HomePod Reviews: Outstanding Sound Quality, but Siri 'Struggles at Smart'

[TheMacDaddy1]

This is where they’ve failed. I keep stressing this over and over. You cannot have a smart speaker assistant that’s not smart lol. There is a a percentage of people who will still buy the HomePod regardless. But the market isn’t in the speaker. The market is in the assistant!

Actually I could not agree less with your market definition. I think that Amazon and Google want you to think you need an "Assistant" but the results of actual use are quite the opposite.

A company called "Creative Strategies" did a survey in September of 2017. Here is what they found...

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

All of the assistants are "dumb" right now to be honest. Yes Siri is worse than Google and Amazon but NONE of them are great and none of them really use natural language. None of them, for 90% of what they do, are faster than most people using a app or searching via a browser. For instance I have my Echo working with my Nest thermostats. It if faster to use the app on my phone to change the temp than using Alexa and asking her to do it. She is hands free but not fast.

"Assistants" need another good 5-10 years and mountains of data to become what I would consider great. This assumes no future privacy laws cripple those efforts in the future.

The Home Pod will replace our Bose Sound Link BT in our kitchen. The full size Echo failed to do so because #1 it did not sound as good as the Bose, #2 we use Apple Music so it was in BT mode and #3 the "Assistant" part of it is a gimmick that everyone in the house quickly tired of and #4 we are privacy concerned and Amazon and especially Google concern us to be honest.

 

[Superhappytree]

Once again, it’s Apple’s poor software that’s the problem, not the hardware. This has been the case for the past five years now.

 

[anthogag]

Can my BlackBerry Passport smartphone connect to the speaker with bluetooth or a wire? A wire lets me use the built-in radio.

If Siri is good at hearing your questions while music is playing, that's good. Software updates will make the experience better.

I like this speaker. Excellent sound quality is a big deal.

 

[TheMacDaddy1]

Nonsense. Post some real examples.

Siri = Alexa and is better than Bixby.

GoogleHome appears to be better, but how often do you ask Siri things she can't do or answer? What specifically does she struggle with?

I honestly think people here just repeat their negative thoughts on Siri based on what they read.

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

Siri can do all of that.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

There's a LOT of speakers in the world that can become Airplay speakers with other hardware. You may already have some exceptional speakers in your home. If you have an TV connected to them, you can airplay through that to them. If you don't have an TV, it's about half this price, has Siri voice control too, and comes with a number of other features that can never be "just one software update" away in HP.

If you don't have or don't want to buy an TV, Apples makes even cheaper devices through which you can Airplay to ANY speakers too.

Basically, if someone doesn't really care about the "smarts," there are a LOT of alternative options that might prove better choices for the airplay-only segment.

Thanks for pointing this out and so true of course. Actually I am looking to add some very nice speakers to my home setup:

 

[TonnyM]

Apple is sooo doomed for making best sounding speaker.

 

[Keirasplace]

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

Siri can do all of that.

Yes and for automation tasks it can do it better than others.

 

[jiggad369]

Actually I could not agree less with your market definition. I think that Amazon and Google want you to think you need an "Assistant" but the results of actual use are quite the opposite.

A company called "Creative Strategies" did a survey in September of 2017. Here is what they found...

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

All of the assistants are "dumb" right now to be honest. Yes Siri is worse than Google and Amazon but NONE of them are great and none of them really use natural language. None of them, for 90% of what they do, are faster than most people using a app or searching via a browser. For instance I have my Echo working with my Nest thermostats. It if faster to use the app on my phone to change the temp than using Alexa and asking her to do it. She is hands free but not fast.

"Assistants" need another good 5-10 years and mountains of data to become what I would consider great. This assumes no future privacy laws cripple those efforts in the future.

The Home Pod will replace our Bose Sound Link BT in our kitchen. The full size Echo failed to do so because #1 it did not sound as good as the Bose, #2 we use Apple Music so it was in BT mode and #3 the "Assistant" part of it is a gimmick that everyone in the house quickly tired of and #4 we are privacy concerned and Amazon and especially Google concern us to be honest.

Facts?

Wrong forum.

 

[Defthand]

I’d argue this is Apples entry into home audio, not home assistant. I’m not saying they shouldn’t compete there, or extend HomePod to include home assistant features beyond HomeKit. They should. But they have been pretty clear about their initial focus.

