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i feel like the homepod is just a ploy to get samsung to waste their resources on an awful product and concept
 
By most advanced, you mean “occasionally better than a product that’s been out for over a year”, right?

Which is?
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Of course, it's the Samsung (manufacturer of speakers of all kinds for decades) who is copying. The only "true innovator" is Apple - "perfecting" offers from Amazon and Google.

This religious attitude is absolutely pathetic.

It's not a religious attitude. It's reality that Apple haters and/or Samsung fans refuse to acknowledge which is interesting because even Samsung employees admit they have a cultural problem of copying.

If they copied a few elements here and there and made enough improvements where the product was much improved or differentiated, that would be one thing. Copying the whole widget and making a minor change here and there is copying which is what Samsung is famous for.
 
Which is?
[doublepost=1499225312][/doublepost]

It's not a religious attitude. It's reality that Apple haters and/or Samsung fans refuse to acknowledge which is interesting because even Samsung employees admit they have a cultural problem of copying.

If they copied a few elements here and there and made enough improvements where the product was much improved or differentiated, that would be one thing. Copying the whole widget and making a minor change here and there is copying which is what Samsung is famous for.

Some reports said it wasn’t phenomenally better than the Play 3 from Sonos that is largely considered the worst one and hasn’t been updated lately...
 
It's not a religious attitude. It's reality that Apple haters and/or Samsung fans refuse to acknowledge which is interesting because even Samsung employees admit they have a cultural problem of copying.

If they copied a few elements here and there and made enough improvements where the product was much improved or differentiated, that would be one thing. Copying the whole widget and making a minor change here and there is copying which is what Samsung is famous for.
Your arguments are basically at "But Apple does it better!", which is completely subjective and may be considered "religious" considering both devices aren't even out to buy yet. Apple "copies" just as bad as Samsung in recent years, with the only difference being that Apple's marketing team is a lot more capable. I don't even think that it's a bad thing, it's necessary. The market got so dense and overcrowded that you simply can't avoid stepping on the other guy's feet.
 
The problem with this is that when Bixby gets frustrated it becomes Ferrigno

Unlike Siri's generally pleasant disposition, for Samsung's offering you definitely wouldn't like it when it's angry.

9781593936501.gif
 
There's a difference between copying and building on existing ideas which is what innovation is.

Echo is essentially a dedicated Siri box with better mics and speakers, for example.

HomePod takes that and makes it more useful by including some of the most advanced speaker tech we've seen in years.

Samsung OTOH has a history of photocopying so while we don't know what the final product will look like, all the flack they get is justified IMO.
Please enlighten us with those most advanced speaker technologies coming from Apple. Also if Apple has the most advanced speaker technology, why Apple earbuds suck that much when it comes to sound quality. Please don't tell me that just putting multiple speakers in a circular array is the latest innovation in sound technology. Also homepod is not out for sale and you already know the internals to give your opinion on that?

On the other hand, Samsung bought Harman Kardon. May be Samsung has better speaker technology than Apple which owns Beats???
 



Samsung is developing a voice-activated smart speaker to rival the likes of the Amazon Echo and Apple's forthcoming HomePod, according to a report published on Tuesday.

The project, internally codenamed "Vega", will be based on Samsung's Bixby virtual assistant, but many of the speaker's features and specifications have yet to be decided, according to sources who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. Development is said to have been going on for more than a year but has reportedly been hampered by delays to Bixby itself.

HomePod-on-shelf-800x451-800x451.jpg

Apple's HomePod, set for release this December.

The company's Siri rival was first announced in March ahead of the debut of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, but an English-language version of the assistant has yet to make it into Samsung's phones because of performance issues. Samsung now says Bixby is unlikely to be fully introduced before the second half of July.

The connected speaker market has seen rapid growth over the last few years. Amazon released its Echo range of speakers in 2014, before the Google Home appeared a year later. Since then, Microsoft has opened up its Cortana assistant for use in third-party speakers, while just last month Apple announced it Siri-powered HomePod will be available by the end of the year.

