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HomePod Estimated to Have Just 4% Market Share Worldwide Despite 45% Sales Growth Last Quarter
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I have 2 and I'm very happy with them. Couldn't care less about asking stupid questions.
I’ll take Apple’s privacy policy over Google’s if that means a slightly inferior voice assistant.
Are you saying Apple isn’t competing with the iPhone? Seems a very bold statement to make.
On topic I have a homepod, pretty happy with it although it could be better.
People say Siri is behind the curve and I believe them but I find google assistant and alexia to be pretty crap whenever I use them also.
The sound is awesome and I’m an Apple Music subscriber so what I actually use it for it does very well in my opinion.
Yeah, I think this is the only product category from Apple that I haven't made a purchase in. IMO it's not good enough yet. Maybe someday. Also I don't need high end speakers. They are wasted on me because beyond a certain point I can't really tell the difference. I understand this about myself. They just need to be decent, but more importantly the functionality needs to be worth it.
Pro:
Sounds great
Cons:
Too expensive
Limited functionality
Not really portable
Not convinced I need a smart speaker tethered to a wall wart at any price.
Sounds great
Cons:
Too expensive
Limited functionality
Not really portable
Not convinced I need a smart speaker tethered to a wall wart at any price.
If I could directly connect this device to my TV set with a cable, I'd bite. The only way this works as a TV speaker is when you are using Apple TV.
My experience with Siri is pretty hit or miss. So there are times when she answers me perfectly. There are other times she misses the mark. An example is I'll ask her to play a playlist on Apple music. She'll make a sound and then a double note sound (like she didn't find it nor did she know how to give me feedback). I'll request again and she'll work. There was a nice bug where I would ask Siri to call a friend and she would call other people the didn't have my friends name.
I guess for me the alexa performs so much more consistently and plays music so much better (I get both bass and treble) that I don't need the homepod. Oh and the wake-up alarm sounds better on the amazon echo that I am sticking with it. BUT I'm not one to play my music loudly so echo can keep up with the homepod for me. I would like to meet the person that turns their homepod up all the way haha!
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? What are you talking about. None of the devices do this. Plus, who actually watches TV outside of their Apple TV? Seriously, drop cable and join the 21st century.
The gigantic Catch-22 with the "smart" part: what commands do people actually use the vast majority of the time with these types of products and are those really the types of things that Siri has problems with?
IT'S TAKING OVER THE WORLD!!
...oops wait wrong thread.
...oops wait wrong thread.
I agree completely.
Here is a test I want every homepod user to do to test out the quality of homepod sound versus the iPhone sound. Play rain falling (usually used to fall asleep) on your phone speakers. Now send that sound to the Homepod. Which on actually sounds like rain falling? The homepod muddles the sound and you lose all the detail that the iPhone gives you.
Why? The bass is turned way too up. What I've determined is if you listen to music really loudly you get lots out of the homepod. Especially if you want the bass thumping. I'm not that type of guy. I like to hear the spectrum of sounds outside of the bass overpowering everything.
Too limited and too expensive....emphasis mainly on the former not the latter.
I'd love to have a pair for Apple TV use + music usages, but I'm not an Apple Music customer and for TV usage I want them wired in from behind so turning it on and watching is as seamless as possible.
I'd love to have a pair for Apple TV use + music usages, but I'm not an Apple Music customer and for TV usage I want them wired in from behind so turning it on and watching is as seamless as possible.
No wonder. It is too expensive, like more or less the rest of their products. I have 5 homepods myself. I hate it as a speaker. I think the sound is crap. I guess it depends on what you compare it with (Sonos=same same, High end speakers=crap). I do wish it had a 3.5 mm output so I could connect them to my different stereo systems. Then it would have a great purpose besides just being a homekit hub repeater and a crappy speaker.
