my guess next to Alexa.
I have just about everything else they make. I’m an iOS dev by trade as well. I’ve been lurking here for years, and the HomePod disappointment finally forced me to comment. I understand it’s fashionable these days to label anything you don’t like ‘fake news’ but rest assured, I actually did pre-order and return it. Here’s a pic of the receipt, only because I know it brings you to tears hearing that something Apple did wasn’t a hit for everybody. Sleep well!
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Given the rumour that google barely sold 4 million units of the pixel says it all.
What methodology is NPD even using? It states they have access to POS and receipt data, but surely they would get nothing from Apple itself rendering this already vague data point moot?
I guess in the case of HomePod most returns are because of misinformation rather than quality issues.
I think it's trajectory is comparable to the iPhone X. High pre-order sales by the die hard Apple fans. After that the sales drops drastically. Just a gut feeling...
As MKBHD said: they should have just left siri out of this and added a bunch of analog ports instead. Siri is a joke compared to the other smart assistants out there and HomePod’s version of Siri is even worse.
Apple needs to realize that they can’t just keep pumping out half-assed ***** at a premium price anymore. People are starting to notice that the “magic” is wearing thin.
Yeah the speakers sound really good, and props to the audio team for that but that’s where the praise ends.
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As a speaker, the consensus is that it’s killer. The speakers have been tuned to absolute perfection (for a device of its size) and the mic array are awesome. So that’s hardware. How about software? TERRIBLE. Siri needs a complete overhaul because it doesn’t fit in with the others anymore. It needs features that feel like they’re pushing the boundaries of what smart assistants can do. That’s what Apple used to be able to do but they seem to have lost their way.
Apple needs to realize that they can’t just keep pumping out half-assed ***** at a premium price anymore. People are starting to notice that the “magic” is wearing thin.
Yeah the speakers sound really good, and props to the audio team for that but that’s where the praise ends.
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As a speaker, the consensus is that it’s killer. The speakers have been tuned to absolute perfection (for a device of its size) and the mic array are awesome. So that’s hardware. How about software? TERRIBLE. Siri needs a complete overhaul because it doesn’t fit in with the others anymore. It needs features that feel like they’re pushing the boundaries of what smart assistants can do. That’s what Apple used to be able to do but they seem to have lost their way.
Agreed! The hype machine starts to rear its head in effort to create the "sales are good smoke screen" but you can't be telling that to the person wearing the Apple baseball cap driving the Prius loaded with Apple bumper stickers. Owing Apple stock I hope this product succeeds however in it's present form and with it's software limitations the out of the gate launch does not look so promising and soft sell articles like the above are not convincing. IMHO, they fell short but only time will tell.
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Aside from the excellent sound (which should be a given on a single $350 speaker) I found Siri on the HomePod very impressive. Not in terms of vocabulary or "skills". I just found it extremely natural to interact with the device via voice and the device was lightning-fast to respond.
That said, the lack of a fall-back analog port and some persistent home-kit bugginess killed it for me. I don't mind relying on Apple's technological "magic", but if the magic doesn't work perfectly then a hermetically sealed device like this leaves you with no options other than hoping and praying that Apple will fix their magic.
Eventually.
The HomePod does not record the sound of your house for others to listen to.
Hope this helps.
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It could be that every review and my own ears are wrong, and this is correct.
But humour me - sounds the same as which other small speakers in particular?