Deals: Get $25 Off HomePod Mini Today at Walmart [Update: Out of Stock]

[FelixDerKater]

$59 would be a decent Apple price for this.

 

[gaximus]

I have a few dots but I’ve never paid full price for them. Amazon almost gives them away with promotions

I wonder why?

 

[kuwxman]

I wonder why?

Right? This forum loves to poop on Google, but Amazon is BY FAR the greater evil in the room. It isn't even close.

 

[sw1tcher]

Right? This forum loves to poop on Google, but Amazon is BY FAR the greater evil in the room. It isn't even close.

* Facebook has entered the chat *

Facebook: 👍

 

[Asarien]

I wonder why?

This guy gets it.

 

[Laird Knox]

I am still trying to assess whether or not this can do the same things the Echo Dots I have can. In other words, I am aware that Alexa has a remarkable number or "skills" available and I'm afraid I would lose something that I just can't pinpoint right now.

Most of my home automation is, well, automatic. As a result I haven't done a lot of integration with Alexa. I mainly use it to manually set the thermostat or open and close the blinds. I have my HA devices tied into Hubitat and then bind specific features to Alexa (open/close blinds). I could do the same thing with Siri.

I suspect there are some apps on Alexa that won't port over. I can't comment on that. What I do like about the HomePod over the Echo is the audio quality. A single HomePod Mini does a descent job of filling my living room. I don't normally use it for that since I have a built in 7.1 system but it is still very listenable. When I get my new office space setup I'll likely add a pair of minis as a stereo pair. It will be good in that small space and I'm not ready to run in ceiling speakers there.

Where the HomePod really shines is the integration with the Apple ecosystem. This isn't surprising but what did shock me was one day I was watching a movie on the Apple TV and said "Hey Siri, pause." It paused the video on the ATV and I had never linked those devices together. It was smart enough to know that I only had a single Apple device playing media. It was pretty neat. To restart or play something new I have to use the device name: "Hey Siri, resume central." Central is the ATV attached to my whole home audio. "Hey Siri, play classical on central" works great. The HomePod tells the ATV to wake up, which in turn wakes up my receiver and switches inputs. It's pretty nice.

I still have a lot of work to do and may or may not decommission the Echo devices. Right now I have to remember if I need to ask Siri or Alexa.

 

[gugy]

This price makes me so close to giving it a try. $50 would be a certainty, but I know that is a pipe dream. I am still trying to assess whether or not this can do the same things the Echo Dots I have can. In other words, I am aware that Alexa has a remarkable number or "skills" available and I'm afraid I would lose something that I just can't pinpoint right now.

Man, at $99 is not a bad price. This is one of the rare stances where I think an Apple product has a good price for the value it offers. $75 is a steal. I have one and it's great. I would buy a second one.

 

[Bremse]

For reference, Sam‘s club had these in both colors for $75 a month or so ago. A few weeks earlier, Costco had them for $85.

 

[scottrngr]

Does this apply to in store as well?

 

[x86dude]

I’m a convert to these. Streaming good music in the background has helped my health.

You go though a period of screaming abuse at Siri, but then get the hang of it.

For Siri to work reliably, say “Hey Siri, play RADIO STATION …”

Recommended : 3 music Harmony. https://3musicradio.com/

 

[Bremse]

You go though a period of screaming abuse at Siri, but then get the hang of it.

For Siri to work reliably, say “Hey Siri, play RADIO STATION …”

LOL sometimes it’s like telling my kids to do something. Either no response or Siri does something totally different. I have some HomeKit lights and sometimes the wrong ones turn on or Siri says I can’t do that when she just did it a minute before.

 

[jsalda]

I’ve got 3 so far in my house, between those and my surround sound/AppleTV, I can fill just about every corner with music. I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the audio quality compared to Google and Amazon’s offerings.

 

[MVPilot172]

I know I’m in a minority but am trying to replace a couple echo DOTS with the Mini. The Dots are useless for my teen kids, can‘t access their Amazon Teen account, or use multiple accounts. They’ll be able to use their Apple Music playlists on the minis. The Dots continue to frustrate me.

 

[siddavis]

I know I’m in a minority but am trying to replace a couple echo DOTS with the Mini. The Dots are useless for my teen kids, can‘t access their Amazon Teen account, or use multiple accounts. They’ll be able to use their Apple Music playlists on the minis. The Dots continue to frustrate me.

Interesting. My kids (pre-teen) love the Dots, but I think our use cases are far different than yours. I still would like to get away from Amazon listening to everything we do.