It is fun too. I undid the little cardboard clasps on the side and the cord unrolled smoothly/perfectly down to the ground. Ah the simple things.
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HomePod HomePod first impressions
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It is fun too. I undid the little cardboard clasps on the side and the cord unrolled smoothly/perfectly down to the ground. Ah the simple things.
Mine is 'Out for delivery' but I'd like to hear from others who are trying to use it as the 'speaker' for their AppleTV.
1) I assume the volume control on your AppleTV remote will adjust the volume on it like you would expect?
2) If AppleTV is airplaying to it, then you switch and play some music from your phone, I assume you have to 'reselect' airplay from the AppleTV menu to Homepod before it will play again?
3) Can someone verify that it acts as the 'HUB' for remote (access to) homekit accessories, like the AppleTV does?
4) If AppleTv is airplaying to it, it should stay 'locked' to that airplay stream. If you later asked it to play music from your iTunes Match, it should play those, until or unless your AppleTV usurps it by starting Airplay to it, but you shouldn't have to 'reconnect' to it on AppleTV. Any ideas if that's how it works?
Thanks!
D.
1) I assume the volume control on your AppleTV remote will adjust the volume on it like you would expect?
2) If AppleTV is airplaying to it, then you switch and play some music from your phone, I assume you have to 'reselect' airplay from the AppleTV menu to Homepod before it will play again?
3) Can someone verify that it acts as the 'HUB' for remote (access to) homekit accessories, like the AppleTV does?
4) If AppleTv is airplaying to it, it should stay 'locked' to that airplay stream. If you later asked it to play music from your iTunes Match, it should play those, until or unless your AppleTV usurps it by starting Airplay to it, but you shouldn't have to 'reconnect' to it on AppleTV. Any ideas if that's how it works?
Thanks!
D.
Last edited:
1. Yes that’s correct.
2. You need to select your HomePod again as the output.
3. The HomePod takes over as the primary hub and the AppleTV shows as standby.
After it's all set up. If you want to unplug it and move it... it only takes about 15 seconds to turn on and play music again. No fuss, no muss. Fantastic.
So, I had a chance to play with the HomePod this morning.
First, anyone concerned about the price -- rest easy. It's worth every dime. The sounds quality is extraordinary. Here's the quick overview:
Sound
Simply incredible. The best way to describe it is to say that the sound quality is immediately self evident. The moment you hear a song playing through the HomePod, you realize that you're listening to an extremely well engineered speaker system. The sound is clear and crisp throughout the range. I love it.
Setup
Very easy. The HomePod setup automatically initiated once I raised my iPhone. It's the same kind of screen you'd see with BeatsX, for example. Shows up in the bottom portion of the iPhone's display. Click setup and that's basically it. HomePod will ask you if you want to have access to messages, appointments, etc. and will inform you that anyone can hear your messages. You can turn it off right there. A couple more steps and Siri plays a sample playlist created for you. All other settings such as WiFi password are synced automatically.
Siri
I actually think Siri is vastly improved on the HomePod. She understand more and can hear you even with the music blasting on high volume. I was about 20 feet away and she could hear me just fine. A couple of times, Apple decided that the iPhone in front of me would take the query. Otherwise, HomePod responds first.
Size
It's smaller than most people think. It's very heavy for it's size. Extremely well made. The mash feels rubbery rather than like a fabric. The base is made of nice rubber and the cord is really long and of great quality. It is permanently attached to the HomePod to those wondering about it.
Service
I have Apple Music subscription. It works great, so no complaints here. This is clearly a device that Apple hopes will make you a more loyal customer as you will be tied to the Apple ecosystem even more. But I don't mind. I personally like the walled garden. When asked to play something I'll like, Siri nailed it every time. I actually believe Apple went to great lengths to create that "musicologist" they talked about and it showed.
Compared to Amazon Echo
I have the original Amazon Echo. Sound quality -- there is absolutely no comparison. They are not even in the same league. Seriously. HomePod is that good. The days of screaming at Alexa over music are also over. Again, no comparison. Siri responded each and every time, even with the volume turned up very loud. Alexa will not respond over anything above low-to-medium sound. The only thing we'll miss is Alexa's rather large repertoire of commands and abilities. She does know more and will even play Jeopardy with you. Request to play Jeopardy on HomePod was met with the theme song form Jeopardy. Oh, Siri... you're dumb but lovable.
That's my quick take on the HomePod.
Overall, worth every dime. Works incredibly well. I will certainly buy another one later in the year when the remaining features are available. If you are holding out because of the yet to be implemented features, you're missing out. My advice, if you're in the market for a smart speaker -- one that will sound incredibly good -- buy it.
First, anyone concerned about the price -- rest easy. It's worth every dime. The sounds quality is extraordinary. Here's the quick overview:
Sound
Simply incredible. The best way to describe it is to say that the sound quality is immediately self evident. The moment you hear a song playing through the HomePod, you realize that you're listening to an extremely well engineered speaker system. The sound is clear and crisp throughout the range. I love it.
