Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
New HomePod Reviews Offer Hands-On Look at Sound Quality, Siri, and More
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I mean...how could it not? It's the exact same product, and still $100 overpriced.
There are plenty of products for portable if that's what you want. Oh, and they all suck. Not surprised that HomePod isn't one of them.
Quoting the article: “When playing back music, the HomePod’s top will glow in colors that resemble the album artwork of what you’re listening to”
I don’t think this is accurate. Only one review claims this, and all the videos show just the white glow while playing.
I don’t think this is accurate. Only one review claims this, and all the videos show just the white glow while playing.
I am pleased to hear of the continued great sound quality. Picking up two on Friday. Currently own 5 OG HomePods and 5 minis. I was extremely disappointed when the OG was discontinued as I always considered it to be my favorite Apple product (and I own something recent in each category they sell). Siri is integrated into most everything I do. I am so pleased these are once again available. They will sell well, and with the inflation discount are available at a reasonable price.
Safe to say this will please fans of the original, and leave others unaffected.
Except that Apple lowered the price to $299 before they discontinued it, so it's not really $50 cheaper anyway. Inflation, sure..., but it's the same starting price as the outgoing one.
I get the cheeky sarcasm, but this is just the thing: the Homepod is too limited for true audiophiles, there are better setups and options out there, often at a higher price but also that offer a lot more flexibility and quality. Playing the brand card to sell a midrange product as high-end can only go so far.
I have my PS5 hooked up to my HomePod Mini's and it sounds great.
You need the 2022 Apple TV 4K, a TV with an eARC port and to enable it in the ATV settings. 2 minutes job setting them up.
Apple missed the mark big time here. Why discontinue the HomePod to just rehash it at the same price with no meaningful new features.
They had an opportunity to innovate and actually compete in the home theater market or portable speaker area but failed once again to effectively compete in either.
The screen up top is useless, make an upfiring speaker for better atmos, and allow pairing of 4 for actual surround sound. Alternatively (or additionally) they could have offered portability to compete with Sonos by having a battery and wireless or mag safe charging but didn’t.
Instead they removed speakers, microphones and downgraded wifi to offer the same exact subpar experience that doesn’t target any specific market and will flop once again.
I was lookin for any excuse to buy these, but they didn’t provide a single one. The addition of a temperature and humidity sensor is relatively worthless too since most people have nests or smart thermostats that already provide this information…
I had high hopes given Apple seemed to actually be listening to customers and offering better products lately, but this HomePod rehash just leaves me scratching my head wondering why?
They had an opportunity to innovate and actually compete in the home theater market or portable speaker area but failed once again to effectively compete in either.
The screen up top is useless, make an upfiring speaker for better atmos, and allow pairing of 4 for actual surround sound. Alternatively (or additionally) they could have offered portability to compete with Sonos by having a battery and wireless or mag safe charging but didn’t.
Instead they removed speakers, microphones and downgraded wifi to offer the same exact subpar experience that doesn’t target any specific market and will flop once again.
I was lookin for any excuse to buy these, but they didn’t provide a single one. The addition of a temperature and humidity sensor is relatively worthless too since most people have nests or smart thermostats that already provide this information…
I had high hopes given Apple seemed to actually be listening to customers and offering better products lately, but this HomePod rehash just leaves me scratching my head wondering why?
Enable eARC pass through on Apple TV 4K, then audio from all devices connected to the TV plays on the HomePods. PS5 sounds outstanding on the HP biggies.
How's the lag?
My problem is I use a projector and the Homepod (now sold) and HomePod Mini only work with other sources via eARC (try finding a projector with eARC).
I ended up with a Bluetooth speaker.
My setup:
Apple TV and Wii U
Connected to HDMI splitter - the optical out is connected to a Sennheiser Bluetooth Transmitter (Aptx-ll).
Speaker (I switch between a Bose Cinemate GS II and Cambridge Audio Minx TV - Both in comparison to the HomePods, well, no comparison, there is bass, and stereo separation and both sound a million times better).
In the future, if Apple release a soundbar with Bluetooth, I am in
Until then, for speakers at least, I am out of the eco system.
Never noticed any lag.How's the lag?
My problem is I use a projector and the Homepod (now sold) and HomePod Mini only work with other sources via eARC (try finding a projector with eARC).
I ended up with a Bluetooth speaker.
My setup:
Apple TV and Wii U
Connected to HDMI splitter - the optical out is connected to a Sennheiser Bluetooth Transmitter (Aptx-ll).
Speaker (I switch between a Bose Cinemate GS II and Cambridge Audio Minx TV - Both in comparison to the HomePods, well, no comparison, there is bass, and stereo separation and both sound a million times better).
In the future, if Apple release a soundbar with Bluetooth, I am in
Until then, for speakers at least, I am out of the eco system.
No, it’s not $50 cheaper. It’s not cheaper at all as the discontinued model has exactly the same price when it was discontinued.
That being said the inflation comment is just ridiculous. You can’t apply general inflation to tech products, as prices tend to go down not up in this field. It’s not a bread loaf, making it today costs less than it did 5 years ago, especially considering they are using a cheaper chip, less speakers and less microphones.
Like the AirPods Max this seems like a product that doesn’t have a market. Audiophiles will want something better and everyone else will go for something cheaper, especially if the voice assistant is better. I’m a little surprised Apple didn’t replace this with a soundbar, and maybe one that integrated Apple TV. This is what Apple should be targeting:
View attachment 2151142
Roku® Streambar® SE | Roku Soundbar & 4K streaming | Roku
Roku® Streambar® SE upgrades any TV with powerful streaming & premium sound. A 4K streaming soundbar that lets you hear every detail.www.roku.com
Or another take... reintroduce the AirPort Extreme as a WiFi 6E Mesh system and place that into HomePod as the main router followed by wireless satellites, mini or large HomePod, acting as the extender nodes.
I think what you're missing here is that surround systems do not involve any computer chips or processing. That's why they need so many different specialized speakers: all they do is project sound. There's no sound cancelling going on like the HomePods do in order to optimize how the sound waves reflect and interact within the room. Apple wants to use their chip technology in ways that enhance the experience, not just produce standard speakers.Like the AirPods Max this seems like a product that doesn’t have a market. Audiophiles will want something better and everyone else will go for something cheaper, especially if the voice assistant is better. I’m a little surprised Apple didn’t replace this with a soundbar, and maybe one that integrated Apple TV. This is what Apple should be targeting:
View attachment 2151142Roku® Streambar® SE | Roku Soundbar & 4K streaming | Roku
Roku® Streambar® SE upgrades any TV with powerful streaming & premium sound. A 4K streaming soundbar that lets you hear every detail.www.roku.com
So it's a cost-reduced version of the original with a processor spec bump? For the same price. So, a higher margin for Apple, not much for the consumer (besides availability).
I bought a pair last week (blue) to use as a home theater setup.
Money well spent.
I think these would be more popular if they also worked as Atmos speakers that you could configure the way you want. It seems like it would be possible to send regular 5.1 to an amp from the Apple TV and configure these in multiple ways to add Atmos to the setup via Airplay. It would add convenience for those using their living rooms as home theaters. Also, you would get the added benefit of getting pretty decent sound when you just want to play music using Siri.
"A hands-on look at sound quality"
Come on now...
Come on now...
