HomePod Hands-On: Unboxing and Overview

[Edsel]

tears? visit a good audio store.

I've been that route a couple of time in my lifetime. Tubes? yup. Martin Logan, yup. The HomePod is inconspicuous, will adjust soundscape to genre, adjust soundscape to HomePod placement, and change music selections via Siri - without any effort. Apple will turn the premium audio market upside-down as they improve upon Airplay 2 and HomePod's evolution.

 

[steve knight]

I don’t think so HomePod is nice but it has its limits. My wife still prefers Sonos to her HomePod to listen to music. Or her regular speakers and subwoofer powered my a Sonos amp. It will stream most music sources with less effort to her and the speakers stream music on their own. Now with Alexa support they are really good for her. She got it for podcasts and such and a better listening Siri but so far it has been buggy not playing podcasts and silence. She likes the sound of it but she wants stereo for music.

 

[marsattacks]

Will wait for the must-have accessory - HomePod cable tape. Then we can cut out a length of the unwanted excess cable unnecessarily taking up space on the countertop. I guess the soldered power cable is better than soldered RAM in Macs - at least we can cut it. Thank goodness for small mercies.

 

[Act3]

Was at apple store today outside of Tampa getting some battery replacements, store was its normal busy self, didn't see a single person check out the homepod on display, in fact it was kind of just sitting off to the side. interesting to see how this new product does.

 

[IG88]

I believe at least some if not most of the people composing here have not used one and bring up things they on;y believe won’t work

Agreed.

FYI....I made an iTunes playlist for "iCloud status is not Purchased" specifically to test both matched and uploaded songs. No problems with either.

 

[Westow]

Today's the official launch day of the HomePod, Apple's new Siri-powered smart speaker. As of now, the HomePod is available in all three launch countries -- the United States, UK, and Australia.

The first orders have gone out to customers who purchased a HomePod starting on January 26, and Apple retail stores also have plenty of supply for walk-in purchases.

We picked up a couple of HomePods this morning, and MacRumors videographer Dan has spent the last few hours testing out the sound quality, the Siri integration, the HomeKit controls, the touch gesture integration, and more.

Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.​

Design wise, the HomePod is deceptively small, but it's also heavy and has a solid build. It's covered in a soft, pliable mesh material meant to enhance sound, and there's a fabric-covered cable at the back.

After a bit of a snafu with the setup process, which appears to be related to HomeKit and iCloud keychain and is something we'll need to investigate further, we had the HomePod up and running with an alternate Apple ID.

Sound, as previous reviews and impressions have suggested, is incredible. Music is crisp and clear, with the HomePod highlighting and separating every element of a song. Even if you're not an audiophile, you're going to notice the high-quality sound of the HomePod right away.

We tested HomePod with Apple Music, which is how HomePod is meant to be used, but you can also play music from other third-party music services like Spotify using AirPlay.

HomePod's voice detection works impressively well, with Siri able to pick up a "Hey Siri" command from across the room even with music playing loudly. Siri is useful for playing content from Apple Music and controlling your HomeKit devices, but if you're used to something like Amazon Alexa, you're going to notice a few shortcomings.

Siri on HomePod is basically like Siri on the iPhone, and the personal assistant has almost the same feature set on both devices. Apple didn't make major improvements to Siri for the HomePod, and that's definitely one of the most disappointing aspects of the device.

For HomePod owners out there, how are you liking the HomePod so far? Let us know in the comments. Make sure to check out our HomePod roundup if you're new to HomePod or planning to purchase one -- it's got everything you need to know about HomePod along with a running list of our HomePod how tos.

Article Link: HomePod Hands-On: Unboxing and Overview

So my first impressions are that it is very well built and the sound far surpasses that of my Amazon Echo and Google Home. It is a shame that it doesn't support Spotify but the Apple Music library is strong. I can't wait for some updates to roll out. You can check out my unboxing and initial impressions here.

 

[KeithJenner]

Was at apple store today outside of Tampa getting some battery replacements, store was its normal busy self, didn't see a single person check out the homepod on display, in fact it was kind of just sitting off to the side. interesting to see how this new product does.

That really is the great unknown isn't it. I wouldn't be surprised if the HomePod does fairly well, or if it is a flop, or anywhere in between. I can't see it being a massive hit, but just about everything else looks possible to me.

