The problem is. SIRI is still dump as. So what's the point? Can't even give me the news for the day in Australia. "Hey Siri, what's the news today? I found some web results, I can show them when you ask again from your iPhone." I used to be able to choose news channel from HomePod.
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Hands-On Experience of New HomePod Reveals 'Exquisite' Audio Quality
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Imagine if they listened to some real hi fi speakers ,I imagine their heads would explode 🤯
No wired input. No buy.
Needs to be able to work with everything I own and connect directly to Mac to make it useful in more scenarios…
Needs to be able to work with everything I own and connect directly to Mac to make it useful in more scenarios…
Yes, that's annoying how that most obvious phrase no longer works. I still occasionally trip-up and use that phrase first. Here in the UK, if I then say, "hey Siri, play today's news" the BBC news update then kicks-in (Sky news also available).
My thoughts as well.
I have 2 v1 HomePods - and I would like to see unbiased reviewer's opinion.
Paid reviews are there to make sure owners of older HomePods upgrade
But this time, I am not quite sure it's worth the gesture unless Apple decides to block completely support for older HW.
Yes there was a ridiculous amount of hyperbole - indeed in this review itself all I could think was - isn't that down to the mix by the producer as opposed to the playback device??
The HomePod is an ok speaker that shines when paired with another - but let's not kid ourselves - it is at least $100/£100 overpriced and is hampered by the god-awful Siri.
Yeah yeah.. Only side by side comparisons will show you the difference. Not some specially invited Tech blog guest of Apple's.
The originals are great and we have several around the house. Not as good as my floorstanders and proper amp in TV room which have been going nearly twenty years, and not sure about "exquisite". Pleased to see these back being sold as the Mini is dire sounding but Wifi from 2008 - WTAF?
Interesting, Australian user here.
I ask Siri for the news on my HomePod Original and Mini and they play the ABC news and prompt me if I wish to switch to SBS news. They have done this for years.
Also plays the news if I say, “what’s my update?” If I ask that, I get a run down of my calendar, reminders and news for the day.
What rubbish. For a start, the chip in the HomePod mini is older and only supports WiFi 4. Secondly, no Apple Watch supports higher than WiFi 4 (including the Ultra). Thirdly, I still have items which support only 802.11g, or WiFi 3 which happily work flawlessly every single day on my modern mesh network.
I think you don't realise how underpowered the majority of WiFi items are. Most are WiFi 4 at most.
It will boot its OS and calibrate itself no matter you moved it or not.
Punctuation marks please.
Cmon, newer Wifi (and most tech) supports early versions.
Dont they fall back on the slower/older standard when local conditions arent great?
A rechargeable version with bluetooth and line in would have been great.
I have four of the original HomePods. I loved them when they released and still do. I don’t plan on replacing them with the newer version though. When I do listen to music it’s just background music. I have my main stereo system for more serious listening.
When the original released there seemed to be a lot of negativity around them that I never understood.
I guess I’m just excited that HomePods are back and the reviews are good.
When the original released there seemed to be a lot of negativity around them that I never understood.
I guess I’m just excited that HomePods are back and the reviews are good.
i mostly agree. I only noticed it in very specific instances like a helicopter passing by in a movie or during certain songs that I was familiar with from other audio sources. I might hear an instrument from a specific area of the room rather than buried behind the rest of the sounds before.
It didn’t do this for everything as the reviews led me to believe.
I didn't notice anything other than sound coming from the HomePod (stereo, multi audio, Dolby Atmos) made no difference at all.
However, Spacial Audio on the Airpods Pro and Beats Fit Pro is brilliant!
I think the reviewer was describing an actual Dolby Atmos system from reading the hyperbole, rather than a HomePod speaker.
All part of the Apple marketing and PR train!
I would have thought £249 would be a better price, or even better £199.
I think most of the negativity surrounding the OG HomePod stemmed from the the fact that Siri was terribly dreadful in 2018 and now it’s just regular dreadful.
If they'd come in a $199 they would fly off the shelves...
It takes a highly trained ear to notice the subtle shifts in the air which cradle those of us in the know with their warmth and richness of tone, and clarity as crisp as an early springtime breeze.
You’re probably just not audiophile-y enough so you wouldn’t understand. /S
Joking aside, if you have access a decent set of speakers with a CD player and can find the same song and stream via Bluetooth at the data saver or even the normal bitrate, listen to them back to back. Or you can try radio vs CD or streaming. You should be able to discern a clear difference in quality, but not really enough to warrant spending more per month for a premium tier.
Some WiFi routers can be configured to support multiple standards on multiple bands but sometimes do not reach their peak performance when operated that way. Someone with a new high-performance router would probably look for new devices to support that level of performance.
It’s true that for many homes their current WiFi router may not be the latest and greatest, so buying HomePod without the latest WiFi standard is not an immediate problem but keeping up with the latest WiFi standards on new (and arguably, expensive) products is all about longevity.
With these products, Apple is deliberately delving into planned obsolescence. They expect customers to treat these devices as semi-disposable and be replaced every couple of years, much like iPhones are. This is further evident by the omission of an analog input. You can’t even choose to use a HomePod as a plain old amplified speaker after it is relegated to “legacy” status for feature updates (Or when it’s no longer compatible with your shiny new WiFi router
).What is really any different?
Still a high price, still limited third-party integration, especially when compared to alternatives. I’d actually argue it is a worse value proposition than the initial launch.
I was going to say, if I have to go to the length to compare to notice a difference, it’s probably not worth it. I was expecting to be wowed out of the box
If your router is compatible with a Homepod now, then so long as the router continues to work, you wont have troubles.Some WiFi routers can be configured to support multiple standards on multiple bands but sometimes do not reach their peak performance when operated that way. Someone with a new high-performance router would probably look for new devices to support that level of performance.
It’s true that for many homes their current WiFi router may not be the latest and greatest, so buying HomePod without the latest WiFi standard is not an immediate problem but keeping up with the latest WiFi standards on new (and arguably, expensive) products is all about longevity.
With these products, Apple is deliberately delving into planned obsolescence. They expect customers to treat these devices as semi-disposable and be replaced every couple of years, much like iPhones are. This is further evident by the omission of an analog input. You can’t even choose to use a HomePod as a plain old amplified speaker after it is relegated to “legacy” status for feature updates (Or when it’s no longer compatible with your shiny new WiFi router
And "shiny new Wifi routers" still have to support a long history of legacy devices. Apple devices tend to last longer than other tech too.
I'm not saying it is right that Apple put old tech in.
In fact, the chatter about them complying to EU cables and making phones with USB 2.0 for the cheaper models sounds darn right malicious if true.
But this is only a device for transmitting audio. That doesn't need super fast wifi...