HomePod is Now Widely Available at Apple Stores

[MacRumors]

Today is HomePod launch day in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, and as promised, the speaker is now on display and available to purchase at most of Apple's retail stores in each of those countries.

HomePod box via Kris Jones on Twitter​

HomePod has already received rave reviews for its sound quality from both the media and early adopters, but customers who prefer their own listening demo can now visit one of Apple's stores to hear it for themselves. Of course, customers can also take advantage of Apple's 14-day return policy and try it at home.

Most if not all of Apple's retail locations currently have plentiful stock of the speaker in both Space Gray and White, but we recommend calling ahead before making the trip. To check availability in your area: go to the HomePod order page, click on the link under the "Pickup" section, and enter your ZIP or postal code.

HomePod orders placed online today are estimated for delivery by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, so if you didn't pre-order the speaker, visiting an Apple Store is the only option to get one in your hands this weekend. Some resellers like Best Buy may also have limited in-store availability.

Meanwhile, deliveries are beginning to arrive to customers who did pre-order the HomePod a few weeks ago. If you've received yours already, be sure to share your thoughts in the MacRumors discussion forums.

Article Link: HomePod is Now Widely Available at Apple Stores

 

[PastaPrimav]

If this thing had a better relationship with Apple TV, it'd be something to consider.

Since it is just for music, I wouldn't use it often it enough to justify it.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

I can't wait until Big Brown pulls up in front of my house and hands the HomePod to me later today!

In the meantime, in spite of the HomePod receiving rave reviews, I'm sure the haters that love to hang out in these front page articles will be lining up to make their comments...in fact, it has already begun!

 

[tkermit]

in spite of the HomePod receiving rave reviews

Independent reviews are pouring in only now that HomePod is widely available. Sound quality appears to be a mixed bag.

 

[mtneer]

This is getting confusing from MR.. there was a report yesterday that supplies were tightening and the HomePod was no longer available at launch - https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...aunch-day-delivery-from-apple-in-u-s.2105024/.

Now its freely available in store?

 

[citysnaps]

I just picked up my pre-order unit at the Stanford Apple Store.

It was a pretty cool experience. Being close to Cupertino, they had the HomePod technical development staff at the store. As an engineer and being very interested in adaptive beamforming (I used to work in that area in another domain) I was able to find and talk to the engineer in charge of the beamforming aspect of HomePod for 15 minutes or so, and came away super impressed.

 

[Xavier]

But, does it blend?

Joking aside, I wouldn't mind picking one up but still think it is a little too expensive.

 

[MacDawg]

I just picked up my pre-order unit at the Stanford Apple Store.

It was a pretty cool experience. Being close to Cupertino, they had the HomePod technical development staff at the store. As an engineer and being very interested in adaptive beamforming (I used to work in that area in another domain) I was able to find and talk to the engineer in charge of the beamforming aspect of HomePod for 15 minutes or so, and came away super impressed.

Beamforming?

I gotta say, I have no clue what that is LOL

 

[Surfer13134]

Just picked mine up at Bestbuy. They had atleast 20-30 Units between SG and White. Dont think they will be running out soon. I picked it up around 1PM and they said I was the first customer to pick one up.

 

[rizzo41999]

Rumor has it Apple might be cooking up a HomePod Mini

 

[citysnaps]

Beamforming?

I gotta say, I have no clue what that is LOL

HomePod employs a circular array of speakers and microphones.

By using signal processing techniques running on the A8, audio from HomePod can be positioned, via one or multiple steerable beams (it's not just directing certain sounds to specific speakers), around the device, dynamically.

Ditto for isolating people talking to HomePod (and rejecting interference), using the microphone array - all dynamically. That's why you can communicate with Siri from large distances in a room full of other sound sources (including the audio HomePod is broadcasting)>

 

[Chupa Chupa]

People make WAAAAAY to much of availability. It's a pointless metric by itself. It's so silly that people use it as a basis to claim a product is a hit or dud or being held back to gin up demand or whatever. No, you cannot infer anything by availability or unavailable alone a bubble. Sorry.

 

[MacDawg]

HomePod employs a circular array of speakers and microphones.

By using signal processing techniques running on the A8, audio from HomePod can be positioned, via one or multiple steerable beams (it's not just directing certain sounds to specific speakers), around the device, dynamically.

