For all those harping on about batteries, cordless and waterproofing... If it sells well, as is, then you can bet a portable one is on its way... Why sell one that does it all when you can sell two that do either, or...
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HomePod Mini Supports Low-Power Thread Networking Technology
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Why ??? That thing is based on 2003 technology (802.15.4), it's extremely slow, unstable, very noisy in RF channel, full of bugs in the spec, and doesn't really "low-power" at all. It's RX mode consumes even more current than Bluetooth LE. It's only best for pairing and can't really "stream" anything.
My cat said he couldn't wait knocking this off the book shelves. Told me to get two.
It's for turning on and off bits for "smart" devices. It doesn't really need to do much at all. Stuart Cheshire knows what he's doing.
it all sounds great.
question since i don't understand the concepts completely...
this device uses an existing WiFi network. itself becoming a client on that WiFi network.
there is no router functionality housed within this device.
therefore other devices don't get connected to this device itself. its not a WiFi range extender and therefore does not as part of WiFi mesh extension system.
but, as HomeKit compatible / Siri device you are able to give commands to other IoT devices?
what does "mesh" mean in the context of this device?
question since i don't understand the concepts completely...
this device uses an existing WiFi network. itself becoming a client on that WiFi network.
there is no router functionality housed within this device.
therefore other devices don't get connected to this device itself. its not a WiFi range extender and therefore does not as part of WiFi mesh extension system.
but, as HomeKit compatible / Siri device you are able to give commands to other IoT devices?
what does "mesh" mean in the context of this device?
Cool so $10 a month here and then $10 a month there and then $10 a month here and then another $10 a month again because every device has to have its own chip.
Have fun with that kind of wireless bill. At $10 just to connect your Apple Watch to a wireless carrier I can only imagine how much a smart home setup would run with a bunch of 5g devices.
Your correct, why not a rechargeable battery? Zap it up once every 6 months like the cameras.
Of course Apple can. They chose not to. Simple.
As an aside, that's not something I want.
Thread is basically next gen zigbee. What it means is that you can talk directly to devices that support thread without needing a hub.
if you want an example of this, you can look at the newest Amazon Echos. Some of them have built in zigbee, so that would let you buy an ikea lightbulb (as an example) and pair it directly to the Echo. This essentially bypasses the need for an ikea hub. This would be the same process for any other hub based device.
for anyone speculating about its use for general purpose networking, the data throughput is super low and it’s not feasible for anything like that.
if you want an example of this, you can look at the newest Amazon Echos. Some of them have built in zigbee, so that would let you buy an ikea lightbulb (as an example) and pair it directly to the Echo. This essentially bypasses the need for an ikea hub. This would be the same process for any other hub based device.
for anyone speculating about its use for general purpose networking, the data throughput is super low and it’s not feasible for anything like that.
Since Apple clearly wants us to have one of these in every room of our house, can we at least get an intercom/Walkie talkie mode?
Pass on proprietary lock-in. Only open standards on my network so not even Cisco protocols like HSRP, EIGRP, etc.
Isn’t that exactly what the product does???
So now you buy another device to turn other devices off?
That's just stupid in anyones book. Also how is that good for the environment?
Is that a feature? I must have missed that. Consider me a happy customer then!
This would be horrible for everyone except wireless carriers. There's no benefit and a ton of added costs. Apple would need a 5g radio specific to each country where its sold, customers in rural areas would be screwed perhaps for decades, and it would be a massive cost inflation given that every 5G carrier charges you per device. There is no reason why WiFi shouldn't stick around. It solves a lot of problems in the simplest way.
Apple quit making wifi routers because people weren't replacing the ones the cable company gave them enough for there to be a viable market in it.
I Generally don’t believe the waterproofing is that big of a factor, however, the wireless option is something that will probably be a reality in the future. And when you look at the first GEN HomePod, I really do think that was intended to be a ‘stationary‘ device, but the mini obviously has a portability factor for travel Or different placement around your house. So that particular product I would like to see offer the portability factor for the smaller version.
Will continue to use my ONEAudio mini speakers with DECT wireless technology.
The mini looks nice. I'll probably get one for my kitchen. I have a Google thingy they sent me for free sitting in my bedroom (wakes me up and plays morning podcast), and two HomePods for my TV/living room. I really do wish they had added some battery to let you "release" it every so often and venture outside wirelessly (and thus bluetooth would help). I bought a WonderBoom 2 last year and use it for hanging out on my porch. Waterproof, bluetooth, and droppable (after a few drinks I've done that a bit). Works flawlessly. Oh well, Apple will go for their market. Still loving my $AAPL.