Actually, it's not their first attempt. They had a similar hifi offering when the iPod was popular. You docked your iPod in it. It was equally expensive and didn't sell. That was followed by Apple's Airport Express with an optical audio out port. You could stream music over wifi to it and a pair of powered speakers; better yet, to a hifi component system. Still, that approach didn't gain much traction. Then Apple TV followed with cloud music streaming capabilities and Siri. Again, it's not a feature that most people are exploiting.

Honestly, I'll be surprised if Homepods revive interest in speaker systems. People are so "introverted" that they prefer the isolation of headphones. Meanwhile, Google's and Amazon's offerings have been popular for their smart assistance rather than music capabilities. I think Apple is being disingenuous when it says it intended Homepod to be a music device instead. More likely, they didn't want their limited AI abilities compared to the competition.

 

[TrentS]

"The HomePod has an iPhone processor and pairs with your iPhone--yet it can't make a phone call? To use it as a speakerphone, you need to start the call on your iPhone then select the HomePod as an audio source. You can, however, send text messages from the HomePod with just your voice."

This is the same way with the Google Home. My sister got it for mom for Christmas, and we still can't figure out how she can load her contacts into it, so she can call someone by saying, "Call Trent." The only way to make a call thru it is by voicing the number for it to dial. That means you have to memorize everyone's phone number, or keep a list of numbers close by. Not good.

The first brand to make phone calls thru their device much easier, as well as integrating it more into home features ( microwave, coffee maker, outlets, lights, tv, garage door opener, heating and a/c, etc.... ) they we most successful selling their product.

 

[mike0steff]

No thanks, I'll stick with my Sonos system

 

[Boatboy24]

This is my experience every day. She's not that great. Apple should also take a cue from Alexa and have "Skills" like abilities.

Yep. This is pretty much Siri.

 

[mazz0]

Then pray tell what is a HomePod?? Not a smart speaker, not a Bluetooth speaker, not even a normal speaker that I can pkug into my AV system.. what is it????

It's a HomePod. It's an Apple speaker. It's a speaker that works with Apple products and services. Why must it fit some existing label?

 

[cc00lltt00nn]

I have been to loyal Apple and owned most of its products over the last 15 years. With that being said, Siri is weakest link in the realm of everything Apple does. Most people know exactly what I'm talking about (as seen in comments on this thread and by personal experience). What annoys me is people so obsessed with Apple that they won't admit Siri's shortcomings. It's as if they think ignoring the problem means that it doesn't exist. Don't settle and let your pride get in the way, just because it's Apple. If you really cared about the brand, you would demand the best, because we all expect the best.

 

[Baymowe335]

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

Siri can do all of that.

Thank you. Exactly. This is my problem with "Reviews" on smart speakers. People purposely ask questions they'd never ask on a daily basis just to see how the AI respond. Google might be better at some, props to them, but the downside is you have a GOOGLE speaker in your house 24/7. No thanks.

A vast majority of the questions can be answered by any of them. If Siri were that bad, Apple would have massively updated it already. Too many people use it for it to completely suck and be useless like you'd think if you just read opinions here.

 

[cjbryce]

A lot of the reviewers are missing the point, it’s a music speaker first and foremost with the ability to have some smart features secondly.

I can almost agree with you, but not quite.

For the same money, there' probably better music speakers, albeit dumb and requiring an amp. There's probably not better powered speakers at that price (dunno, not heard Homepod yet). There's smarter smart speakers which probably don't sound as good.

Until Siri works across all devices equally and supports the same command range across iOS, MacOS, tvOS and now Homepod, then Apple have an uphill battle - the Siri range is, as yet, too fragmented across devices. As a voice-controlled personal assistant Homepod is far from perfect - no access to my calendar (yet), can't initiate out-going calls (yet). The problem is all these "yets" - Apple need to pull the finger out developing a fully-integrated and far more powerful Siri ecosystem.

Don't get me wrong, I really do like the overall Apple ecosystem and I'll likely buy at least one Hpmepod for use in a secondary listening room e.g. bedroom or bathroom and it'll be good for controlling HomeKit from across a room, but Siri needs to grow-up; at the moment s/he is, at best, a toddler.

 

[FX120]

In a corner is exactly where you shouldn't put traditional speakers, because that's where they sound worst.

One market will be all those people who want decent sound quality, while the housewife doesn't want any big, ugly box in the living room.

On the other hand, still no reviews comparing HomePod to quality traditional speakers.

Works well if you’re only interested in creating of a lot of bass. It’s one reason any smart speaker with a single small driver needs to be placed on a fairly large, flat surface to have any bass at all.

Hang it in free space and take a listen, it will have to start compressing like mad to prevent over excursion at lower volume levels than it otherwise would.

