HomePod's Multi-Room Audio and Stereo Features Will Not Be Available at Launch

[robbyx]

Not even sure what you're trying to argue at this point. Apple has passive stereo reproduction in their entire product line. HomePod is a different form of technology that neither Apple nor Sonos has ever offered. The question you should be asking is how long it will take Sonos to have something beyond a passive system.
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Sonos: sound is in sync, nothing else happening.

Homepod: sound is in sync, system actively monitors sound waves/reflections and makes adjustments.

Ha. You’re asking me what I’m trying to argue?! That’s rich.

Two Sonos speakers CAN play stereo. Two HomePods CANNOT - because that feature is delayed.

How either system does it, and which solution is better, isn’t the issue and never was. But you persist in steering the topic to how Apple does it. Not a single one of us (unless you work for Apple and have actually used HomePods to play stereo audio) is qualified to judge which solution is better.

The two features that Apple has delayed, multiroom audio and the ability to pair two speakers and output stereo sound, have been available with Sonos for many years.

Is that clear enough for you?

 

[Mirice99]

They are the #1 or #2 company on the entire planet. They don’t need defending. They are doing very well!

Like a moth to a flame

 

[vipergts2207]

"Disappointments?" Yes. "Flops?" LOL. Yes, all of us want everything right away, but Apple still has the Midas touch. AirPods were late, but the hit of the tech world and they are selling tens of millions and still have a tough time making them as fast as people want to buy them. Mac's were later than folks wanted, but new MacBook Pros sold at record levels they were only PC manufacturer to show big increase in YOY sales. iMac Pro later than folks want, but now receiving universal praise from reviewers. iPhone X later than hoped, but best selling new phone again, with many tens of millions sold already. iPad update later than hoped, but sales blew away the market, again.
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No, Airplay 2 just needs a little more work. Airplay2 is important for much more than Homepod and will be one of most significant technologies in 2018 and moving forward and Apple wants/needs to get it right.
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Apple has become industry leader with streaming and doesn't want to screw that up with problems with Airplay 2. Disappointing that we have to wait a bit longer, but understandable that with the central role wireless plays in their future that they are taking the time to get it right.

If Apple knew it wasn’t even close to ready then they should’ve waited to announce it as part of iOS 12. So much of iOS 11 wasn’t ready at launch.

It seems to me that Apple saw the smart speaker market leaving them at a standstill at the starting line and decided to announce HomePod, and by extension AirPlay 2, knowing full well they wouldn’t be done anytime soon.

 

[truthertech]

If Apple knew it wasn’t even close to ready then they should’ve waited to announce it as part of iOS 12. So much of iOS 11 wasn’t ready at launch.

It seems to me that Apple saw the smart speaker market leaving them at a standstill at the starting line and decided to announce HomePod, and by extension AirPlay 2, knowing full well they wouldn’t be done anytime soon.

Why, when millions of people want to buy it now and can get tremendous enjoyment and use out of it now, would it make any sense for Apple to wait until iOS 12 comes out? It's going to be the best speaker of its kind in the market in about a week, more expensive, but blowing away the Echo and GA, even leaving the previous gold standard, Sonos, behind. The fact that it will take a bit longer for another update to come out to have Airplay 2, means nothing to most of the millions who will be buying the Homepod. A trivial delay wouldn't be worth making millions wait.

 

[CarlJ]

Cue those defending Apple in 3..2..1..

Cue those dismissing out of hand any non-"Apple is horrible/doomed" posts in 3— oh, sorry, you're already here.

 

[vipergts2207]

Why, when millions of people want to buy it now and can get tremendous enjoyment and use out of it now, would it make any sense for Apple to wait until iOS 12 comes out? It's going to be the best speaker of its kind in the market in about a week, more expensive, but blowing away the Echo and GA, even leaving the previous gold standard, Sonos, behind. The fact that it will take a bit longer for another update to come out to have Airplay 2, means nothing to most of the millions who will be buying the Homepod. A trivial delay wouldn't be worth making millions wait.

I’m talking about waiting to announce AirPlay 2 as part of iOS 12, not HomePod. Though obviously Apple could’ve waited until their fall event to announce HomePod, since it was delayed until February.

 

[ke-iron]

Stop with this continuously releasing half baked software. This is becoming embarrassing. I will buy this when all of the advertised features are in the product.

