1- AC outlet only
2- Wifi (but it can play music from Apple Music directly without a paired device)
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HomePod is Ninth Most Popular Smart Speaker in United States According to Recent Survey
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2- Wifi (but it can play music from Apple Music directly without a paired device)
It won’t cost less than $100 in its current form. It would have to be a smaller, less powerful version.
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I’ve got mine hooked up to my Apple TV which I do 99% of my viewing through.
Agreed.
Apple simply doesn't value their users as much as Amazon/Google does. I would not expect the HomePod to drop down in price significantly any time soon. Their business is centered around hardware profits more so than users because they don't really have the breadth of the ecosystem that Amazon/Google has.
Because the sound quality is so comparable.
How on earth do you expect a single mono speaker to support Atmos?
Start with mono, and if you add a second speaker you can do stereo, if you add a center speaker, two surround speakers and a sub you can have 5.1, If you add ceiling speakers or special left and right speakers that have an additional angled speaker speaker that bounces sound you have Atmos.
How do you envision a HomePod or even a pair to offer three-dimensional sound? Are you going to put five home pods around your room and hang one from the ceiling?
I have an echo dot and it’s great for setting reminders. That’s all I use it for.
Homepod is $350,you can get a dot for a couple of bucks. Yeah amazon is killing it via market share. And we know how market share is king for android.
I keep saying it, but they need to differentiate between "smart speaker" and "speaker with voice assistant." I think those are two distinct categories.
Personally, I like smart speakers (app controlled, with plugins for all the various APIs out there) without a voice assistant. I find most voice assistants to be super creepy, but having a speaker able to access my Spotify and such as a big plus.
Personally, I like smart speakers (app controlled, with plugins for all the various APIs out there) without a voice assistant. I find most voice assistants to be super creepy, but having a speaker able to access my Spotify and such as a big plus.
Just as Apple added stereo support via software update, adding surround sound to HomePod would require buying several HomePods (ideally 7 for 7.x.x) and Apple rolling out Dolby support via software update.
Obviously, overhead (x.x.4) and subwoofer (x.1.x) channels would require a design different from HomePod (unless Apple can simulate overhead channel using HomePods when they are mounted in a special way).
Either way, I frankly don't see Apple retrofiting existing HomePods for anything beyond stereo. When and if Apple makes home theater speakers, I'd imagine the product will be soundbar stryle.
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I agree that lower-end HomePod should be priced between $100-150, but I don't want higher-end HomePod to be constrained by a price target.
I guess you could look at it that way, but considering the number of lights it not only turns on and off but also sets different scenes based on time of day and who is home or not, it would be worth it for that feature alone.
The audio quality is definitely as good if not better than anything else in the price range.
Using it for HomeKit requests and having it clearly understand what I want to add to my grocery list when I'm in the kitchen are also nice.
Overall I would definitely purchase again.
I don't know if I really want smart speakers, but Amazon offered me an echo dot new for $15 so I had to try one. $15 really isn't much of an investment vs $350 for apple's base model.
I'm very aware of the quality differences and have heard bigger Echo devices play msuic, but if you don't know if you really want one there is a major entry level difference.
I'm very aware of the quality differences and have heard bigger Echo devices play msuic, but if you don't know if you really want one there is a major entry level difference.
Sound bar + iOS device does the same and more for less. The value just does not add up to what it does compared to its competitors. Similarly high end speakers and audio equipment are not mainstream best sellers. Is there a market, sure. Will it replace the competitors for what it does, too early to say.
Amazon Echo: 23%
Amazon Echo Dot: 21%
Google Home: 8%
Google Home Mini: 7%
Amazon Echo Plus: 5%
Amazon Echo Spot: 4%
Amazon Echo Show: 4%
Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition: 4%
Apple HomePod: 4%
Google Home Max: 2%
This makes the HomePod in 6th place...
Amazon Echo Dot: 21%
Google Home: 8%
Google Home Mini: 7%
Amazon Echo Plus: 5%
Amazon Echo Spot: 4%
Amazon Echo Show: 4%
Amazon Echo Dot Kids Edition: 4%
Apple HomePod: 4%
Google Home Max: 2%
This makes the HomePod in 6th place...
The question is do we really need more disposable electronics as the function is available on a smart phone. Who are these devices catered to. When phones have stereo sound that does a comparable job.
What is the point of all this?
My family all seem perfectly willing to put these speakers in their houses while I see no reason to let google or amazon record my conversations. Apple speaker is probably better on the privacy end of things, but I still don't see the doy-to-day usefulness. I have a nice home audio system with airplay, so I feel like I'm covered.
There is probably a decimal percentage after and that is why it’s reported as it is. This is just rounding to a whole number.
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My sound bar has BT, connects easily and it has good sound (subjective) and fills the room. Cost is not an issue, it’s value and this product does not do anything that I am able to do presently.
Yes, that was part of my point. $350 X 7 = $2450. I have a Sony 5.1 receiver with Polk Audio speakers that was a fraction of that, and while I am impressed with the sound of the HomePod, a group of them are not going to sound any better than a dedicated home theater setup.