That’s the hard thing with many of these reviews, placement and listening position are critical for evaluating low to mid frequency response.

 

[stanman64]

Actually I could not agree less with your market definition. I think that Amazon and Google want you to think you need an "Assistant" but the results of actual use are quite the opposite.

A company called "Creative Strategies" did a survey in September of 2017. Here is what they found...

Top 3 Amazon requests

Set a timer
Check the weather
Play a song

Top 3 for Google

Check the weather
Play a song
Set a timer

Sport score requests only 10%

Add an item to your todo list 5%

All of the assistants are "dumb" right now to be honest. Yes Siri is worse than Google and Amazon but NONE of them are great and none of them really use natural language. None of them, for 90% of what they do, are faster than most people using a app or searching via a browser. For instance I have my Echo working with my Nest thermostats. It if faster to use the app on my phone to change the temp than using Alexa and asking her to do it. She is hands free but not fast.

"Assistants" need another good 5-10 years and mountains of data to become what I would consider great. This assumes no future privacy laws cripple those efforts in the future.

The Home Pod will replace our Bose Sound Link BT in our kitchen. The full size Echo failed to do so because #1 it did not sound as good as the Bose, #2 we use Apple Music so it was in BT mode and #3 the "Assistant" part of it is a gimmick that everyone in the house quickly tired of and #4 we are privacy concerned and Amazon and especially Google concern us to be honest.

Very well said IMO.

Also, contextual awareness. We won't have "true" voice assistants until they nail that down.

 

[Swift]

Tech writers think that a general-knowledge assistant is what we want. I don't. I have an Alexa, but aside from my "Flash briefing" I don't use it. It can read a book for me. That's cool. It's no better audio-wise than a decent clock radio. If I have to google something, I get on the tablet or the computer and type my question in. Works like a charm.

 

[mazz0]

Good question, but honestly, Siri is virtually useless to me regardless. I’m neither uncomfortable with the technology, nor unfamiliar with it, but Siri just doesn’t seem to like me. Often doesn’t understand what I say. I speak in public often and have never had anyone mention that I don’t speak clearly (too fast sometimes, yes!), but Siri doesn’t seem to get me. If I can’t speak naturally, then I’m really not interested. I also encounter the issue frequently (although most of the time I just disable Siri now) where my phone or watch suddenly say, “What was that?” Or “Sorry, could you please say that again?”—when I didn’t even say anything in the first place. The last thing I need is a speaker making calls to people indiscriminately when it thinks I’m talking to her, LOL.

Funny that, I've heard other people have the same experience as you, with it not recognising their commands, but I've found it extremely impressive how well it understands my words for the past few years. What I don't find impressive is its ability to do anything other than search the web with them.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

Thanks for pointing this out and so true of course. Actually I am looking to add some very nice speakers to my home setup:

Wow: those would likely crush these. Buy yourself any airplay device and let those be your speakers for iTunes music (and a whole lot of other stuff if desired).

I think HP is not actually trying to compete with anything toward that. I believe they are trying to be the best of the "smart speaker" niche (but emphasizing sound over the smarts).

 

[OllyW]

That was followed by Apple's Airport Express with an optical audio out port.

That actually came first, 2 years before the iPod Hi-Fi. A lot of people will be surprised to learn that AirPlay for audio (or AirTunes as it was called back then) has been around for the last 13 years.

 

[falainber]

Apple is sooo doomed for making best sounding speaker.

Notice two things:

* Apple is ashamed to disclose frequency response of this presumably superb speaker
* nobody is comparing this speaker to real speakers (and even Sonos is not a classic real speaker as far as I am concerned)

So, yes, it may sound better than other speakers which are marketed as home assistants. But that's about it.

 

[dbe]

I'm sold! Just pre-ordered! Done and done.

 

[jrholt]

Exactly. I always wonder what amazing things Alexa supposedly is able to do, but when asking for real world examples, there are always crickets.

SO, ALEXA ENTHUSIASTS, GIVE US REAL-WORLD EXAMPLES OF THE AMAZING THINGS IT CAN DO THAT SIRI CAN‘T.

Here's one. I'm sitting at my desk upstairs in a loft right next to my iPhone. My Alexa is downstairs (30 feet away). I asked the same question to Siri and Alexa. I really want to use Siri. I own an iMac, Macbook Pro, Ipad Pro, Ipad Air 2, iPhone and Apple Watch. I have every incentive to use Siri. Siri doesn't work.

Siri:


Alexa: