Even if some takes your suggestion, it shouldn't absolve Apple or any vendor of the responsibility of informing customers about the details of their products. We shouldn't be in a forum guessing what the product will/won't do.
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HomePod Disables Calendar, Messages, Notes, and Reminder Features When Owner Isn't Home, But Apple Music Account Remains Accessible
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I think you meant Apple is all you care about. Because if it was truly only about sound quality, there are many options that best HomePod, albeit not from Apple.
Mike
I think we are pretty clear about what it will do, it’s a speaker first with some assistant capabilities, the multi room and stereo pair feature will come later this year.
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And that’s the problem, for a lot of people it’s about the Apple ecosystem.
During an apple team meeting:
"Guys, I've been on MacRumors and they are pretty much roasting the Homepod. We need an angle. What should we do?"
They go around the room and everyone is scratching their heads until someone shouts...
"Security! What security feature do we have or can we come up with so we can shout it as loud as we can? Apple users love the word security as much as they love magical!"
"Guys, I've been on MacRumors and they are pretty much roasting the Homepod. We need an angle. What should we do?"
They go around the room and everyone is scratching their heads until someone shouts...
"Security! What security feature do we have or can we come up with so we can shout it as loud as we can? Apple users love the word security as much as they love magical!"
I look at like this. Amazon didn't have a device platform with hundreds of millions of users. They tried to introduce one a few years ago with the Fire phone, which failed. The Echo line was their comeback attempt, and their strategy was to get as many cheap devices into the marketplace as possible. The strategy was to outflank both Apple and Google, who already had ecosystems.
As an iPhone and Apple Watch owner, I don't need another device with Siri because Siri is always with me now. I will buy a HomePod because it's from a company I like, and I don't currently have any nice speakers. Siri on the speaker isn't the reason I'll buy it. It's just icing on the cake.
I don't think we do since we have the "hey siri" option. All bluetooth speakers are voice assisted when you think about it
To people who are truly serious about sound quality they don't listen to compressed music at home and they don't enjoy music on tiny mono speakers, no matter how "crisp" the manufacture says they are. Pick a magazine like Stereophile and you'l see the stark difference here. The only real difference here is that HomePod supports HomeKit and limited SiriKit and Echo supports Alexa.
Yes, it is all about the voice features, or lack therof. People who have gold plated sensitive ears look to the a highly revered audio companies that have been studying sound and engineering speakers for decades. (I'm not an audiophile, but I know them. They lovingly mock my $4K PSB 7.1 speaker system and $3k Denon. I understand why.)
Anyone who touts the HomePod's "superior sound" is either a hack, a lemming, or an audiophile wannabe.
Yep, Apple has never really figured out how to get account sharing to work well in the modern world. If you have kids and do the family thing, maybe thats ok. But sharing anything with friends using iCould simply sucks.
I don't think the majority of the market for this cares that much about sound quality. For this to be a hit, it has to seamlessly integrate within the apple universe. No apple tv support? Can put a few speakers together and have apple tv sound system? Macs can't seamlessly use these? Does some kind of homekit nonsense? I don't give a crap. So does apple tv and every iOS device. The Homepod can't be used as a BT speaker which is extremely stupid.
I really don't see the point of getting ONE speaker for one room. It's primary function would seem to be playing apple music. Siri is a joke otherwise. That is too limited since I already have BT speakers laying around and apple music on every device just about.
If i simply wanted ONE speaker, I'd get a google or amazon one (and many already do) because it offers better AI, is much cheaper, and already doubles as a BT speaker for iphone that plays good enough. My kiddo already gets better mileage out of this because Siri is so awful at answering questions. In fact, because that one speakers offers a different and better AI then iphone is what is attractive about them. A siri speaker is just more of what I already have....siri.
I really don't see the point of getting ONE speaker for one room. It's primary function would seem to be playing apple music. Siri is a joke otherwise. That is too limited since I already have BT speakers laying around and apple music on every device just about.
If i simply wanted ONE speaker, I'd get a google or amazon one (and many already do) because it offers better AI, is much cheaper, and already doubles as a BT speaker for iphone that plays good enough. My kiddo already gets better mileage out of this because Siri is so awful at answering questions. In fact, because that one speakers offers a different and better AI then iphone is what is attractive about them. A siri speaker is just more of what I already have....siri.
