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HomePod Struggling to Gain Market Share Alongside Cheaper Amazon Echo and Google Home Speakers
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Siri's reputation is letting it down. It used to be terrible.
Now, Siri can answer questions better than Alexa, but people assume it's worse.
What's worse, Low Sales != Fired Executives
Somehow what is obvious to customers is outside their understanding... but they keep getting paid millions anyway. I'm not an Anti-Tim guy, but at some point Apple leadership needs to have a serious "come to Jesus" moment about their products and services.
I recently purchased a HomePod brand new for 300 total. Yes, it’s a bit much for a speaker.
But I have to say the product is magical. I don’t understand all the hate it gets.
But I have to say the product is magical. I don’t understand all the hate it gets.
Of course Siri is better than it was, but comparing across platforms is never that easy. For MY USE CASE ONLY, Alexa does a far better job. It's more than answering questions though. It's the integration with smart-home capabilities. It's the ability to create a routine. It's the entire Alexa Eco-System. Siri may be better at answering questions but it's still no where near on par with what customers are wiling to pay for!
IMHO this is a case (similar to the Apple TV), where the competing products are so much cheaper that even though the Apple products might have a small advantage they just can't come close to competing when you look at "bang for the buck", which is where Apple historically performed so well. (As most of here have long understood: more $, but longevity and features more than made up for it, thus bang for the buck used to often (not always) favor Apple products). The current Apple has, pretty much across the board, abandoned bang-for-the-buck in favor of hipster design (the bad kind) and trying to create some faux "Apple Lifestyle" BS. It's the type of products, and marketing, that works on the undiscerning and/or naive, or those who may well know that it's BS but simply have so much disposable income that they really don't give a crap about throwing some of it away. It's like the new Apple is out to out-goop Goop!
Let's look at this example - the Homepod is a product with no real purpose or market beyond being a toy for the wealthy: A supposed "audiophile" speaker with a big price-tag that doesn't have stereo-separation unless you shell out for 2 of them. Not that this isn't the way traditional speakers have always been sold (they are sold as individual units, so when putting together a traditional stereo you have to buy 2 of them). BUT this means someone who actually wants a good audio experience needs to buy two of them, at which point you have $700 in wireless speakers that aren't really portable in the way you might want wireless speakers to be. So, if you wanted a small portable wireless speaker you wouldn't buy them (because too much $ and they aren't really designed to be carried around around like many other wireless speakers). If you wanted truly great sound you wouldn't buy them (because they are good, but not *that* good), and if you wanted a good low-to-mid-range (in terms of quality) stereo for a single room you also wouldn't buy them (because bang-for-the-buck dictates that at $700 you will be far, far better off investing towards a real setup, not two small wireless speakers). If you wanted a home-assistant you wouldn't buy them because the alternatives are so much cheaper and work just fine for the most part (and may even be better). So they appeal to people with money to throw away and who don't really care if they are making any kind of an intelligent purchase. That's going to really limit the market.
At half the price? That's a different story. Suddenly they might look appealing.
Let's look at this example - the Homepod is a product with no real purpose or market beyond being a toy for the wealthy: A supposed "audiophile" speaker with a big price-tag that doesn't have stereo-separation unless you shell out for 2 of them. Not that this isn't the way traditional speakers have always been sold (they are sold as individual units, so when putting together a traditional stereo you have to buy 2 of them). BUT this means someone who actually wants a good audio experience needs to buy two of them, at which point you have $700 in wireless speakers that aren't really portable in the way you might want wireless speakers to be. So, if you wanted a small portable wireless speaker you wouldn't buy them (because too much $ and they aren't really designed to be carried around around like many other wireless speakers). If you wanted truly great sound you wouldn't buy them (because they are good, but not *that* good), and if you wanted a good low-to-mid-range (in terms of quality) stereo for a single room you also wouldn't buy them (because bang-for-the-buck dictates that at $700 you will be far, far better off investing towards a real setup, not two small wireless speakers). If you wanted a home-assistant you wouldn't buy them because the alternatives are so much cheaper and work just fine for the most part (and may even be better). So they appeal to people with money to throw away and who don't really care if they are making any kind of an intelligent purchase. That's going to really limit the market.
At half the price? That's a different story. Suddenly they might look appealing.
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I got one on sale for my husband for Christmas. It does sound nice but can be a bit buggy.
