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Deals: HomePod Returns to Lowest-Ever Price of $199.99 at Best Buy ($100 Off)

69Mustang said:
So what it sounds like you're saying... and correct me if I'm wrong... but it sounds like you're saying DaveN does not fall into one of the two categories I claimed most people fall into? :D
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Well, I would prefer to think that most people fall into my category. On the other hand, I also like to think I think differently. Hard to say without a proper survey and that isn’t worth doing. IMHO
 
Hodar1 said:
Musically, they sound better than most of the competition in this price range.
But, as a TV speaker - I think you are better off putting the money towards a soundbar. There is a reason why most home theater systems have an EQ that differs between music types, movie types, and vocals. This tries to be everything to everybody - and winds up superior at really nothing but a background music player.

Siri, is still inferior to the competition - even though Apple more or less created the intelligent voice assistant, and is a larger company; one would like to think that Siri would be the one to beat. Sadly, Siri ranks pretty much last place.
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The problem with Siri is the way Apple handles the information, other companies like Google do whatever they want with your info so it’s easier for them to work with it (worst case scenario, they just post an apologize and they move on, like they did with the secret mic on Google Nest).
 
burgman said:
what apps are you using with AirPlay? My alexia devices never have a streaming issue same router or controlling device. Listen to Siri controlled music then switch to Apple device, then switch to another Apple device like IPhone to iPad during the day.
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So in your completely different house/router/service provider/location etc. you don’t have a problem someone else does? How relevant
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mannyvel said:
How do you get the sound out to your homepod? Via an AppleTV?
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Seriously? One way is settings sound out choices. An easier way is to long press the display icon on the appletv remote. And set the homepods by the sound icon on the bottom left of the side panel
 
DaveN said:
Well, I would prefer to think that most people fall into my category. On the other hand, I also like to think I think differently. Hard to say without a proper survey and that isn’t worth doing. IMHO
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Well most people don't, as evidenced by Homepod market share as a smart speaker. :D Wait, you'd like to think that you think like a marketing campaign designed for a multi-national corporation? Okay.

I'm just messin' with you bud. Buy what you like and use it how you like. If your personal ethos mirrors an ad campaign by TBWA, so be it. There are worse things to use as motivation.
 
This is the price I bought mine for in January and it has been worth every penny. Excellent always-on audio device. Multi-user support has seriously contributed to the value-proposition. The sound is exceptional and has largely replaced our Bose Bluetooth speaker we used to move around the house and serves as our smart-home control (HomeKit has been awesome) and general assistant (add salsa to my shopping list, what's the weather in Anaheim tomorrow?, When is Mother's Day this year?, etc.)
 
burgman said:
what apps are you using with AirPlay? My alexia devices never have a streaming issue same router or controlling device. Listen to Siri controlled music then switch to Apple device, then switch to another Apple device like IPhone to iPad during the day.
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I didn’t think about that. I only use the iTunes (Music) app either from my iPhone X or from iMac. And I mostly play songs downloaded on my devices.
 
69Mustang said:
Well most people don't, as evidenced by Homepod market share as a smart speaker. :D Wait, you'd like to think that you think like a marketing campaign designed for a multi-national corporation? Okay.

I'm just messin' with you bud. Buy what you like and use it how you like. If your personal ethos mirrors an ad campaign by TBWA, so be it. There are worse things to use as motivation.
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I was wondering if you would take the 'think different' bait. 😜
 
69Mustang said:
Well most people don't, as evidenced by Homepod market share as a smart speaker. :D Wait, you'd like to think that you think like a marketing campaign designed for a multi-national corporation? Okay.

I'm just messin' with you bud. Buy what you like and use it how you like. If your personal ethos mirrors an ad campaign by TBWA, so be it. There are worse things to use as motivation.
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Seriously? If someone dumps all the crappy little cheap speakers and the Good speakers into one category “smart speakers”, yes you are right. But compared to like kind speakers google home max for one market share is not that bad
 
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MauiPa said:
Seriously? If someone dumps all the crappy little cheap speakers and the Good speakers into one category “smart speakers”, yes you are right. But compared to like kind speakers google home max for one market share is not that bad
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Yes seriously. They are all smart speakers. They can all more or less perform the same functions. Those crappy little cheap speakers come with decent i/o which allows them to increase their sound quality and overall effectiveness. Whether the market share is good or bad is really irrelevant. It was just a quip poking fun at Dave's seeming need to justify his Homepod purchases. Not really sure why. As for the Homepod, it's going to be compared to other smart speakers because it's a smart speaker. It is what it is. No matter how much some Apple fans want it not to be.
 
Hodar1 said:
Musically, they sound better than most of the competition in this price range.
But, as a TV speaker - I think you are better off putting the money towards a soundbar. There is a reason why most home theater systems have an EQ that differs between music types, movie types, and vocals. This tries to be everything to everybody - and winds up superior at really nothing but a background music player.

Siri, is still inferior to the competition - even though Apple more or less created the intelligent voice assistant, and is a larger company; one would like to think that Siri would be the one to beat. Sadly, Siri ranks pretty much last place.
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Concur.

You can get a decent sound bar with sub that is a lot better than a homepod if you want something purely for home theatre.

I hear that some homepod as appletv output problems have maybe been resolved recently, but the trouble i had (when i tried to run it as an appletv speaker) was that every time you'd airplay something from another device to the homepod, or use the homepod as a homepod (via playing music from apple music), or reboot the AppleTV, or have it auto-update, you'd need to re-select the homepod as an output device on the AppleTV when you then wanted to use the AppleTV and get sound out of the homepod later.

Which is infuriating and brain numbingly stupid.
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MauiPa said:
If any of this were true, it would be a great comment
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The "soundbar is a better idea for home theatre" idea is definitely true as per the above.

If all you have is a homepod, then sure, try using it as an AppleTV output instead of a soundbar.

But if you want something specifically for home theatre, the homepod is a joke for the reasons I outlined above. I say this as someone with a pair of them.
 
I purchased one at Best Buy this evening for $200. Now I have three HomePods. One in the garage, one in my studio, and another in my wife's studio. They're great! Excellent sound and Siri works very well. No complaints.
 
MacRumors said:



Best Buy has returned the HomePod to its Black Friday price of $199.99 this morning. You can get the HomePod at this price in both White and Space Gray, saving you $100 off the regular $299 price tag.

homepod-duo.jpg
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

This is the lowest price ever tracked for a brand new HomePod. We've tracked solid deals at retailers like OWC over the past few months, but as of yet we haven't seen the HomePod return to holiday discounts in 2020, until today.

Head to our full Deals Roundup to shop for even more discounts on Apple products and related accessories.

Article Link: Deals: HomePod Returns to Lowest-Ever Price of $199.99 at Best Buy ($100 Off)
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When it first came out, I could not wrap my head around paying more than $150 for this. This big "sale" still doesn't get it to that price point. Maybe it's my lack of experience with one, but it really seems like at this point, the "sale" should have these going for something in the $70 – $80 range.
 
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