But I live in a very very large house with some guest houses and such, and I use them as home kit base stations. And for that they work perfect. But I can understand that people aren't buying them for the price they are sold. Even if it sounds a bit better than Amazon's small units that cost $29 (they have the 3.5 mm connector). The price don't justify the difference and is much too high for what you get.
Just my two cents
But I live in a very very large house with some guest houses and such, and I use them as home kit base stations. And for that they work perfect. But I can understand that people aren't buying them for the price they are sold. Even if it sounds a bit better than Amazon's small units that cost $29 (they have the 3.5 mm connector). The price don't justify the difference and is much too high for what you get.
Just my two cents
I own both HomePods and Echo dots and don't have an issue with either one really. What requests are you routinely asking Alexa to perform that Siri cannot? I do think the Echo devices have some advantages, but as far as personal assistants go I find them to be extremely comparable.
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Before going to sleep I play porn. Much better. I sleep like a baby.
Apple sales on the HomePod struggle because of their lack of a system. That said, HomePod sales will continue to grow as AirPlay2 rolls out completely. Had AirPlay2 been around before the HomePod release, a totally different result in sales numbers.
For my no purchase of HomePod not because if price, or quality, but useability in my environment. The largest hurdle, main TV. Currently using a Sonos PlayBar. Sounds good has a ton of options for expansion. Now compare this system with the HomePod.
Apple has one fix almost done, AirPlay2. They need to use the power of Apple TV to integrate more devices with HomePod, much like Sonos has done.
On the positive side, HomePod has good potential. Apple needs to focus on a complete system, by integration of AirPlay2 and Apple developed integration devices.
For my no purchase of HomePod not because if price, or quality, but useability in my environment. The largest hurdle, main TV. Currently using a Sonos PlayBar. Sounds good has a ton of options for expansion. Now compare this system with the HomePod.
Apple has one fix almost done, AirPlay2. They need to use the power of Apple TV to integrate more devices with HomePod, much like Sonos has done.
On the positive side, HomePod has good potential. Apple needs to focus on a complete system, by integration of AirPlay2 and Apple developed integration devices.
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This particular test sounded fairly comprehensive (800 questions) and Siri performed better than Alexa or Cortana. It's not really as cut and dried as most tech sites make it out to be.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samshe...ortana-but-not-google-assistant/#71013b4a462f
And even in that usage -- I just want them literally plugged in for TV usage so there are no issues, no hiccups, no weird stuff happening with wireless connections, etc. Front speakers next to TV's simply don't need to be wireless anyhow.
If you don’t care about privacy, don’t make enough money or don’t speak clearly don’t buy it. I care about privacy, make plenty of money and speak clearly, so I have two and use them daily for music and HomeKit - shades, lights, thermostat and as Apple TV speakers. They are great.
I was a customer of Sonos before the hompod. I have two Play:1s in my office. Two Play:1's in my kitchen. Two Play:1s in my bedroom along with a Sonos Sub. The Sonos work with Apple Music, which is the only reason I even subscribed to Apple Music at all. Sonos also work with Spotify and YouTube Music. I'm actually a fan of YouTube Music. Took Sonos and Google forever to support that. The last pair of Play:1s I have are the newer models which work with Alexa. And I have an Alexa clock. It is technically a spot, but I use it as a clock. It looks like a clock but the screen can do other things. I classify it as a gadget. Apple needs to do things like that. There are little things I want, but Apple doesn't make them. I want a kitchen clock, calendar, weather station. Google has something like it. I wanted just a clock, Amazon has it. And while we're on the subject, I would love a washer and dryer that are smart and tell me what stage the wash or dry is at from my phone and predict accurately when then the load will be done and alert me. Maybe keep the lid locked until I unlock it. There are tons and tons of things to be created. Amazon bought RING, which Apple should have bought. Apple is totally asleep at the wheel these days. Amazon and Google are really smart. Apple drops its WiFi / Time Machine product. So dumb.
Because Apple TV sucks and Siri sucks. Good enough for you?