Honestly, if you only want nice speakers, don't care about Siri, there's an huge market of $700/pr stereo speakers from respected audio companies that are a much better value.
OTOH I have a home full of good speakers, but while I do have an iPhone and a couple iPads, they are not always with me when I'm moving around the house... or my iPhone is in my pocket out of earshot of Siri. Many time's I put my phone on the dock because I want to unplug. So it would be nice to have a small Siri speaker/mic so I could bark out commands w/o having to wonder where my iDevice is.
You're literally quoting ad copy and I'm talking about functional details. Not the same thing. You may be clear about what it will do, but judging by the queries in this thread, you're in minority.
Completely wrong. I have a small fortune invested in audiophile gear and am highly invested in music (as a studio engineer and a live sound engineer).
I don't get why people think "audiophiles" spend all day only listening to high-end equipment? Do you think I have a full-blown stereo system in every room in my house? Or at work?
I'll get several HomePods so I can enjoy good sound anywhere I wish.
That will depend on what you’re comparing the HomePod to, if your comparing it to the Echo or Google Home then (according to early review) the HomePod does have “superior sound” BUT it’s compared to very high end expensive equipment that audiophiles use then no it won’t be.
I don’t think the HomePod is meant for the high end audiophile, it’s the average Apple user that wants a speaker to fit within the Apple ecosystem. Me for example I want a couple around the house because I don’t have an Echo, Google Home or any speaker system and the HomePod fits within the Apple ecosystem that I use on a daily basis, it was the same reason I got the AirPods when they came out.
People who want superior sound aren’t going to even consider this device until it supports stereo pairing, either.
I’m not quoting and copying anything I’m literally saying what it is and what I will be using it for. Do I think it’s for everyone? No I don’t, do I think it will fly off the shelves and sell in the high millions? No I don’t, I think it will start out like Apple TV and the Apple Watch did that’s to say not for everyone.
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Which will come later in the year, I don’t understand why people have to be so impatient I can understand if Apple had taken the feature away but I’d rather they work on it to get it right than rush it and it be a complete mess.
Or they just lack the experience from listening to high end audio systems. Once you done that for an hour or two it is hard to go back, unless of course your ears are just not that sensitive. Every time audio is processed either electronically or physically (for example, in the HomePod by bouncing it off of walls), it removes some of the mojo.
I'm sure the HomePod will be the best speaker Apple has ever produced, but I don't expect it to have any impact on real high end speakers, even if they introduce a HomePod Pro.
Yup, completely useless. It doesn't work at all for more than one person. Looks like it's not for you.
That's true. But I've been around for enough decades now, been though many small speaker systems in college, apartments, even my house before I shoved them in the ceilings. There is no such thing as "superior" anything when it comes to small speakers. They are a compromise, just as big speakers are with their space hogging and awkwardness.
Echo vs HomePod I'm betting we are talking marginal sound difference at best, especially with compressed music. HomePod might sound clearer, but it's 2.5x more too. But ultimately all these speakers pump out background, not critical listening music.
Yes I see Gruber and others saying HomePod shouldn’t be compared to Echo and Google Home because Apple is positioning it first and foremost as a high quality speaker. Yet in interviews Tim Cook said sound quality was missing from the smart speaker market and referred to the competition as having “squeaky sound”. He also said it would be difficult to license and compete with licensees. That sure doesn’t sound like he’s talking about Sonos or Bose. Of course HomePod is going to be compared to Echo and Google Home, and it’s doubtful that sound quality is going to be enough to justify the price difference. It will sell to diehards who are all in on anything Apple but I can’t see it being much more successful unless/until Siri gets a lot better.
As someone all in on apples eco system and the fact that I find Siri works better at controlling my smart lights then Alexa I’m def getting one in a few months
I’m not impatient. I’m wondering why Apple is releasing an unfinished product, and doing so without explaining how it will work in family situations, etc. I am also wondering who the intended audience is, since Apple hasn’t clearly explained to me why I should buy it (and I buy pretty much everything Apple sells).