If this speaker sounds decently and it is indeed priced at $99 or less, I will be getting two of these for my kids bedrooms! We are 99% Apple household, so all the negatives about lack of connectivity etc don't bother and mean anything to us. We are already happy with the original homepod.
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Leaker: HomePod 'Mini' Will Launch Next Month Costing $99
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yeah, and people were holding their iPhone 4 wrong, that's why they couldn't make calls.
not everything is a user error. the HomePods are incredibly bass-heavy, and not everyone has the ability to put them in different locations that will dramatically improve the sound.
I have switched to sonos for whole house audio system 5 years ago and never looked back. Prior to that I used bluetooth speakers and airplay speakers. I think it was fair back in the time but it's 2020 and I don't understand the need for a "basic bluetooth speaker" for a speaker you have use at home and keep it plugged in 7/24.
Totally. Agree.
As much as Apple hates cables, I was surprised when HomePod launched and it wasn't capable of functioning unplugged. For me, this has been the biggest miss of the device. THE lone aspect preventing me from purchasing. I finally opted for a UA Boom. It's wireless, waterproof and I can take it anywhere. Pretty solid. Fingers still crossed that wireless functionality is one of the updates to the line.
Should add: I'm not in the market for smart speaker. That concept currently carries zero interest for me. Simply being able to improve my audio fidelity on-the-go is all I'm after.
Size is the root issue here. Both the physical size of the speaker as well as the space people would use it. A small room does not benefit from such a large speaker of the original. I also don't want a big unit either.
I bought two and quickly returned them as they over saturated my bedroom 18x25'.
I have a full speaker setup in my living room and the original HomePods didn't over any way to connect to my TV or Stereo system or my iMac. Apple missed the mark for a great speaker!
It needs to use power over Ethernet (PoE) so you can have a single power/data cable to the unit. And using a single power injector power a few units as well as use a wired connection Vs WiFi alone.
Then as far as WiFi or even Bluetooth offer Mesh services! So I can walk around not loosing my WiFi or Bluetooth connection to my iPad and with the new W chip have the music follow me between rooms! Raising and lowering the volume of the speakers as well as allow others to have different stuff playing on a different set of speakers without spilling into my speakers (creating a sound wall).
Lastly, Siri needs massive work as well! Knowledge is lacking and in some cases incorrect. The device needs local knowledge of my music taste that I'm not into rap so why does it always think I want it!
I want to set the personality as well as have Siri do much more when asked. Read me a story or web page.
I bought two and quickly returned them as they over saturated my bedroom 18x25'.
I have a full speaker setup in my living room and the original HomePods didn't over any way to connect to my TV or Stereo system or my iMac. Apple missed the mark for a great speaker!
It needs to use power over Ethernet (PoE) so you can have a single power/data cable to the unit. And using a single power injector power a few units as well as use a wired connection Vs WiFi alone.
Then as far as WiFi or even Bluetooth offer Mesh services! So I can walk around not loosing my WiFi or Bluetooth connection to my iPad and with the new W chip have the music follow me between rooms! Raising and lowering the volume of the speakers as well as allow others to have different stuff playing on a different set of speakers without spilling into my speakers (creating a sound wall).
Lastly, Siri needs massive work as well! Knowledge is lacking and in some cases incorrect. The device needs local knowledge of my music taste that I'm not into rap so why does it always think I want it!
I want to set the personality as well as have Siri do much more when asked. Read me a story or web page.
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I think it's named as "homepod" since it's designed to work at home -not portable-. check out sonos move if you are interested in moving it around, it's kinda the best of both worlds. if you only need 1 speaker, BT is probably enough but these speakers are targeting people who are looking for whole-home audio. I don't own homepods but I have surround sonos setup in my living room and about 5 sonos one's throughout my place. I Can't imagine trying to replicate my setup with bluetooth tech.
Most people* .... because of income inequality... Just wanted to remind people of this fact and reality...
If the $99 is accurate, which I really doubt. I really can't think of the last Apple device that came in at such an entry-level price point.
Also the point is that for £200 (which the HomePod regularly sells at) I got a premium speaker which happens to have a second-rate voice assistant built in. I'm willing to forgive Siri because the system itself is great. If this mini version is intended primary as a smart device more than a speaker, which at this price point it will be, lots of people are going to be frustrated unless Siri is improved a lot.
At that price there's one in every room for me, for proper Homekit room by room use.
Why would you need bluetooth support if you're in the Apple ecosystem? Bluetooth SQ is awful and AirPlay 2 is massively superior in every single way.
The HomePod is a highly specialised product aimed at iphone users who subscribe to Apple Music.
What other smart speaker out there sports Siri support and integration with Apple Music or even airplay support?
You are basically paying more for an optimised solution, not so much options.
far from defending HomePod, but actually it has airplay 2 ... so it works kinda Bluetooth speaker with iPhone and iPad.
Not all of Amazon's speakers are crappy, this one looks to be of better quality (although I have not used it / do no own it): Echo Studio
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for me the appeal is the integration with HomeKit and iPhone. Siri sucks but may work fine on HomePod for basic tasks.
i am finally in for a kind of HomePod device!
Interesting...I didn't know that.
So if I connect the HomePod to my not so 'smart' TV, I could effectively turn it into an AirPlay2 ready TV?
I don't want the large one sitting in my kitchen taking up valuable counter space. Some rooms I don't need/want the larger HomePod in there. I don't frequent some rooms but when I do, would be nice to have a HomePod in there. At $99 that's doable. At $199, it's too much. I would buy 3 of the Minis for sure to go with my 3 current HomePods
exactly what I need some for...99 is perfect get a few for the small rooms in the house
With such a small country, from many places in the NL that will be a shorter drive than people in bigger countries have to drive if they want to pick it up in person