Amazon's Echo commands more than 70 percent of the U.S. market for connected speakers, with the Google Home capturing around 24 percent, according to eMarketer, a research firm. The number of Americans using voice-activated speakers will reach about 36 million this year, said eMarketer, double last year's figure.

Article Link: Samsung is Developing a Smart Speaker Using 'Bixby' Virtual Assistant

Would be cleaver to include Bixby in the smartTV and Refrigarator. As well as to develop a smart photo screen device to place in the room allowing face time conversation
 
Right, and the Amazon version was out before the Apple version so does that mean that Apple copied Amazon and Samsung copied both?
Except that about 20 years ago Apple was accepting voice commands to control iTunes and other Applications for launching rudimentary functions. They introduced using your name as access password if I remember correctly.
 
Right, and the Amazon version was out before the Apple version so does that mean that Apple copied Amazon and Samsung copied both?

yes
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Except that about 20 years ago Apple was accepting voice commands to control iTunes and other Applications for launching rudimentary functions. They introduced using your name as access password if I remember correctly.

And Amiga did it before anyone. So what. It was all hot garbage until Amazon made it useful.
 
Samsung has a great business model.

1. They make excellent parts.
2. They have a set-in-stone agenda to copy anything that Apple does that looks like it will be successful.
3. Thanks to a world with no intellectual property or copyright protection, they have no fear of ever being shut down. They have enough disposable cash to just tie everything up in litigation indefinitely, meanwhile ripping off innovators and reaping the benefits.
 
Apple is entering the smart home speaker market because of the Echo and Google Home, but Apple is offering something new to the market.

There isn't a smart Wifi HiFi speaker available and the HomePod is fulfilling that need. Mark my words, Amazon, Samsung, and Google will have a HiFi speaker soon.
 
Your arguments are basically at "But Apple does it better!", which is completely subjective and may be considered "religious" considering both devices aren't even out to buy yet. Apple "copies" just as bad as Samsung in recent years, with the only difference being that Apple's marketing team is a lot more capable. I don't even think that it's a bad thing, it's necessary. The market got so dense and overcrowded that you simply can't avoid stepping on the other guy's feet.

I said nothing of the sort. Your Apple hate is preventing you from reading without bias and/or you're confused about what you're replying to.

I merely defined what innovation is and how Samsung has a reputation for copying.
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Please enlighten us with those most advanced speaker technologies coming from Apple. Also if Apple has the most advanced speaker technology, why Apple earbuds suck that much when it comes to sound quality. Please don't tell me that just putting multiple speakers in a circular array is the latest innovation in sound technology. Also homepod is not out for sale and you already know the internals to give your opinion on that?

On the other hand, Samsung bought Harman Kardon. May be Samsung has better speaker technology than Apple which owns Beats???

HomePod's internals and how it works is detailed on Apple's site for everyone to see, including you. So are countless early reviews of its sound quality.

But I'll oblige and give you a high level; HomePod automatically gauges its surroundings and optimizes the sound without any setup or user configuration. It even separates instrumentation and vocals and pumps them out a different angles - even using the walls to bounce sound when appropriate - to create fuller, richer audio, all in real time. It also works in concert with 1 or more HomePods for true stereo and enhanced sound quality - again, no setup or configuration required... just place them where it looks best. With an A8 chip inside along with 6 mics, I wouldn't be surprised if it could optimize the sound directionally to where the listener is.

If you know of another speaker that packs this much tech in such a small package and at this low of a price point, let me know.

Harman Kardon was a good pickup for Samsung. I have a pair of JBL airplay speakers and they're fantastic. But they cost $600, doesn't have smarts, need to placed a certain way to produce optimal sound (like most speakers), can't be paired for true stereo, etc. That said, who cares? Why is that even relevant?

I hope you work for Samsung. Otherwise I don't know what you hope to get out of hanging out on an Apple fan site except more grief and an early death.
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Some reports said it wasn’t phenomenally better than the Play 3 from Sonos that is largely considered the worst one and hasn’t been updated lately...

