HomePod Firmware Reveals Further Details on Apple's Smart Speaker

[Crzyrio]

No of course not, but he had a GIANT hit every few years.

And iPod Hifi is actually a great example of a product that didn't do anything better than the competition and that's why it flopped.

HomePod is EXACTLY the same product (exactly the same price as well $349) as iPod Hifi, just that now instead of plugging in your iPod, you turn on Apple Music.

Whenever Apple has tried to sell a product solely on brand, it failed.

Whenever they put the very best technology and design together, plus made it affordable enough it was a big hit.

This is exactly what they are doing here. The HiFi was an attempt to sell solely on brand.

This is a whole other animal. There is astonishing amount of tech and innovation in the homepod. It is just harder to see because a lot of the features most people come to expect.

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Why would Apple Music not be exclusive to HomePod?

Why would Apple want to limit AM's reach? Apple should want every freaking streaming smart speaker in the world to be compatible with AM? You can't expand by excluding. Now whether those other boxes would want to bother with Apple's rules is a different and real question. Up to now it's really been a damper on HomeKit. They've loosened the rules so maybe that will let the products flow. Still waiting on LIFX.

 

[44267547]

Your agreeing that the HomePod should ONLY work with Apple Music and not other services?

Incorrect. And you misconstrued my post from the member I quoted. Furthermore, the member I quoted also edited there post after the fact which also creates confusion.

 

[fokmik]

1. If true that would be stupid on Apple's part. 24m Apple Music subscribers vs 1b iOS users. You are telling me that Apple is going to make a product targeting 24m vs 1b?

2. How many of those 24m AM subscribers are kids who live in small apts or dorms and also rarely there. Why would they need a $349 speaker when they are doing fine with their $99 or less BT speaker and happy using their $49 Dot?

3. How many of those 24m AM subscribers have a family sub and live in a house with multiple rooms so they need multiple pods, but not nec. $349 speakers in every room?

I dont think Apple ecosystem is for poor people that lives in small apart and have 49$, people should not give their entire money on Apple stuff like iphones, macs ipad etc
I agree the HomePod is more useful to someone with an AM sub than not. I think your sales estimate is optimistic. I can see a 10% sales rate, 2.4m. I don't see 5m unless Apple broadens the line with lower cost models to make it a system like Sonos or Echo rather than just a lonely speaker.

you think that those 24M users will not grow? Apple is doing homePOD for that...to get some new users...me included...if the homePOD does sound really good...i will take 2 and be a apple music subs
i wast just telling you a base number...a minimum number...so i guess 5m will be at least...but that number will grow if they improved the speaker...think, its a product that its in a price range that every apple fans can exchange it from 1 to 1 generation or max from 2 to 2 gen. So Apple clear has a winner here ! i think this in 2-3 years will surpass AW business (only the watch, not the accessories like bands etc)

 

[T-Bob]

Yeah Apple will limit the HomePod to Apple Music just like they insisted the iPod remain firewire only .

But you might find other music services don't work as well with Siri, just as on Amazon Echo you better have an audiobook on Audible or you're SOL for them on there.

 

[nvmls]

Thanks for agreeing. Although, I have to disagree with you. Some of the best selling products on the market is from that "Glued garbage" Apple makes. But nice attempt at disparaging against Apple.

Sure, most if not all under Jobs direction, maybe the glue was stronger who knows.. at least you wouldn't suffer swollen batteries within 6 months-1 year of use, seemed like he actually cared about product longevity and user experience.

 

[X--X]

There is astonishing amount of tech and innovation in the homepod.

They blatantly ripped off the Harmon/Kardon Wireless 360 Speaker. That's not innovation.

 

[T-Bob]

Sure, most if not all under Jobs direction, maybe the glue was stronger who knows.. at least you wouldn't suffer swollen batteries within 6 months-1 year of use, seemed like he actually cared about product longevity and user experience.

Hmmm

http://www.macworld.com/article/113...pleCare_as_long_as_its_not_a_MacBook_Air.html

 

[lederermc]

they still haven't gotten Apple Music right. It still ruins your iTunes library. No thanks. Google Play Music/YouTube Red and Google Home work fine. Will never touch Apple Music again, tried twice and both times obliterated my library. Amazing they don't mention it much less fix it. Apple software is horrible.

