Gurman: Apple Considered a Battery-Powered 'HomePod' Years Ago

[PinkyMacGodess]

Uncle could accomplish that with an iPhone.

He doesn’t want an iPhone.

He wants a landline, CD’s and to have a reason to talk to you.

And if he says 'I don't want to be a bother', or some such, cut him off. He's a user, and will always be a user as long as people let him use them. I had a boss like that once. What a PITA, I was his monkey until I showed him how to do it himself, and then he found someone else to do it for him. Parasitic game player...

 

[halifaxcrosby]

Meant portable?

 

[Black Magic]

I have an original HomePod and a Bose Soundlink legacy version that still works great to this day. The Bose Soundlink has a non-replaceable rechargeable battery and can be charged while placed on a dock which is very convenient when you consider portability. If Apple provided a rechargeable battery in the HomePod mini as well as some kind of round MagSafe charging puck, I think they would probably move more devices due to the added convenience.

 

[inkswamp]

I only have a couple complaints about the Homepod and this is one of them. The ability to pick it up and move it to another room without a lot hassle and cable management would be brilliant. It seems like a no-brainer but maybe there were technical issues I'm not aware of. Hopefully in a future revision. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[inkswamp]

I dont trust anything this guy says he is younger than I am

He could not even remember the right name for the APPLE Cinema monitors.

You might want to avoid criticizing people for mis-remembering things considering that the product name was Apple Cinema Display, not monitor.

 

[JMO1]

The problem with this (Apple potentially thinking devices are loud enough) is that with Airplay 2, I can’t stream music to a speaker AND use my device as a speaker. That would be great if they would allow this functionality.

 

[davidako]

Does Sonos Roam work directly with Apple Music via Siri commands?

Apple Music is one of the long list of services supported directly from the device(s). I don’t use Apple Music or Siri myself though.

 

[davidako]

The only reason I have not bought at least 4 HomePod mini is because they are NOT battery powered (and water resistant, although this wouldn’t be a deal breaker). If they produced a battery powered version, they’d have my money.

My use case would be as an outdoor speaker on the patio. I would bring them in unless in-use. I currently use UE MegaBoom speakers with Bluetooth, but I’d love to replace them with something more modern (and standalone - not requiring a device to stream to them).

Sonos already has a product for you.

 

[mrat93]

Uncle could accomplish that with an iPhone.

He doesn’t want an iPhone.

He wants a landline, CD’s and to have a reason to talk to you.

Trust me, we talk much more beyond his song and info requests. But fair points. He’s never really been fond of anything with a screen, since he says it hurts his eyes. I feel like a standalone voice assistant/speaker would be a good upgrade for any person who doesn’t use technology otherwise — just for music and basic information. He also loves music… When Apple announced the Siri-only Apple Music plan, I thought it would be perfect for somebody like my uncle.

 

[SFjohn]

I don’t expect Apple to ever release a battery powered portable HomePod of any kind. If they did, a few people will board crowded buses snd turn them on at full volume. That’s not an impression Apple wants to make.

 

[danmaldesign]

Has anyone ever noticed how Apple always “erases” the usb-c cord from all of the HomePod mini advertising? If you haven’t purchased a superior sounding, battery powered Ultimate Ears WONDERBOOM then you’ve been left in the dark.

 

[harriska2]

I have a small portable bluetooth and headphone jacked Bose speaker that sits on a charging pad. It is really old so connecting to different devices is a pain. Something like that with better sound and Bluetooth connectivity would be great.