As I recall one huge problem Apple had with these was that they announced them and people seemed receptive, but Apple missed the holiday season that came right after the rumors and announcement and hype. They were delayed quite a while.
Then when they finally did get into homes, they left rings on wood, adding to the negative talk around them. There was just enough accumulation of little complaints here and there to contribute to bad buzz around a product that really is quite nice especially at a good sales price.
As I recall one huge problem Apple had with these was that they announced them and people seemed receptive, but Apple missed the holiday season that came right after the rumors and announcement and hype. They were delayed quite a while.
Then when they finally did get into homes, they left rings on wood, adding to the negative talk around them. There was just enough accumulation of little complaints here and there to contribute to bad buzz around a product that really is quite nice especially at a good sales price.
I agree.
Apple positions HomePod as a good quality wireless speaker with Siri integration, not really as a home automation assistant. So these kind of market analysis reports incorrectly try to compare Apple to oranges here. Nobody wants to spend $300+ to turn on their lights or TV. Nobody buys a $30 device as a good quality music speaker. Perhaps more closely would be to compare Echo Plus or Home Max which are intended to be good quality speakers with smart assistant integration, but mostly Amazon and Google have flooded the market with their $30 pucks these days.
Sonos is, at least, a good sounding wireless speaker with assistant integration and most people do not buy Sonos to be a home automation device but rather a good quality speaker that "can" do home automation or at least support it in the home. It is a much better comparison to what Apple intended HomePod for, HomePod is more in the same category as "me too" devices like TV's and soundbars that have smart services built in, but those devices are not really about those smart services. Nobody buys as TV for instance, to turn on their lights, again.
Overall you have to accept that HomePod's position in the market is confusing which is why consumers are avoiding it. I am not sure if this is Apple's fault or just bad analysis by these marketing companies and tech bloggers that try to force these products into the same category. HomePod is too expensive and underwhelming compared to Echo Dot's and Google Home Mini's to turn on lights and such but there are also MANY high quality smart-ish wireless speaker competitors in the same market segment that is hard for HomePod to compete against. Sonos is already very well entrentched and is backed by a better assistant service, for instance, and I think you will find that compared to Sonos, HomePod is a distant runner up as well.
Apple should, like Microsoft did with Cortana, de-position Siri as a "home automation assistant", in the same way Amazon and Google offer their assistant services, and instead just treat it like a vocal interface to their devices. Most market analysers are trying to equate these products and HomePod is clearly not a contender in the eyes of the consumers. I think there is a, limited, market appeal for the HomePod, but I don't think its the same market as an Echo or Home device and I don't think people should assume Apple will ever reach parity in this arena.
This, so much this. Sonos was the the target Apple should have set aim on, not Google/Amazon. At such a high price point, they needed to position the HomePod as the best standalone speaker you could buy, and also give it bluetooth and Spotify/Google Music support. What they've done instead is push themselves into a corner by making the usability of their device quite poor unless you're already a devoted Apple Music subscriber. Anyone who relies on Spotify is just going to move on to a less restricted device.
Who could possibly be surprised? Apple focused on sound quality, ignoring cost AND the fact that by comparison to Alexa, Siri is exceedingly lame. A complete marketing blunder.
Slightly off topic but any words on when the compatibility of Apple Music with Echo speakers will be extended to Europe?
I cannot find any mention of it after last December, when rumors said it would come “soon”.
Thanks!
I cannot find any mention of it after last December, when rumors said it would come “soon”.
Thanks!
Fair comments, and though I don't personally own a HomePod, I don't see reason to disagree.
I will, however, point out that Apple brought the proverbial knife to a gunfight. The Echo's and Google Home were never designed to be high-end speakers. They were designed from the ground up to be smart assistants. The fact that they have speakers for playing music is incidental. Also, it's clear that paying customers, for the most part, don't really care about "amazing sound." Never have and likely never will. They care about "good enough" at a price-point they can afford.
So, while your argument is valid, it's also not particularly relevant in the current market.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Sonos got in way early and has always charged a premium for quality and ease of use.
And yet for those that aren't in to heavy bass they seem to have got that wrong.
Does it really get 'hate' as you suggest? I see what you're referring to but suspect that the underlying issue is frustration. HomePod is priced at the top end of what the market will bear, and its use is limited compared to the competition. I would love to have an Apple product that is fully integrated into my home. Control my smart home. Control my TV. Run routines that make my life easier. Sell them at a price-point that let's me replace the six (6) Echo devices I've already got. PLEASE APPLE... make the product your customers want and we'll cheerfully throw money in your direction.