We are all so happy that you told us that.

 

[fokmik]

"Tap the top of HomePod to play, pause, or adjust the volume."
I wonder how it will recon the tap for adjust the volume?? maybe you can tap and slide down or up right?

 

[twinlight]

3rd party services will only be handled via Airplay. Since there is no way today to tell Siri which service to use there would be a huge surprise if they have support for this in HomePod.

Siri can't even communicate with your other Apple devices. How would she understand that you want Spotify to play instead of Apple Music?

 

[cgsnipinva]

Your agreeing that the HomePod should ONLY work with Apple Music and not other services? Really? Does the iPhone only work with iTunes and Apple Music? Do Google products only work with Google services? Amazon products only with Amazon services?

I would never spend that much money to be boxed in with only one music service choice.

That's why.

From all that I read you can stream music from your iTunes Library (Mac/iPhone/iPad) to the home pod as well through AirPLay 2. So if you have those services on your iOS device --- you could stream those through the HomePod as well.

 

[T-Bob]

They blatantly ripped off the Harmon/Kardon Wireless 360 Speaker. That's not innovation.

Could you show the HK they ripped off? That clear one looks like a very different speaker design unless they have a mini array in the bottom.

Edit:

Ok thought that blueprint was the HomePod at first, yes it is very similar.

 

[X--X]

Could you show the HK they ripped off? That clear one looks like a very different speaker design unless they have a mini array in the bottom.

• 6 mid- to high-range 1.5" transducers for accurate, Omni-directional sound and a 4.5” subwoofer for rich, powerful bass
• Custom, stereo-widening DSP audio technology engineered for room-filling, full frequency sound
• Built-in Bluetooth feature streams audio from your Bluetooth devices wirelessly
• Built-in Apple Air Play system with easy set-up for your Apple devices, DLNA for Windows and Android devices, and Spotify Connect
• Customized Harman Kardon Remote app allows for easy set-up and added connectivity

It also glows in the dark, depending on the volume level which you can change by just touching the metal ring that goes all around the speaker.

 

[djlythium]

You mean like how just a few months ago, Apple was being criticised for being behind in AR, only to see that narrative completely turned on its head being ARkit being made available on hundreds of millions of iOS devices in a few months time?

This is a clear case of Apple's long term product strategy hiding in plain sight. By the time Apple had revealed all the cards in their hand, it will have been all over for the competition.

I don't dare to claim that I know everything that Apple is up to, but I can say one thing - Apple always has a plan, and one underestimates Apple to their own detriment.

This!

 

[chromite]

Apple doesn't have clear strategies with products anymore.

Everything that Cook releases is vague, just like Apple Watch where they completely changed the interface, the marketing and targeting multiple times and they will do the same with HomePod. They're not thought out products.

It's more like, let's realease it and see what happens.

----

PLUS it feels like they are already behind, right from the start. Everybody is going to screens to display additional information. Just a music speaker that only works with Apple Music and with no real display for 349 plus taxes, I don't see it being a big hit.

We'll see.

Apple's marketing strategy with Apple Watch was genius. They initially marketed it as a boujie (high class) fashion accessory which garnered attention from celebrities and fashion magazines; this would've never happened had they marketed it as a pure fitness accessory. This put Apple and the Watch in the spotlight for many months which caused them to eventually take over smartwatch market share (even though they were incredibly late to the game). Incredible. Then they discontinued the expensive versions of Watch Edition because why have them now? It's pointless since everyone already knows about the Watch.

Apple isn't just throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. Their marketing strategies are top notch.

 

[X--X]

Apple's marketing strategy with Apple Watch was genius.

Complete B.S.

They saw their sales plummet 50% (IDC Data) year over year and at the same time the fitness tracker market went up significantly. So they threw their fashion strategy away and went full force on fitness.

It's the correction of a big mistake they made at launch, that's not a secret.

 

[ke-iron]

It'd be nice if folks were actually discussing the topic (release of HomePod firmware via the IPSW server). Doesn't anyone get tired of every front page story being turned into the same, tired Tim Cook vs. Steve Jobs/Apple Isn't Innovating Anymore debate? (Please, someone, say something about HomePod being overpriced, or that it has insufficient RAM! /s.)

