HomePod Turns Two, Lower-Priced Model Might Launch Later This Year

[JWreck]

If they could figure out Siri on it, I’d buy more at whatever price. But as it is, it’s declining in usefulness for me because Siri just keeps getting worse and worse. More details here:

HomePod General Performance

Morning. This is still a little in the anecdotal stage, but I’ve become increasingly frustrated by our HomePod’s behavior and I’m looking to see if anyone else is having similar issues or if I need to push Apple for a replacement? Over the last month or so, the performance of the HomePod...

forums.macrumors.com

 

[RogerWilco]

Really? Have you been paying attention? There have been a lot of improvements/enhancements to the HomePod software. Maybe you are looking for additional features and they haven't released them, hardly the same thing? Apple has a site for making suggestions

personally, I love mine. Stereo pairing (an update), as a speaker off of Apple TV, multi-user support for Siri (an update), enhanced HomeKit support (an update), scheduling (an update) better alarms (an update), multiple timers (an update), control via Apple Watch.
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umm, Apple is not Sonos?

Sure, until that day they announce your HomePod is EOL-ed. No more software updates, no repairs, etc. Apple typically EOLs products at the five year point. What do you do with the HomePod then? Oh that’s right, you buy a new set of replacements. Phil Schiller thanks you in advance.

 

[femike]

I have no use case for a overpriced speaker like this. It hasn't sold well here at all. I'm happy to physically turn on my speakers and plug in a 3.5mm cable. Its reliable, no issue, sounds great, looks great, lasts for years, all for less than 6 times the price.

I wish Apple would sell a device that could turn any speaker system into an Airplay device, something like the old Airport Express which had AirPort functionality. This I could use. But I guess there is little profit in products like this now compared to the overpriced HomePod.

 

[edvj]

I bought 10 while they were on sale last year. Waiting for a sale to buy 2 more.
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Ahh the all important New Zealand market. So critical that most map makers can’t even be bothered.

Sweden,Norway,Finland,Denmark,The Nederlands,Ireland...etc,apparently not important either.

 

[Donoban]

Have owned two HomePods and returned them both, sound quality is awful, and Siri is useless.

I can honestly say, if i was given one for free i wouldn't even bother turning it on.

is it really that bad? I’ve turned one up loud in the Apple store and it sounded ok.

 

[itsmilo]

5% of what market? it is asinine to lump cheap crap speakers into the same category as well-designed great sounding speakers. This would be your better Sonos, google home max, HomePod. The entire group itself probably represents only 10-20% of the larger market to which 5% is used.
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And yet you say this, knowing full well that the professional reviews state clearly that sound quality is excellent, not awful. So what is your criteria? Not sound quality, obviously. Or you are looking for a highly colorized speaker (i.e. built in sound profile, not accuracy, and that is fine, but that does not mean accurate speakers sound awful)

„Crap“ is certainly in the eye of the beholder and like I said, I am not a audiphile and sure I am not the only one. I love the bass on my echos, it’s good enough for me. Also I live in an apartment so I can’t blast the sound as loud as I want anyway without disturbing neighbors

 

[Glockworkorange]

do it. The stereo pair that i have sounds far far better than the single homepod did. really great soundstage and a lot of bass comes from this pair that i got for around $450.

Yes, I have two as well. They are awesome when in stereo and also as speakers for ATV.

I think I bought mine on sale for $199 each, so shop around!!!

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

Mediocre smart assistant with mediocre sound quality at a higher than mediocre price.

 

[sracer]

Is price really the issue with HomePod acceptance? For me, it wasn't price... but the closed nature of it. Terrific sound from such a small unit but very restricted in how I could get sound to it.

I ended up with (for me is) a more flexible solution that sounds surprisingly good and less than the HomePod. A Chromecast Audio + 2 12" IKEA Eneby speakers (paired in stereo).

If Apple were to produce an open version of the HomePod, I'd definitely consider it.

 

[UMHurricanes34]

HomePod seems like that product that has a sneaky underground success story with people, but not within the market overall. If you like HomePod, you tend to own more than one. I personally have 5 HomePods floating around my life - 3 in our home for multi-room audio and 2 at the office for the same purpose. I absolutely love the simplicity and cleanliness of the design and the sound quality for its size is tremendous. Being able to target any of them as an AirPlay speaker is also great. And as a Mac-based business, all of our employees can send audio to them as well.

Overall, I love the HomePod. Is it the absolute greatest, most revolutionary product Apple has released? Far from it. But for the ease of which it slips into the ecosystem and creates a blanket of sound accessible to all Apple devices, plus it’s convenient size footprint, I’m all in.