My gut feeling is that it will just do OK, but I thought the same about the watch at first.

 

[The Game 161]

Was at apple store today outside of Tampa getting some battery replacements, store was its normal busy self, didn't see a single person check out the homepod on display, in fact it was kind of just sitting off to the side. interesting to see how this new product does.

Guess each store is different. My local store there were quite a few looking at it and saw a few people getting one. Hard to know how it will do sales wise.

It's one of those where it will do well but not sell anywhere near what the main products do. It only fits a certain need and not everybody wants a high powered speaker as alot might have their own music systems

 

[falainber]

Was at apple store today outside of Tampa getting some battery replacements, store was its normal busy self, didn't see a single person check out the homepod on display, in fact it was kind of just sitting off to the side. interesting to see how this new product does.

I was in Apple Store in a busy mall yesterday. Apple store was busy too with lots of people checking MacBooks, children playing on iPads etc. I was surprised to see just a single HomePod playing at so low volume that nobody could hear it. One very old dude (not an employee) was near it entertaining people (nobody was interested) by asking Siri to play one song or another. The total lack of interest from the visitors was somewhat unexpected. I understand that not everyone might like or need one but not even have some curiosity to check a new offering tells something. I think people simple moved on and the age of HiFi is long but gone (and HP is not even a HiFi). Have most people already purchased other home assistants and satisfied their curiosity? Maybe.

 

[vipergts2207]

The /r/audiophile write-up and measurements are out.

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/7wwtqy/apple_homepod_the_audiophile_perspective/

 

[prasand]

You and others following these discussions will enjoy this http://tingilinde.typepad.com/omenti/2018/02/the-next-step-in-home-audio.html

Great article, well written.

What was said we're mostly members saying its no big deal. But it's the biggest security risk if that happened to a competitor.

I understand the concern of potential exploits, but personally I’m not concerned in part because knowing what has changed since. iOS 9 was released in Sept 2015, and since then was the FBI backdoor situation, which prompted Apple to hire a special security team comprised of some of the best blackhat and whitehat security people in the field. Them being good really isn't that relevant, their task of rethinking and redefining Apple’s approach to security is. That team has been in employ since, and now we’re two generations after they began. The possibility of an exploit from iOS 9, still working on iOS 10 is high, but iOS 11? It’s possible, but I doubt it.

The source code leak of iOS 9’s impact on iOS 11, is less significant than let’s say Meltdown and Spectre. But despite how significant those exploits are, the world in general has met it with muted reception. I don’t think most people are aware of them and how serious they are. Personally, I spent a few days taking down all of my web servers and reconfiguring them from scratch the moment I found out about it. I re-wrote / re-thought my security practices because of it. -- The disregard for security is because of naivety, and not really an Apple thing; after-all people still use passwords that have been published in the most popular passwords list.

If Samsung had a source code leak, we could be pretty sure that it would affect current models even if the source code is a few years old. As few companies are willing to redo / rethink their security practices from the ground up like Apple did, and for Samsung security isn't as high of a priority. I mean, they implemented face detection just to be able to say they did before Apple, despite that Samsung's implementation needed to be disabled because it was a huge security hole. They were more concerned about the speed to market than security and approached it lazily, but for Apple security is a foundation. — None of that is to say that Apple is flawless, nah, and if the FBI thing didn’t happen, then the iOS 9 leak might be even more relevant, because Apple probably wouldn't have re-thought security from the ground-up. But fortunately that catalyst lit the fire under Apple’s behind to a point that now one can say with confidence:

it’s a non-issue.

Don’t get me wrong, there are many people still on iOS 9 (and lower), and even iOS 10 would mean that a large number of people could be affected by the leak. But honestly, exploiting iOS 10, using design implementations of iOS 9, is more Sisyphean than utilizing Meltdown and Spectre on iOS 10 and lower. Personally I would say anyone who endeavors to exploit iOS 10 using iOS 9 source code, is studiously or curiously masochistic (there are actually hackers like that), when there’s a significant hurdle to distribute / use such an exploit. Many exploits are discovered daily, without any practical means of distribution. Such a task isn't that fruitful, if one wants to impact a large crowd. Personally my avenue would be to discover what aspects of elevation exist that could possibly be utilized through a website, or other means, purely as a point of entry for Meltdown. That in my eyes would be practical, and I’m pretty sure it can already be done on Android. -- After all, Android is still hackable just by connecting to wifi. But if you think that the iOS 9 leak is a truly big issue, your perspective is biased.

