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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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Because you don’t know you need it until it is built.
Now shut up and rejoin our consumerist society.
But no one has explained how “integration” benefits the user. So far all we know is that it’s an airplay speaker that someday will support airplay 2, and it can pair up with a single user’s iPhone for notifications while connecting to a single iTunes account.
Since you apparently have to have an iPhone around it to get “personal notifications,” how is this better for the user than pairing an iPhone with a Bluetooth speaker? In other words, what is the “integration” doing to help the user? I’m sure there really are benefits, but Apple has not explained them.
These are meant for people at home who just want to listen to music is my guess that’s what I’ll be buying for (at least 1 of the reasons) as for comparisons I read this earlier
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/9to5mac.com/2018/01/25/homepod-hands-on-superior-sound/amp/
I am skeptical about this product (especially the question of why it exists) but I think there is a huge space between Echo and audio snobs. I own a Bose Soundlink mini. I’m sure audio snobs hate it. To my ears it’s sound is much better than an Echo. I would probably be a target customer for HomePod but my guess is the sound isn’t going to be wildly better than my Bose so what’s the point of buying it? Spend $349 so I can ask Siri to play a song for me? And hope that it plays the right one? No thanks.
Probably because they promised early 2018 and have had issues with AirPlay 2 that have pushed certain features back even further. As for family situations it’s 1 iCloud account only, however you’re family members will be able to listen to music from you’re account while you’re not home. As for why you should buy it, that’s pretty clear if you’re in the Apple ecosystem and want a speaker that has good audio, if that isn’t the case then it’s probably not for you.
Two things. 1. I said you're quoting ad copy, not quoting and copying. Ad copy is marketing blurbs. "Speaker first with assistant capabilities" is Apple marketing ad copy. It says absolutely nothing about the functionality of the HomePod. Functionality. The thing that people have questions about. You shouldn't have to buy a product to get those answers.
2. I am making no judgement about the HomePod. My complaint is about, and has always been about the lack of information from Apple. Whether or not it's for everyone or will fly off the shelves is immaterial.
"..Spend $349 so I can ask Siri to play a song for me? And hope that it plays the right one? No thanks."
That is funny. I like it.
That is funny. I like it.
I can't wait to spend $350 on this just to see the joyous looks on my family's faces as I unbox it and place it in the living room, and then completely destroy their excitement by casually mentioning "Oh, by the way, this will only work with my AppleID. You guys are on your own."
I'd probably bite on two of them to work with apple tv and doubles as Siri/apple music when tv isn't on. This would be main living room where I don't have speakers or sonos right now. But this doesn't do that. No dolby. I'm better off getting Sonos. I can't see investing hundreds of dollars into apple speakers that are soooo limited and have poor integration with apple products. Maybe this is where Apple is headed but it's not today.
Yikes. HomePod may be destined to be an even smaller player in this arena than Apple TV with its ~15% market share. But then again, Apple's true intent here may not be to move all that many units but to ensure the AM subscriptions keeping ticking up - stockholders are pretty obsessed with seeing growth there.
I did a chat session with Apple on this and they said it uses Bluetooth to communicate with your iPhone ... so when within Bluetooth range it basically does anything the phone can do, include playing music you synced with iTunes (inc iTunes Match), sending and receiving text messages, updating your calendar, etc... when the phone is out of Bluetooth range like you’ve left home then all it can do is play Apple Music via Wi-Fi. I was hoping it would at least be a smart as an Apple TV which let me stream my iTunes match music even without needing my phone to be nearby.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Sonos is playing hard with the announcement today that they will be offering a deal on 2 Sonos "One's" with Alexa built in that works with 80 diff music services on sale for a limited time. I image it would be even cheaper to get 2 Sonos "Play" ones with an external Alexa.
And off course with Deezer FlacReally? SONOS? Bang & Olufsens BeoPlay is the winner in sound. Says all the reviews @ youtube
You don't need info - it will do precisely what Apple, in their boundless wisdom, decide it should do - no more, no less
(subject to revision with each software update). The people placing their orders tomorrow are the true believers. The doubters and cynics will wait for a review that clearly hasn't come from a fawning blogger with a Kool-Aid moustache who's been given early access.
Ok I misunderstood that part, but if someone says to me a “speaker with assistant capability’s” I know what the product is in the same way imthat I would if someone said it’s a “speaker” the “speaker assistant” just means a speaker with an added assistant like Alexa for the Echo. I don’t know maybe I’m missing something here but I think it’s pretty clear what the HomePod is, just like it was clear what the AirPods were when they launched.
Not sure where you live, but iPhone's worldwide market share is ~15% and USA is ~33%. Seems to be pretty good odds that any given HomePod owner would have a friend with a non-iPhone, perhaps even live with one.
But to the original commentator's point I'd say for any other company, expecting it to function as a regular BT speaker would be a given, but with Apple I have my doubts.
will be able to send texts, set up reminders, and get calendar notifications via voice commands.
the fact I can use it as a speaker phone, reminders, send messages and have it tell me I have to leave now to make an appointment on time, that's pretty damn cool. We only use Apple devices & services in our house (no google and only amazon for buying goods) so that 1st party integration is going to allow me to throw out my Sonos and never consider getting an Alexa device. We already have 45+ HomeKit devices.
It's because it's not a very good product. It's a glorified speaker—not a smart hub device for the family. Maybe it will become more useful with software updates. Especially with updates to Siri. But right now I see absolutely no reason to buy it. When I say "Hey Siri" there are already multiple devices that light up in the room I'm in. I've got Siri on my wrist, iPad, iPhone, Mac, and Apple TV remote. And she answers with bullcrap like this:
Or this. I even checked every single possible language setting on my iPhone and it still keeps thinking I'm Australian even though I've never been to the country, have never changed it to that setting, and I've confirmed English (United States) in multiple settings spread out across my device from keyboards to Siri language and voice settings.
What frustrates me the most is that I don't feel like I can use competing platforms because of their anti-privacy stance.
Marginal? Please. It's far superior to an Echo (based on people who have tried it) and even the person quoted in this article places it above the Google Home Max (a $399 speaker).