 

[69Mustang]

Homepod was a rare tactical misstep by Apple imo. A simple 3.5mm jack and BT playback could have exponentially increased the potential audience for the Homepod. Yet here we are, 2 years on and the Homepod is still a limited release product with self-inflicted limited appeal. Too bad. They sound and look nice ('cept for that semi-permanent power cord).

If Apple does release a new version, hopefully they employ the mentality they did when releasing ATV+: make it available on as many platforms as possible. A new Homepod with better i/o is a more universally appealing product than an ecosystem locked, limited device. When a $20 smart speaker with good i/o can sound just as good, and often times better than your $300 unit... here's hoping Apple adds, at a minimum, a 3.5mm jack and BT playback to their next Homepod.

 

[Logamaniac]

Would ‘love’ to buy this ‘man in the middle’ microphone, so apple can listen in on everything said, played and happening inside my home. I heard it makes beautiful scratchcircles on everything it stands on as well. If you talk to it, it executes for about 54% the correct task.
Almost just like my kid, telling the teacher what happens at home, keying my car and never does what I ask him. Him I love and trust, but Apple, never. So no thank you, I’ll stick to my KEF speakers made smart with Sonos.

you do realize you’re walking around everyday with a microphone attached to you already right? It’s called a mobile phone.

 

[1345873]

That’s just not true. The sound quality mightn’t be to your personal taste, and things like this are subjective, but a wide range of publications praised the high fidelity of HomePod audio.

I’d also take issue with your ‘useless’ statement re: Siri. If that were not also fakenews, I’d be at a loss to explain what it is in my kitchen that helps my family with various tasks & queries nearly every day (btw, not claiming Siri is perfect).

The percentage of Siri correctly responding to a question/request or command is about 56% nowadays? My dog can switch the light on and off, fetches my remote and even gets a beer from the fridge (the succes depends highly on the hours past since we went for a walk), he barks when someone is on the door, whiskers it's tail when I'm nice, or bad every single time!
My dog is not perfect, Siri is useless.

 

[Apple Mac Daz]

sticking to my Echo Studio

 

[Seanm87]

Sure, until that day they announce your HomePod is EOL-ed. No more software updates, no repairs, etc. Apple typically EOLs products at the five year point. What do you do with the HomePod then? Oh that’s right, you buy a new set of replacements. Phil Schiller thanks you in advance.

Couldn’t you say that about every Apple product? So don’t buy any tech at all then?

 

[iJustines]

Apple can lower the price to $250 without making another cheaper model.

 

[I7guy]

Sure, until that day they announce your HomePod is EOL-ed. No more software updates, no repairs, etc. Apple typically EOLs products at the five year point. What do you do with the HomePod then? Oh that’s right, you buy a new set of replacements. Phil Schiller thanks you in advance.

Like every other software/hardware based product from every android manufacturer, Amazon, google? Some of them cost more than the HomePod. I’ll take my chances.

 

[1345873]

you do realize you’re walking around everyday with a microphone attached to you already right? It’s called a mobile phone.

You're absolutely correct ( but how many people are using it as such? ) so no reason to add another one for no reason at all.

 

[MacLawyer]

Never without line input.

This. I would snatch two in an instant if I could use them like a TV sound bar.

 

[triangletechie]

They sound fantastic. But obviously price is likely why they're stuck at 5%. That and they were very late to the smart speaker market. $199 would probably provide a big boost but we know Apple won't permanently drop it to that price.

I've noticed when Target puts them on sale for $199 they do sell out quickly.

 

[MauiPa]

More

will stick with Google Home and echo, thanks

power to you, that’s why we have choices
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You re

Great sound quality, mediocre physical design, horrible software, exorbitant price.

ferring to the google home max on price? https://store.google.com/product/google_home_max

Just curious why one better speaker at the same price as another better speaker is “exorbitant “. Or maybe you are suggesting getting the google home Mac at the same price as a mini?
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They sound fantastic. But obviously price is likely why they're stuck at 5%. That and they were very late to the smart speaker market. $199 would probably provide a big boost but we know Apple won't permanently drop it to that price.

I've noticed when Target puts them on sale for $199 they do sell out quickly.

True. But why is the google home max priced at $299? So high. https://store.google.com/product/google_home_max

 

[Puppuccino]

I don’t see the point in smart speakers. They’re just expensive and something you can do via Siri or Google Assistant on your phone.

However! If you have one / like them that’s also fine. 🙂

 

[rforno]

No input plug is a major killer for me (don't want to get further locked into Apple-land) but moreso requiring you to enable 2FA for your entire Apple ecosystem just to use a smart speaker rubs me the wrong way. I understand why AAPL wants to get folks using 2FA but this is a cheap and disingenuous shot to force people into it.

 

[magicschoolbus]

Great speaker terrible at being a smart speaker. Siri is just terrible.

 

[chfilm]

Two years and Siri still stupid as bread.