There are significantly bigger issues with security.

But considering that security professional jobs are projected to be the next IT boom, I imagine that socially people will start being more concerned with personal security, and the naivety will decrease. However, I think it's going to take a major hack / breach for most people to wake up to the reality of it (bigger than Equifax), or it'll be a gradual awakening and take years. Personally, I think I'm safer on iOS 11 than anyone is on any version of Android. And unfortunately, Apple security causes greater ignorance / naivety amongst the majority. So perhaps those within Apple's garden, will be the last to awaken. But it's not really an Apple thing, it's a general social issue.

There are pros and cons to Apple's walled-garden.

iOS users are relatively safe within the wall, so they don't really care, even though they can still be drowned.

But most people don't care even without walls.

 

[legacyb4]

And Sonos didn't solve that problem before?

It hit some but not all the marks, unfortunately. Sound is acceptable for what I paid for the Sonos 1 being my first toe-dip into the standalone wireless streaming speaker market.; hadn't actually researched much on user interaction so was not 100% thrilled with having to use another app to manage playback.

What I am looking forward are: Airplay, Siri/voice control, Homekit hub support (I went Plex on Mac instead of the Apple TV route), and from what appears to be an overwhelmingly thumbs up on audio quality.

Fingers crossed as well for a quick rollout of Airplay 2 on the Play 1 so that I can extend my listening area in the house.

 

[steve knight]

had to do the first reboot as siri was not responding or just doing what she wants.

 

[prasand]

To those interested in the audiophile measurements of HomePod, the write-up can be found here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/7wwtqy/apple_homepod_the_audiophile_perspective/

It has been proven, the HomePod is audiophile level.

— edit —

Sorry, didn’t see @vipergts2207’s post before.

Aside that, it is confirmed, the HomePod is stereo in the sense of multi-dimensional, but mono in the sense of L/R separation. So both sides were right, just different perspectives. But it is wrong that HomePod is not multi-channel (how many channels remains to be clarified), and the dual HomePod setup is probably more about stereo separation or directionality. Also, the founder of THX (Tomlinson Holman) works at Apple, so the possibility of dual HomePods being a valid THX implementation is high.

 

[chiffchaff]

Tried to Siri some local cities' NPR stations on my iPhone. No go. However if I Siri "Play NPR One" on my iPhone, it defaults to the live stream of the local station I set up previously. Then I need to tap play to actually hear it. I suppose I'd need to buy a HomePod just to find out if this works the same way as on another iDevice. Could you try asking your HomePod to play NPR One? I'd be really interested in the results!

I tried that (“play NPR One”) when I first set up the new HomePod. Siri loaded an NPR station in Tucson that had 89.1 in the name. I guess Siri matched it to my request because both started with NPR and ended in One. I wasn’t really surprised when it didn’t work since HomePods don’t run third party apps natively, at least not yet. Have to stream those from another device via AirPlay. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try!

 

[IJ Reilly]

I tried that (“play NPR One”) when I first set up the new HomePod. Siri loaded an NPR station in Tucson that had 89.1 in the name. I guess Siri matched it to my request because both started with NPR and ended in One. I wasn’t really surprised when it didn’t work since HomePods don’t run third party apps natively, at least not yet. Have to stream those from another device via AirPlay. But I figured it wouldn’t hurt to try!

Thank you for your contribution to science! I wonder if adding the address of the radio station stream to a playlist would work. This was possible in early versions of iTunes.

 

[x-evil-x]

Yup, a fair summary.

A stunning speaker.
Siri needs work. But software is easily updated.

Simply a must-buy for Apple Music subscribers.

I see it as a pretty bad buy honestly. cant do much better than any other home device just sounds better. Ill stick to my echo spot and surround sound with my appletv. much better setup imo. Also get a nice clock and interface on the spot.
This is a decent buy if you want to use it for music and dont have a dedicated home stereo.

 

[mpainesyd]

Is there a way to connect HomePod to a MacBook Pro (mid 2015)?
Not just iTunes. I want all of the sound from my MacBook go through the HomePod.