 

[soheilk]

I almost did a couple times, but I don’t want to have to pipe everything through the Sonos app. I was pretty sure I was in for one HomePod at launch, but thought buying a pair immediately might be a bit much, so the delay on AirPlay 2 simplifies the question for now.

Well, I don't know about this. It's kinda satisfying and simple to control everything from a single app. Also, those days are now gone! Now you can control the music on your Sonos speakers from lots of different streaming apps (I use Spotify and Pandora). But this is always a hit or miss: if you use your Sonos app, you are likely a bit behind of the features of the native apps and if you use those apps, then you lack some features of the Sonos app...
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Sonos does not support either of these features.

Yeah it does! We have Sonos speakers in 6 different rooms and you can fully control them individually or group them together. This plus stereo pairing are the whole idea behind Sonos and have been working since 10 years ago!

 

[VictorTango777]

And Apple users criticize other companies for rushing out unfinished products...

When Apple first announced the HomePod at their event, did Apple know that these features would not be available at time of shipping?

 

[The Game 161]

So, still not ready for prime time. Big miss here.

Not really an issue for those only buying one...

 

[SD449]

I am genuinely gutted about this being omitted from the launch and will certainly stop me from buying

Price is a big factor but that’s always the case with Apple, but to not “Just work” isn’t acceptable. I think I’ll have to look to Sonos and Alexa and change my Apple Music subscription

 

[Led-zep]

Wait so this product is $349 and can’t do multi room audio at launch as well as stereo speaker pairing, support for other music streaming services and ships with Siri.

Wow. Sonos, Bose and a host of others do all of the above and for cheaper! I can get 2 x Sonos Play 1s for the price of one HomePod.

In my home I own 2 play 1s and a Sonos connect amp ( which Apple has no competition for).

This set up is cheaper and kills HomePod.

HomePod doesn’t even work outdoors or with external speakers. What’s the point?

My connect amp is connected to a pair of bose 191s that are in a ceiling outside near my back yard.

Good luck Apple but you are way out of your depth.

 

[Phonephreak]

Right, but the speakers themselves aren't interacting in terms of how to balance sound for the room and cancel certain sound waves etc. They'll play the exact same way regardless of where they're placed or how far apart they are. That's the "dumb" part.

Most people when appreciate music want to hear it the way it was recorded not beam formed something.

 

[Arran]

A “free software upgrade” means you’re paying for it up front. You’re buying it sight-unseen.

It should be a paid upgrade. Software is a HUGE part of this product.

So discount the HomePod on launch to $150. Apple can collect the remaining $200 when it delivers the missing software. Gives them an incentive to deliver. Protects the customer too.

Either that, or extend the hardware return period until 30 days after the missing software ships.

 

[BWhaler]

Not a good year for Apple software. What is this, the 13 bug patch to iOS 11 and all of the features are still not live? An HomePod is feature incomplete, expensive, and saddled with Siri.

 

[kdarling]

Hmm. Remember how AirPods were delayed due to wireless audio synchronization problems?

Perhaps this is partly a repeat of that.

In any case, the delay will be forgotten soon after the update comes out.

 

[MacFan23]

What do you mean? The app is just a remote control of sorts. The Sonos speaker / hardware itself is what connects to the streaming server and streams the audio. So yea, obviously to use Sonos speakers you need to use Sonos speakers...

So if you want to do something like stream audio from a YouTube video, or you have a friend over and they want to share a song with you, sonos doesn’t help in these situations. Plus the app in my opinion isn’t great.

Like the audio, but this is the thing that’s always kept me away from Sonos.

 

[cardfan]

Wait so this product is $349 and can’t do multi room audio at launch as well as stereo speaker pairing, support for other music streaming services and ships with Siri.

Wow. Sonos, Bose and a host of others do all of the above and for cheaper! I can get 2 x Sonos Play 1s for the price of one HomePod.

In my home I own 2 play 1s and a Sonos connect amp ( which Apple has no competition for).

This set up is cheaper and kills HomePod.

HomePod doesn’t even work outdoors or with external speakers. What’s the point?

My connect amp is connected to a pair of bose 191s that are in a ceiling outside near my back yard.

Good luck Apple but you are way out of your depth.

Think i'd rather have a sonos center speaker, two backs and a sub and good to go with dolby 5.1 with apple tv. It gets airplay 2 later.