THAT is where the 'hate' comes from.
It’s not going to compete with the echo dot or the google home mini because those things cost £29 and are often given away free.
The purpose of the HomePod is as a speaker for music playback which also has smart assistant features. This is completely different to the echo dot and google home mini. Their primary function is as a smart speaker. Both need to be connected to another speaker for music playback as they are weak speakers.
The purpose of the HomePod is as a speaker for music playback which also has smart assistant features. This is completely different to the echo dot and google home mini. Their primary function is as a smart speaker. Both need to be connected to another speaker for music playback as they are weak speakers.
The Amazon echo 2. Generation (not the dot 3. Generation) has really good sound, i prefer it much over my sonos play1 who cost more than twice. I recommend this one to all people who ask me for a smart speaker, but worry about the cost.
I used several streaming services over the years, but if you don’t use flac streaming, it’s absurd to pay that much for a smart speaker if you just listen to mp3/aac streaming content. And Apple music just sounds like any other service, but most of them cost less, so in the end there is not a single point why to purchase the HomePod.
Apple has lost contact with the market. They seem to have mistaken their own ads with the reality, where anybody lives in multi-million dollar apartments, dances and smiles all day and is browsing the web for vegan receipts and never gets older than 21.
That leads to their comedy prices over 1000$ and funny sound gadgets like the Pod, that behaves like a Bluetooth speaker did 6 years ago.
There are rumors out the abandon most phones with iOS 13, means only three year old phones and tablets won’t get updates anymore. If they really do this, they will never recover from the image desaster they created throughout their portfolio.
I used several streaming services over the years, but if you don’t use flac streaming, it’s absurd to pay that much for a smart speaker if you just listen to mp3/aac streaming content. And Apple music just sounds like any other service, but most of them cost less, so in the end there is not a single point why to purchase the HomePod.
Apple has lost contact with the market. They seem to have mistaken their own ads with the reality, where anybody lives in multi-million dollar apartments, dances and smiles all day and is browsing the web for vegan receipts and never gets older than 21.
That leads to their comedy prices over 1000$ and funny sound gadgets like the Pod, that behaves like a Bluetooth speaker did 6 years ago.
There are rumors out the abandon most phones with iOS 13, means only three year old phones and tablets won’t get updates anymore. If they really do this, they will never recover from the image desaster they created throughout their portfolio.
It's way expensive for limited connection option. Yet, as for smart speaker, Siri is way way behind other competitors.
So why someone has to get Apple HomePod?
So why someone has to get Apple HomePod?
Well of course. It's not made to compete with either of those devices. It is competing against Sonos. Totally different market. I have 2 HomePod's and I love them, my Echo's are in a drawer. Terrible sound, not good at picking up commands, and the smart home automation always had issues. The HomePod's, on the other hand, sound amazing, pick me up from almost any room in the house, and have been 100% solid for smart home automation. You get what you pay for.
Unless you actually listen to music. If you want a cheap ass speaker to play silly little Alexa or ok google games, then you are correct, but for actually listening, the only compare in the group is the google home max, which, oh my, the horror, actually costs $399.
Herein lies the problem. People don't buy Echos and Google Homes to be high-fidelity music players. They buy them as always-on AI devices. Sure, every once in a while I play songs on my Echo, but 95% of the time it's "Alexa, what's the weather," "Alexa, set a reminder for XYZ," "Alexa, set a 20 minute timer for chicken and a 4 minute timer for the broccoli" or just "Alexa, pause the TV." Nobody's going to pay $349 for that no matter how good the sound quality is.
Compare the HomePod to Sonos all you want. I'd personally rather have a couple Echo dots and a surround pair of Sonos speakers for the same price, but that's a better comparison.
Articles comparing their market shares are misguided, but Apple and Apple fanbois are both insistent on grouping them together as well. If Apple wants it to be a Sonos competitor they've got to improve the interoperability with other streaming services. Otherwise it's just an expensive Echo with worse AI, worse access to media, and better sound quality, which is a combination few want.
ive bought four homepods so far. dont regret it except wish i had gotten the first two at $250. i think they're priced fairly since i dont have to buy a receiver, wire cables and other gear. it's simple, it plays the vast majority of what i want to hear clearly without distortion. the days when i used to blast my 120W subwoofer in a small dorm room are over - i just want clear, full sound. it even plays television well.