Don’t have a Homepod yet but you can send any video/audio using Airplay. Click on the Display (!) icon in the Mac’s menu bar. You should find a list of all available Airplay devices. If the Homepod is on the network it should appear in the list.
Note that Siri on the Homepod does not seem to be able to access content on the Mac like the Apple TV can (using Home Sharing) so your only option is Airplay.

 

[Gloomee]

Is there a way to connect HomePod to a MacBook Pro (mid 2015)?
Not just iTunes. I want all of the sound from my MacBook go through the HomePod.

Try the application Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba.
[doublepost=1518422957][/doublepost]Try Airfoil by Rogue Amoeba.

 

[KeithJenner]

I see it as a pretty bad buy honestly. cant do much better than any other home device just sounds better. Ill stick to my echo spot and surround sound with my appletv. much better setup imo. Also get a nice clock and interface on the spot.
This is a decent buy if you want to use it for music and dont have a dedicated home stereo.

I honestly think (and overall the comments one here from people getting one appear to back it up) that the main use for the HomePod isn't for the main listening room in the house.

I have a fairly good sound system in the lounge and bedroom. I'm not considering getting a HomePod for those rooms. I did however get one for the kitchen and am considering another for the study.

Overall, I think the majority of comments from purchasers on here are talking about kitchens/studys/bedrooms as the locations for their HomePods. If you use Apple Music then it looks like a great buy for those places, regardless of the quality of system you have in your living room.

 

[tillathenun]

After a weekend of using a couple of them, it looks like I’ll be returning at least one.

It feels so much like a beta product I don’t understand why Apple didn’t just wait even longer.

As an example:

• It does sound very good but I’d say there’s a bit too much bass in some situations. Namely, if you have any concern at all for anyone downstairs. I know Apple knows best, but come on - give a bit of control at least for bass?!
• “Hey Siri, play <insert embarrassing music choice here> in the Living Room” – iPhone plays some random song. HomePod does bugger all. Isn't that the point of everything being in Home app? So you can control things in other rooms?!
• If you select it as the speaker from the Apple TV, it will forget your choice if you use HomePod on its own. You then select a film on the Apple TV and... hear nothing. You then have to go back to the settings or Home screen, select the speaker again. That was the point where my wife said “Right. I don’t want them. Send them back.”

I had (as another of my posts explained) bought them in the hope of replacing our amp and speakers but it was clear one certainly doesn’t do the job. Pretty obvious that was going to be the case, I know, but from the early reviews it had sounded like Apple had beaten the laws of physics. My stupidity, I know.

Have Apple called this one ‘magic’ yet? Well, the only thing magical is its ability to do very little for a lot of money.

So, after all this, here’s my HomePod review: it’s just a speaker.

(I’m an Apple zealot by the way, which makes this all the harder to accept.)

 

[Gloomee]

Anyone else notice that the sound is better when you ask Siri to play something vs using AirPlay? A lot of the reviews said it should be the same but I’m noticing that AirPlay doesn’t sound quite as good. Maybe AirPlay 2 will resolve this?

What source are you playing from? For instance, if you are playing music synced from your iTunes library to your iPhone, you may have the option to convert to lower bitrate selected in effort to conserve space.

I don’t know what the Apple Music spec is, but, I would assume it is 256kbs AAC. This, in turn, would likely sound different than Airplaying the same song encoded at full CD quality from your computer’s iTunes library. I would expect quality variances depending on source/app and available data rate.

 

[drrocky]

I brought a Homepod home yesterday. I really wanted a simple great-sounding AirPlay speaker. My plan was to not even use the Siri functionality. The Homepod sounded absolutely great. But there were 2 deal-breaking faults. One, it was enormously troublesome to switch between my own iTunes library and my wife's library. Two, if you use the touch volume cotrol on the unit, it messes with the volume of ALL of the Airplay speakers on the network in use at the time. The Homepod went back to the Apple Store, and I have bought a second set of Aperion Allaire speakers instead.

 

[AppleDApp]

What is the speaker on the desk behind the homepod at 1:18?

 

[hot ham water]

You know you can also run it with AirPlay, right?

Of course, but then it's just a very expensive Bluetooth-equivalent speaker and ceases to be "smart" when run that way.