My takeaway from the actual story is relatively boring. I have to leave it to people wiser about code to tell me what that firmware can do. So far, they've only given us a few tidbits. Undoubtedly, coders will take a deeper dive into the system in the coming days and weeks.

1) Why would Apple put this out onto a publicly available server, other than to test the OTA update process? AFAIK, there are no review units in the hands of journalists or developers, so that's not yet a reason to push revised firmware out beyond the R&D firewalls.

2) With Apple knowing that this would leak, I'd expect the first release to be bare bones - no bundled apps, just an answer to the question: "Will a firmware/OS upgrade install correctly?" Whatever is released with the product in December, it's going to have more than we see here. It's too soon to pronounce the OS either stupid or brilliant.

3) 32 x 32 is a standard-sized icon, part of a standard app distribution. I can imagine the icons being desirable for displaying system state during initial pairing/connection, and if there's to be a third-party app capability, for displaying the running media app (Apple Music, Spotify, etc.). Unless the button is huge, 32x32 is plenty - why over-build and raise the BoM costs unnecessarily? This is a unique display for Apple, so it requires new code. There's an existing code base for a wide variety of touchscreen displays, so if/when we see a touchscreen-equipped HomePod, that code will find its way into the distribution.

3a) I won't bet any real money on it, but I find it hard to imagine they don't intend to support third-party music subscription services - Apple makes very good money selling subscriptions to competing services on iOS and tvOS. If someone purchased a Spotify subscription through the App Store for their iPhone, I'd imagine they'd be very unhappy to learn they couldn't use it on HomePod - fewer HomePod sales is not a good thing. Sure, Apple said, "Apple Music" in the Keynote. They're not going to promise a capability or name names until they know they have other services on board.

3b) It'd be very like Apple to release an Apple Music-only version in December, with a promise of third-party app availability with the release of PodOS 1.1 or 2.0.

4) For HomePod, third-party apps will be dependent on the capabilities of SiriKit. AFAIK, SiriKit does not (yet) have an Intents Domain (vocabulary) for music/media. It has to exist, but for now it's apparently still Apple-internal. Again, presuming there's support for third-party music services over the horizon, it'll be rolled out when they announce third-party support.

5) To see where HomePod is likely going media-player-wise, take a look at tvOS. I'd expect Universal Search at some point in the near term - Apple would rather sell two or three music subscriptions per user, rather than just one.

I think HomePod is going to propel Apple AI/ virtual assistant so far ahead of the competition in the next few years. I think the reason it’s running full fledge iOS with a powerful processor is because it long range microphones would be able to detect when you get home and instantly great you. Or it can tell when you’re awake by sensing motion displacement and automatically give you morning updates etc. it will also be receiving iOS or HomePod OS updates. It will receive Siri updates, maybe more frequently than the iPhone. We already know the new Siri sounds so natural and amazing, it will feel like talking to a real person who’s always there anywhere you go in your house or apartment, depending on how many HomePods you have spread out in your home. Unlike your iPhone or other Apple devices, this device is central. Because it’s always plugged in and listening near and far. It will automatically give you notification or status updates, kind of how the Apple Watch give you notifications on your wrist. This however can detect which room you are in and announce the notification or status updates and even read them out loud in detail. Don’t forget it also control other HomeKit devices.

An example of HomePod working at home would be something like this:

I wake up in the morning, it knows I’m up because of noise levels and moment in my room. HomePod automatically says “good morning Keiron” in a low voice. If I want more dialog I respond with “good morning Siri” then HomePod gets a bit louder and presents me with Morning updates, whatever I have configured. Calendar, reminders, weather etc. As I proceed to kitchen, HomePod knows the time of day and turns on lights in the hallway and kitchen if set to do so. I have a HomePod in the kitchen/dining room so it senses I’m there now and continues to give me updates. I dont really use my kitchen so I’ll leave the HomePod imagination in the kitchen up to you guys. I proceed to the living room where I have my 3rd HomePod, based on habits it knows I turn on my tv or listen to music, and one reading lamp to the right, Siri asks me if I would like to watch tv or listen to music, but it turns on the light. It will know when you get home based on geolocation on your iPhone and when you’re close enough to connect your home wifi, it will listen for when the door opens to greet you on the sound of the door opening or closing. It’s going to be a natural sounding AI/ virtual assistant in the cloud who knows where you are and follows you around the house. It’s going to basically be a person in the cloud covering an entire home, interacting so natural with its occupants.

