No Bluetooth is the biggest flaw and a totally unnecessary restriction.
(Why Airpods support Bluetooth but HomePod doesn’t??)
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HomePod Sales May Be Closer to 1-1.5 Million Than 3 Million Since the Speaker Launched
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(Why Airpods support Bluetooth but HomePod doesn’t??)
Here’s why it doesn’t sell.
It only allows you to voice control music from Apple Music.
It barely controls any third party smart devices compared to the competition.
Sure it’s a great speaker but for a smart speaker that Apple “closed” policy just doesn’t work.
It only allows you to voice control music from Apple Music.
It barely controls any third party smart devices compared to the competition.
Sure it’s a great speaker but for a smart speaker that Apple “closed” policy just doesn’t work.
Hardly.
One represents the future of iOS while the other doesn’t. And so they each receive the respective amount of attention that they do.
Well this was predictable just like it was last year. Remember when Apple Watch was released and all these analytics firms were estimating it barely sold anything at all and was a huge flop? But then it turned out it was all wrong information and Apple Watch was a huge success? But that didn’t stop all the people in the forms from arguing about it until they were blue in the face. People will Believe whatever they want. But in the end, HomePod is sold exactly as many as Apple hoped it would. They’re not idiots they did their research and knew exactly the market they would Be in
I have two and it’s only the introduction of Stereo set up that’s had me using them more.
Granted Siri is limited compared to the likes of Google and Alexa but I didn’t buy them solely for the AI; to me it’s clear they were music first, Siri second.
They aren’t cheap, absolutely not, but everyone’s needs are different and if you do your research you’ll find the best solution for yourself based on your affordability.
Including Bluetooth 5.0 but closing the feature off does seem strange; would be nice if you could use whichever source to still play music (for example) but your WiFi was down...
Granted Siri is limited compared to the likes of Google and Alexa but I didn’t buy them solely for the AI; to me it’s clear they were music first, Siri second.
They aren’t cheap, absolutely not, but everyone’s needs are different and if you do your research you’ll find the best solution for yourself based on your affordability.
Including Bluetooth 5.0 but closing the feature off does seem strange; would be nice if you could use whichever source to still play music (for example) but your WiFi was down...
It's just to expensive for what it is.
I have a Sony, and it cost £120. It has a brilliant sound. I would like it to connect to my Apple ecosystem, but in this case, it's not worth the money,
I have a Sony, and it cost £120. It has a brilliant sound. I would like it to connect to my Apple ecosystem, but in this case, it's not worth the money,
HomePod shipments totaled an estimated 700,000 units in the second quarter of 2018, giving Apple a roughly six percent share of the worldwide smart speaker market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.
Strategy Analytics previously estimated HomePod shipments totaled 600,000 units in the first quarter of 2018, suggesting that worldwide shipments have reached 1.3 million units since the speaker became available to order in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom in late January.
That figure is much lower than one shared by research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, which recently estimated Apple has sold three million HomePods in the United States alone since the speaker launched.
The significant variance in the datasets stems from the fact that Apple doesn't disclose HomePod sales, instead grouping the speaker under its "Other Products" category in its earnings reports, alongside the Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, iPod touch, and other Apple and third-party accessories.
Apple reported revenue of $3.74 billion from its "Other Products" category last quarter, up 37 percent from $2.73 billion in the year-ago quarter.
Shipments aren't sales, either, so it's impossible to know exactly how many HomePods ended up in the hands of customers.
If we had to guess, we'd say the Strategy Analytics numbers are probably more within the ballpark, as the HomePod is a niche product. The speaker is also available in just six countries, after launching in Canada, France, and Germany in June, with no indication when availability may expand to other regions.
Versus the Competition
HomePod was the world's fourth most popular smart speaker in the second quarter, behind the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Chinese company Alibaba's Tmall Genie, according to Strategy Analytics.
Amazon remained the leader in the category last quarter, with the Echo commanding an estimated 41 percent market share, while the Google Home finished runner-up with an estimated 27 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics. Alibaba took third place with an estimated seven percent market share.
While the HomePod has made somewhat of a dent, Apple still has significant ground to make up, which is to be expected given its smart speaker launched around two to three years after its biggest competitors.