Setup
Very easy. The HomePod setup automatically initiated once I raised my iPhone. It's the same kind of screen you'd see with BeatsX, for example. Shows up in the bottom portion of the iPhone's display. Click setup and that's basically it. HomePod will ask you if you want to have access to messages, appointments, etc. and will inform you that anyone can hear your messages. You can turn it off right there. A couple more steps and Siri plays a sample playlist created for you. All other settings such as WiFi password are synced automatically.
Siri
I actually think Siri is vastly improved on the HomePod. She understand more and can hear you even with the music blasting on high volume. I was about 20 feet away and she could hear me just fine. A couple of times, Apple decided that the iPhone in front of me would take the query. Otherwise, HomePod responds first.
Size
It's smaller than most people think. It's very heavy for it's size. Extremely well made. The mash feels rubbery rather than like a fabric. The base is made of nice rubber and the cord is really long and of great quality. It is permanently attached to the HomePod to those wondering about it.
Service
I have Apple Music subscription. It works great, so no complaints here. This is clearly a device that Apple hopes will make you a more loyal customer as you will be tied to the Apple ecosystem even more. But I don't mind. I personally like the walled garden. When asked to play something I'll like, Siri nailed it every time. I actually believe Apple went to great lengths to create that "musicologist" they talked about and it showed.
Compared to Amazon Echo
I have the original Amazon Echo. Sound quality -- there is absolutely no comparison. They are not even in the same league. Seriously. HomePod is that good. The days of screaming at Alexa over music are also over. Again, no comparison. Siri responded each and every time, even with the volume turned up very loud. Alexa will not respond over anything above low-to-medium sound. The only thing we'll miss is Alexa's rather large repertoire of commands and abilities. She does know more and will even play Jeopardy with you. Request to play Jeopardy on HomePod was met with the theme song form Jeopardy. Oh, Siri... you're dumb but lovable.
That's my quick take on the HomePod.
Overall, worth every dime. Works incredibly well. I will certainly buy another one later in the year when the remaining features are available. If you are holding out because of the yet to be implemented features, you're missing out. My advice, if you're in the market for a smart speaker -- one that will sound incredibly good -- buy it.
When siri kicks on, she is too loud. No reason for it. The music stops, she comes on, and she can be twice as loud as I had the music. I wish the mics were smart enough to know I'm not far away.
Thank you so much. I won't ever 'Airplay' to it from my phone. But I will ask it to play music (from my iTunes Match). Will it retain the 'link' to my AppleTV and not have to reestablish from the AppleTV?
Thanks Again,
D.
Given how the HomePod relies on beam forming etc... I would have thought that a big open retail space would not be the ideal venue to decide if it works for you. Given you have a 14 day return period why not buy it and listen at home, you might find that a smaller space completely changes the experience... Ignore this suggestion if you happen to live in a 4000 square foot open plan apartment!
Tried to look this up myself and saw that supposedly the HomePod does support peer to peer airplay without a Wi-Fi connection so you could stream in your car over cellular..... unconfirmed, still looking.... if someone wants to cut off their Wi-Fi and try it that would be cool
[doublepost=1518206205][/doublepost]That would be cool for camping without a Wi-Fi connection too..... or cruising in an rv
[doublepost=1518206205][/doublepost]That would be cool for camping without a Wi-Fi connection too..... or cruising in an rv
I'm experiencing this as well. I'm finding volume on the HomePod a bit difficult to manage with a few occasions where it's way too loud because its switching between different audio.
I want a volume limit - and ideally one that can be adjusted from day to night.
In the meantime, I'm grabbing my iPhone and air playing a lot
Playing Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds Live at Luther College right now and it sounds awesome.
Not always and that's the issue it seems for some. I'm only reporting what I've read, so please don't shoot the messenger.
I have used it all day today and there is no problem with HomePod and Siri activation at all. Even with an iPhone, MacBook, Apple Watch, and iPad in same room.
The Weeknd's cover of Dirty Diana ("D.D." off Trilogy) which has both heavy bass and high vocals sounds GREAT on HomePod!
Jeeese mate ..... no offence .... 'Blues In Orbit' is a great album but its like nearly 60 years old .... its by no means a benchmark to measure a modern speaker. May I suggest something like 'Resynthesis' or 'Stacked Moments' by Max Cooper. They sound ridiculously fantastic.
I had a bit of a miss direction on which Siri when I raised my arm (Apple Watch) as I was attempting to issue a command. Needless to say the watch took the command, not the HomePod.
Yes, you can. I was watching Amazon Prime Video and redirected the sound to the HomePod. It asked if I want to replace what was playing and it got the audio in about 2-3 seconds.
I can AirPlay from iPhone to HomePod, but I cannot AirPlay from my Mac or AppleTV. They each see "Living Room", but they then fail to connect. I rebooted everything without success. I verified all devices are on same network, and settings for that, and no passcode required.