Want to do this with homepod speakers and apple tv? You cannot..

 

[s15119]

Despite all the drama and naysayers this is looking to be a great product that we be welcomed into millions of homes.

sad that mac rumors comments have turned to such negative crap from kids who know nothing about tech.

 

[Led-zep]

Despite all the drama and naysayers this is looking to be a great product that we be welcomed into millions of homes.

sad that mac rumors comments have turned to such negative crap from kids who know nothing about tech.

Can the HomePod connect to external speakers and play music that way? No
Does the HomePod have an I/O to connect speaker wires to and build a total multi room experience. No
Can the HomePod be used outdoors. No
Can there HomePod integreat with other music services at launch. No
Can I use the HomePod to set a wake up alarm with my music. No
Can I buy 3 or more HomePod at launch and multi room. No
Can I use a mesh network if needed to boost the wireless performance. No


Can I buy two for $349 and set it up in a living room as a stereo pair or multi room and have it sound awesome and integrate with my music services. No

Can the HomePod play Apple Music and use an inferior assistant like Siri. Yes

Boom $349 please.

 

[s15119]

Can the HomePod connect to external speakers and play music that way? No
Does the HomePod have an I/O to connect speaker wires to and build a total multi room experience. No
Can the HomePod be used outdoors. No
Can there HomePod integreat with other music services at launch. No
Can I use the HomePod to set a wake up alarm with my music. No
Can I buy 3 or more HomePod at launch and multi room. No
Can I use a mesh network if needed to boost the wireless performance. No


Can I buy two for $349 and set it up in a living room as a stereo pair or multi room and have it sound awesome and integrate with my music services. No

Can the HomePod play Apple Music and use an inferior assistant like Siri. Yes

Boom $349 please.

Sounds like you should buy something else. Millions will find great utility and sound from the HomePod. Isn't life wonderful. Oh. Plonk.

 

[Led-zep]

Sounds like you should buy something else. Millions will find great utility and sound from the HomePod. Isn't life wonderful. Oh. Plonk.

I wasn't ever planning on buying homepod as I'm very happy with my sonos gear at home. Just pointing out the major shortcomings from this product.

 

[ignatius345]

seriously what is up with apple not being able to launch their big features lately? seemed like almost half of the advertised features of high sierra weren't avail at launch, like iMessage sync is still missing, AFS for fusion drives still missing.... but I'll still order one... I think I'm the problem....

Maybe there's no longer a leader at the helm who will go ballistic and fire people for effing up?
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Also Apple has yet to disclose exactly what the aim is with his speaker. Are they going after Sonos aiming for customers to have these in every room of the house just like Sonos? Do they plan to tackle the living room like Sonos making it possible to use them with TV and hopefully get some sort of Dolby Digital support when placing 4 of these in the same room? The communication from Apple on this product is really lacklustre.

The product is late and the feature set is even later -- as others have pointed out -- but when exactly have you heard of a company like Apple coming out and saying what their "aim" is with a product like this? It's obviously a (potential) competitor in the connected speaker segment, but beyond that I don't think you're going to hear them say "we're coming after Sonos" or whatever. As for this whole thoretical Dolby Digital thing you're throwing out there, maybe they should tackle stereo first?
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Most people when appreciate music want to hear it the way it was recorded not beam formed something.

I think you're making a huge generalization. Sure, some people think more toward the audiophile/purist end of the spectrum and want, as you say, accurate sound reproduction. Those people typically buy discrete stereo components and drive their speakers with amps, or they buy high-end headphones and use headphone amps to drive them. I bet most of them don't touch cheap self-powered speakers like this with a 10-foot pole. (I say "cheap" because some of these freaks will blow a grand on speaker wire without thinking about it.)

But the vast majority of consumers, if you ask them, will just say they want "good bass" and music that "sounds good". They're the people who are satisfied with mediocre, sweetened and distorted sound. And honestly they could give a crap about "the way it was recorded". Every time I get into a rental car, some bozo before me has maxed out the bass setting on the stereo because "more is better". This is your mass-market audience.

 

[jagooch]

I'm still waiting for Airplay 2. Sigh...

 

[robbieleffel]

I'm still waiting for Airplay 2. Sigh...

They removed that feature from the betas a month or so ago and have yet to include it in the newer updates.

We can just hope it’s in the next beta update.