This of course is pure speculation.

 

[Modernboy]

It'd be nice if folks were actually discussing the topic (release of HomePod firmware via the IPSW server). Doesn't anyone get tired of every front page story being turned into the same, tired Tim Cook vs. Steve Jobs/Apple Isn't Innovating Anymore debate? (Please, someone, say something about HomePod being overpriced, or that it has insufficient RAM! /s.)

Thank you for posting a relevant comment. I was also confused as to how this firmware got out into the wild. We have no idea how the HomePod is going to handle apps and HomeKit integration. I can tell you this though it will almost definitely be better than Echo. I’m not sure anyone here who is arguing about the HomePod’s inferiority to Echo has actually used an Echo. I’ve had one since they first came out as I was part of the initial offering to customers. It’s a nice device for simple tasks like timers and turning on and off lights, but anything beyond that starts to get annoyingly complex. Enabling skills on a poorly organized app interface and then having to remember that skill name to get Alexa to enable it is a terrible user experience. Also 80% of the Alexa skills I’ve seen in the app are useless trivia apps. Also Alexa can’t read my iCloud calendars, can’t set iCloud reminders in any simple way. The integration into iCloud alone for HomePod is enougg for me to want to buy one.

Also can you not just AirPlay your Spotify from your device to the HomePod? That seems like a much better option than trying to control Spotify from a device with no screen.

We’ve only seen part of what HomePod can do. Apple always holds back features that get announced just before released. I’m sure there is more to come.

 

[newyorksole]

I would agree with that, but in interviews Cook compares it to iPod and iPhone. Saying we don't need to be first, when we are the best. But this isn't the best.



What has that to do with the speaker?

Yeah only time will tell really. I'm going to get one most likely.

 

[unobtainium]

That's rewriting history a little bit. That wasn't the case with the Mac, it wasn't the case with the iPod, and it wasn't the case with the iPhone either. wWhen they came to market, they had technology and usability unmatched by anything from the competition.

HomePod is not a better speaker that other products, and not a btter home assistant thatn other products. It's not better at anything, not when it comes to technolgy and not when it comes to usabailty.

Hell you can even get a Jony Ive designed home speaker from Harmon/Kardon which let's you play ALL streaming services, not just Apple music and sounds better or equally good with 360° audio.

• 6 mid- to high-range 1.5" transducers for accurate, Omni-directional sound and a 4.5” subwoofer for rich, powerful bass
• Custom, stereo-widening DSP audio technology engineered for room-filling, full frequency sound
• Built-in Bluetooth feature streams audio from your Bluetooth devices wirelessly
• Built-in Apple Air Play system with easy set-up for your Apple devices, DLNA for Windows and Android devices, and Spotify Connect
• Customized Harman Kardon Remote app allows for easy set-up and added connectivity

The AirPod will have AirPlay 2, maybe a W1 chip, Siri (meh), and likely other interesting features we don't know about yet. It may also have better audio due to their fancy room-sensing technology they talked about. I'm not saying it will be great, but it has potential.

 

[fokmik]

Siri can't even communicate with your other Apple devices. How would she understand that you want Spotify to play instead of Apple Music?

Siri it will be one assistant for all your products since fall with ios11 and high sierra. So i think this is one of the reasons homepod is released after september/october

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Incorrect. And you misconstrued my post from the member I quoted. Furthermore, the member I quoted also edited there post after the fact which also creates confusion.

Good, because that would be crazy!!

 

[Foggydog]

Ok, so here is my .02.
I'm sure this homepod will sound quite good. I'm also sure it will sell well.
BUT,with Siri running running on the A8 chip I'm just not sure how well it will work.
Example: I am in my semi driving down the highway. I have 3 bars of service on my phone running iOS 10.
SIRI, text my wife.... Most of the time I have to redo the text because Siri has completely garbled the message. Finally I send it and get a reply.....what gootdg mean?
This is where I think Siri will never catch up to google.
When I was at the Phoenix airport a year ago, it was Siri's voice being used for boarding instruction. In that scenario, the AI works perfectly because it's plain canned statements. But trying to understand everyones voice isn't good at all.

 

[pelegri]

I find the NIN dot matrix mesmerizing