It may be tough for Apple to gain further market share unless it releases a more competitively priced model, as the HomePod at $349 is considerably more expensive than the Amazon Echo, priced from $50, and the Google Home, $129.
To that end, rumors suggest Apple may have a lower-priced HomePod or a Siri-enabled Beats speaker in its pipeline.
Article Link: HomePod Sales May Be Closer to 1-1.5 Million Than 3 Million Since the Speaker Launched
Got two paired up in the reading room. Considering a third one to put in the bedroom.
Mostly for music. A little bit of "Hey Siri, weather?" or "Hey siri, lights off" thrown in.
Entirely happy with 'em.
Mostly for music. A little bit of "Hey Siri, weather?" or "Hey siri, lights off" thrown in.
Entirely happy with 'em.
Same uses for me basically. I barely use Siri elsewhere but have been happy with it for music, HomeKit, and the occasional weather, text message, or reminder. For those that get a HomePod understanding what it’s good at, they seem to really enjoy it. For music and HomeKit, it can’t be beat. Have 2 and wouldn’t mind a third in the office.
The lower amount seems much more reasonable, 1.3 million HomePods considering their limitations and price seems almost unbelievable. Not that 600,000 units for a niche product in the first quarter of existence is bad, that's still $210M in revenue. But they aren't really usable for home theater at all, at launch they didn't support Airplay 2, they don't support streaming anything but Apple Music, they have no physical inputs, they only recognize one voice where most people will have multiple people in the house, it's tied to one person's iCloud account, they can't pair with Android phones, the rings left on furniture, and they can't even make phone calls without dialing the number on the phone first. At $350 for one speaker. There's a lot going against it so 600K isn't that bad I guess.
It's fair in the same way you would compare an all-in-one form-factor desktop computer (iMac or Surface Studio) vs the flexibility and customization you have with a tower PC.
The HomePod ($350) is an all-in-one, luxury priced, great sounding smart speaker, focused primarily on being a fantastic audio companion to Apple's services and devices, but does not work well outside the Apple garden.
You can take a $250 dumb speaker, connect a Chromecast Audio ($35) through the audio jack, and control it via a cheap Google Home Mini ($50), thereby making it a 'real' music smart speaker. Or use a $50 dumb speaker. Or the $1,000 Home Theater System you already have. Or control five or more $150 speakers scattered throughout your house.
Different strokes for different folks.
Exactly, the reason Airpods sold so well is because the functionality was excellent even if the sound quality was average.
Remember, nothing is confirmed. We do know Apple's “other products” category grew 37% y/y with no new hardware besides HomePod.
I’m betting it’s selling well.
I’m betting it’s selling well.
With how many AirPods I'm seeing now days, I think that is where most the growth came from. Seeing more Apple Watches, too.
AirPod hardware is 2 years old and Watch is a year old. Sure, there was growth there, but 37% is notable.
My sense is HomePod is doing quite well. This is not an Echo competitor...totally different product.
If it was dong well, Apple would release the numbers.
Every third party analysis is showing homepod with a tiny market share, distant third or fourth
We have to accept that not everything Apple touches becomes gold. They have hits and misses
Well, it’s going to be tiny...it just came out and it’s priced at the high end of the market because it targets different users. Apple actually makes good margins, which isn’t the case for the AMZN product.
You don’t think 37% growth is doing well? They don’t break out watch, AirPods, TV or HomePod. Are they all failures? Apple doesn’t want to break it out if they don’t have to...causes too much analyst conjecture, as we see with iPhone.
“Other products” are on about a $12B annual sales run rate, or roughly the same revenue as Visa and Texas Instruments did for the ENTIRE company, roughly the size of a Fortune 250 company.
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not really as the apple watch is doing very well but apple don't release exact numbers. Only iphones and ipads they seem to do.
and 6% market share is pretty good given the price and the amount of time the homepod has been out. It's only going to get better with time.
It’s a great product with excellent sound quality in a small package. I suspect sales will pick up in the fall in the holiday season.
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Perhaps the HomePod exists to encourage Apple Music subs rather than the other way around. Think about it.
Some people are just never happy. It's that 2% of the population that hates everything.
If you don't like it, don't buy it. Don't vanpool with people who are late, don't pay, and don't use deodorant.