Ditto for isolating people talking to HomePod (and rejecting interference), using the microphone array - all dynamically. That's why you can communicate with Siri from large distances in a room full of other sound sources (including the audio HomePod is broadcasting)>

Thanks for some clarification! Sounds pretty sophisticated

 

[Drogba11]

I'm sure it's really good, but $380 with tax plus AppleCare is just too damn much for what it is

 

[Joe Rossignol]

This is getting confusing from MR.. there was a report yesterday that supplies were tightening and the HomePod was no longer available at launch - https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...aunch-day-delivery-from-apple-in-u-s.2105024/.

Now its freely available in store?

That article relates to online availability from Apple.com.

From that article: "It's also likely that Apple retail stores in the United States, Australia, and the UK will have stock available for walk-in purchases on Friday."

 

[GOAT4521]

I picked mine up today and have the speaker running from my ATV4k. Netflix and DirecTV NOW sound great. Now I’m wondering how two would sound with Airplay2. Granted I only have it in a small theater Room but it more than fills the room. Training Day sounded crisp.

 

[Victor Mortimer]

I'm sure it's really good, but $380 with tax plus AppleCare is just too damn much for what it is

It's not even really good. It's a $50 product (lower feature level than Amazon or Google) for more than double their price.

I want Apple to make good products. I don't get upset when their good products are expensive when they're good values.

This is not a good product or a good value. Apple goofed.

 

[citysnaps]

Thanks for some clarification! Sounds pretty sophisticated

It's incredibly sophisticated if done right. Cellular phone basestations (what your phone talks to when you make a call) employ the same technology, permitting better quality service and handling loads more simultaneous users, with less radiated and consumed power - saving the service provider (AT&T, Verizon, etc a lot of money).

Beamforming cellular phone towers can position and steer narrow multiple beams on multiple simultaneous users, and track each user independently as they move about over time, before a handoff occurs to the next cell tower.

 

[69650]

Apple seem incapable of making anything in colours other than black or white. So boring.

 

[DotCom2]

Beamforming?

I gotta say, I have no clue what that is LOL

It's another word for "Give me you money".

 

[budfoot]

First Apple product not back ordered for weeks? Seems like there is a lack of demand.

 

[dbe]

I picked mine up today and have the speaker running from my ATV4k. Netflix and DirecTV NOW sound great. Now I’m wondering how two would sound with Airplay2. Granted I only have it in a small theater Room but it more than fills the room. Training Day sounded crisp.

That's one of my favorite movies! I plan to place mine downstairs so I almost want to buy two so I can have one upstairs with the ATV.

 

[44267547]

Apple seem incapable of making anything in colours other than black or white. So boring.

The HomePod, more specifically, has more traditional/neutral colors being they will be paired in various rooms in a house so it will blend better with other common colors. I have No interest in an "aquatic blue HomePod color" in my living room.

 

[Jbusick7944]

I picked mine up today and have the speaker running from my ATV4k. Netflix and DirecTV NOW sound great. Now I’m wondering how two would sound with Airplay2. Granted I only have it in a small theater Room but it more than fills the room. Training Day sounded crisp.

Oh, so we CAN use it as a "soundbar" then! Cool.

 

[dbe]

If you want to be taken seriously, you should modify your "Siri is garbage" meme. Yes, Apple is being conservative at rollout, and hasn't implemented every skill that Siri can do, but every review showed Siri working superbly, on the Homepod, indeed having better voice recognition in fact in loud environments than either Amazon or Google. At roll out, Apple has pretty much equipped Siri with the main things that surveys show people use their smart speaker for: #1 by far is to listen to music (think quality of speaker will matter, then to listen to messages, get weather, set a timer, get time, get news, and traffic. Of course, with over the air software updates, Apple will keep adding skills to Siri on the Homepod, but the fact Siri on HP can already do what most people use a SS for. As the surveys show, the large majority of Amazon Echo users have never even activated a skill.

https://qz.com/1105740/the-majority...e-their-devices-for-a-small-set-of-functions/

Here's a fun casual, non-technical demo of the Homepod in case you haven't seen it

I know his is just a demo video but damn I don't want to talk to anyone that much.