WTF? It doesn't run on batteries. It needs power to play music. If you unplug the power cable it can't play music. Do you want it as decoration?
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Lesson for all musicians: Don't call your band "Turn Off".
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HomePod Hands-On: Unboxing and Overview
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HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
This has been covered in a lot of these threads.
Siri control of HP can "see" music you've purchased from the iTunes store, music accessible via an AM subscription, and music "matched" by a Match subscription. It cannot "see" ripped music from CDs in iTunes.
If you don't care about Siri voice control, you can "throw" ripped music in iTunes to HP via the Airplay protocol, but anyone who really wants to lean on Airplay could do the same via
TV at about half the price and get all of the other benefits in an TV (including Siri voice control, AM subscription potential PLUS home-sharing benefits and third party app access to alt sources like Tidal and Pandora too). And there are other cheap Airplay-capable options available to do the same with about any speaker.Basically, for a guy like you (which is also very much like my situation), if you want to MAX the usage of HP, you need to at least buy a Match subscription and/or subscribe to AM. If you don't care about Siri "smarts", you can Airplay anything you can play on an Apple device to HP (or any other Airplay-connected speaker).
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Just thought this shouldn't be hidden in the middle of a long post. It's not mono. It's not stereo. It's something else.
Have Apple published a Siri vocabulary for the HomePod? For example, if you want to go to the next song, what should you say. - play the next song, play the next track? Or how to correctly address playlists - otherwise it can be very hit and miss.
I'd also like to know if you can advance within playlists - eg "skip the next three songs" - I fear however the answer would be "I can't find skip the next three songs in your library". It hears what you say ok, but it doesn't really listen to it.
That said, I do find voice control quite compelling and I'm using that much more than merely air playing songs from my phone - which is what I thought I'd be doing.
Just hope Apple allow us our own trigger words or phrases, as its just cringe-inducing to say "Hey Siri"
I'd also like to know if you can advance within playlists - eg "skip the next three songs" - I fear however the answer would be "I can't find skip the next three songs in your library". It hears what you say ok, but it doesn't really listen to it.
That said, I do find voice control quite compelling and I'm using that much more than merely air playing songs from my phone - which is what I thought I'd be doing.
Just hope Apple allow us our own trigger words or phrases, as its just cringe-inducing to say "Hey Siri"
Very impressive how well Siri can hear me from far away and over background noise, even from other rooms. However, HomePod Siri seems to override iPhone Siri even when I'm holding the iPhone and it acknowledges "hey Siri". How do I get the iPhone Siri to respond instead of the HomePod?
Update - I figured out that if I hold down the Siri button on the side of the iPhone, then iPhone Siri will respond. However, if I just say "hey Siri" while holding the iPhone, then HomePod Siri tries to take charge. (I'm using an iPhone X.)
Mac Siri seems to know to take charge when I click on its Siri button.
I'm starting to wish there was some distinction between the different Siris.
Update - I figured out that if I hold down the Siri button on the side of the iPhone, then iPhone Siri will respond. However, if I just say "hey Siri" while holding the iPhone, then HomePod Siri tries to take charge. (I'm using an iPhone X.)
Mac Siri seems to know to take charge when I click on its Siri button.
I'm starting to wish there was some distinction between the different Siris.
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Hi everyone. Long time lurker and just signed up.
Just bought my HomePod and figured I would put in my 2 cents. Take it for what it is worth!
Pros:
Sounds great. I use it in my bedroom and it fills up the room real nicely. Yes it doesn't sound as good as my high end speakers/receiver (marantz SR6010 & 5.1 Gallo Classico CL-2 speaker setup) but then again it didn't cost me 4k.
Siri does what I need it do perfectly (playing songs, news, weather, etc). Works for both my wife and I perfectly. Microphone is real sensitive and can pick up my requests easily outside the room. Now I have no home kit items so I can't tell you how it works with them.
My wife LOVES it. She is excited for Airplay 2 and has hinted one would be great in the office.
Cons:
It took me three pairings before HomePod seemed to finally work. The first two tries (within 10 mins of each other) the connection would work but if I used the HomePod using airplay from my phone then turned off airplay HomePod would became unresponsive. Had to do a hard reset on the HomePod. However since then no problems at all. So I think there are some bugs that need fixing.
So do I think HomePod is worth the price? I do. Is it perfect? nope but nothing is. I am 95% sure I will pick up one more for the office in the next few months and if Airplay 2 does all that is promised will probably pick up a third to pair with the one in my bedroom.
I am excited to see what Apple will do with this in the future.
Just bought my HomePod and figured I would put in my 2 cents. Take it for what it is worth!
Pros:
Sounds great. I use it in my bedroom and it fills up the room real nicely. Yes it doesn't sound as good as my high end speakers/receiver (marantz SR6010 & 5.1 Gallo Classico CL-2 speaker setup) but then again it didn't cost me 4k.
Siri does what I need it do perfectly (playing songs, news, weather, etc). Works for both my wife and I perfectly. Microphone is real sensitive and can pick up my requests easily outside the room. Now I have no home kit items so I can't tell you how it works with them.
My wife LOVES it. She is excited for Airplay 2 and has hinted one would be great in the office.
Cons:
It took me three pairings before HomePod seemed to finally work. The first two tries (within 10 mins of each other) the connection would work but if I used the HomePod using airplay from my phone then turned off airplay HomePod would became unresponsive. Had to do a hard reset on the HomePod. However since then no problems at all. So I think there are some bugs that need fixing.
So do I think HomePod is worth the price? I do. Is it perfect? nope but nothing is. I am 95% sure I will pick up one more for the office in the next few months and if Airplay 2 does all that is promised will probably pick up a third to pair with the one in my bedroom.
I am excited to see what Apple will do with this in the future.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
And lesson to Apple fans in their baby-making years: don't name your kid Siri.
Or your pets.
Can you imagine
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Understood. Do you have an iPhone with the iTunes Remote app installed? I just verified that you can control where iTunes plays from the remote app as well.
My very first car was an old clapped out VW Beetle with 34 horse powers and a top speed of 120km/h. Anything going at twice the speed (150mph) costs _real_ money. If you want three times the speed you are looking at something like a Bugatti Veyron.
.................... echo with bluetooth speaker is great and a lot less expensive............................................................
Yes, via AirPlay. HomePod can't pull from your library unless it is in iCloud but you can push your music to it via AirPlay from iTunes and from your iPhone/iPad.
Setup was quick and easy.
The sound is worth the price.
Siri does everything I need it to do.
I like this one so much I will buy a second for stereo.
We have been streaming music all day. Last night we watched the "Darkest Hour"
and the sound was incredible.
Overall I am very satisfied.
The sound is worth the price.
Siri does everything I need it to do.
I like this one so much I will buy a second for stereo.
We have been streaming music all day. Last night we watched the "Darkest Hour"
and the sound was incredible.
Overall I am very satisfied.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
If I'm not mistaken- and I certainly could be- I thought I got the mono-plus term or idea from you in another HP thread.
Nevertheless, your post here is going to probably going to get the beat down from those determined that it IS stereo or "stereo plus" or 5.1 or 7.1 and maybe a few that continue to see mono as the opposite of "it takes 2 for stereo (now "stereo-like" per Apple).
Personally- all things considered- I think "mono plus" is a pretty concise term that may be "best fit." There, now I can take the beat downs with you.
And lesson to Apple fans in their baby-making years: don't name your kid Siri.
Can you imagine
HowManyOfMe.com says there are "fewer than 1633" people in the USA named Siri, "fewer than 1633" named Cortana, and about 9600 named Alexa. (Note the exact same number for Siri and Cortana, something odd there).
PS. Should anyone meet a lady named Alexa (and there are quite a few out there), don't ask her stupid questions. You can bet she doesn't think you're funny.
.......................No....................thanks......................................................................
I guess I kind of forgot about iPods... You're correct.
With regard to 'Stereo', someone just make a quick MP3 and phase the sound left to right and airplay it. Look, the HP has 7 tweeters. It's easy to assume two or three play the left channel, two or three play right, and one or two play a balanced center. Sure, they are close together, but when they are fired out the side of the speaker and bouncing off adjacent walls, you are going to get 'stereo' in the strictest sense.
And lesson to Apple fans in their baby-making years: don't name your kid Siri.
Or your pets.
Can you imagine
I'm sure it'll happen, if it hasn't already.
This has been covered in a lot of these threads.
Siri control of HP can "see" music you've purchased from the iTunes store, music accessible via an AM subscription, and music "matched" by a Match subscription. It cannot "see" ripped music from CDs in iTunes.
If you don't care about Siri voice control, you can "throw" ripped music in iTunes to HP via the Airplay protocol, but anyone who really wants to lean on Airplay could do the same via
Basically, for a guy like you (which is also very much like my situation), if you want to MAX the usage of HP, you need to at least buy a Match subscription and/or subscribe to AM. If you don't care about Siri "smarts", you can Airplay anything you can play on an Apple device to HP (or any other Airplay-connected speaker).
That's very helpful, thank you. As luck would have it, I just upgraded my Gen3 ATV to a 4K, so I now have a Siri remote to lean on. Had a Match subscription a while back, but that hasn't been active for 3 or 4 years. Don't know that I've ripped anything since then though.
Baffles me why they don't make that user settable as a security feature.fans in their baby-making years: don't name your kid Siri.
Different for each device would be nice.
You don’t have to pause what you’re saying when invoking Siri with the hey Siri command. This is a huge misconception I notice with almost everyone I’ve seen used it.