Sound is subjective so you're bound to get different reviews, but the majority of reviews said the HomePod sounded better than Sonos.

In addition to better sound, HomePod packs 6 mics, an A8 chip and Siri in a smaller body, and best of all, requires zero configuration... I think it's safe to say that Apple's tech is more advanced.
 
I said nothing of the sort. Your Apple hate is preventing you from reading without bias and/or you're confused about what you're replying to.

I merely defined what innovation is and how Samsung has a reputation for copying.
[doublepost=1499295017][/doublepost]

HomePod's internals and how it works is detailed on Apple's site for everyone to see, including you. So are countless early reviews of its sound quality.

But I'll oblige and give you a high level; HomePod automatically gauges its surroundings and optimizes the sound without any setup or user configuration. It even separates instrumentation and vocals and pumps them out a different angles - even using the walls to bounce sound when appropriate - to create fuller, richer audio, all in real time. It also works in concert with 1 or more HomePods for true stereo and enhanced sound quality - again, no setup or configuration required... just place them where it looks best. With an A8 chip inside along with 6 mics, I wouldn't be surprised if it could optimize the sound directionally to where the listener is.

If you know of another speaker that packs this much tech in such a small package and at this low of a price point, let me know.

Harman Kardon was a good pickup for Samsung. I have a pair of JBL airplay speakers and they're fantastic. But they cost $600, doesn't have smarts, need to placed a certain way to produce optimal sound (like most speakers), can't be paired for true stereo, etc. That said, who cares? Why is that even relevant?

I hope you work for Samsung. Otherwise I don't know what you hope to get out of hanging out on an Apple fan site except more grief and an early death.
[doublepost=1499296242][/doublepost]

Sound is subjective so you're bound to get different reviews, but the majority of reviews said the HomePod sounded better than Sonos.

In addition to better sound, HomePod packs 6 mics, an A8 chip and Siri in a smaller body, and best of all, requires zero configuration... I think it's safe to say that Apple's tech is more advanced.

They’re still comparing their new speaker to something Google says was last updated in 2011. Apple is. Apple used a Play 3 as a comparison to the Homepod.
 
I said nothing of the sort. Your Apple hate is preventing you from reading without bias and/or you're confused about what you're replying to.

I merely defined what innovation is and how Samsung has a reputation for copying.
[doublepost=1499295017][/doublepost]

HomePod's internals and how it works is detailed on Apple's site for everyone to see, including you. So are countless early reviews of its sound quality.

But I'll oblige and give you a high level; HomePod automatically gauges its surroundings and optimizes the sound without any setup or user configuration. It even separates instrumentation and vocals and pumps them out a different angles - even using the walls to bounce sound when appropriate - to create fuller, richer audio, all in real time. It also works in concert with 1 or more HomePods for true stereo and enhanced sound quality - again, no setup or configuration required... just place them where it looks best. With an A8 chip inside along with 6 mics, I wouldn't be surprised if it could optimize the sound directionally to where the listener is.

If you know of another speaker that packs this much tech in such a small package and at this low of a price point, let me know.

Harman Kardon was a good pickup for Samsung. I have a pair of JBL airplay speakers and they're fantastic. But they cost $600, doesn't have smarts, need to placed a certain way to produce optimal sound (like most speakers), can't be paired for true stereo, etc. That said, who cares? Why is that even relevant?

I hope you work for Samsung. Otherwise I don't know what you hope to get out of hanging out on an Apple fan site except more grief and an early death.
[doublepost=1499296242][/doublepost]

Sound is subjective so you're bound to get different reviews, but the majority of reviews said the HomePod sounded better than Sonos.

In addition to better sound, HomePod packs 6 mics, an A8 chip and Siri in a smaller body, and best of all, requires zero configuration... I think it's safe to say that Apple's tech is more advanced.
No, I don't work for Samsung. I have been using Apple products from iPhone 3g. I have MacBook pro an air at home.
Knowing Apple's marketing power, I won't trust any of those homepod reviews until the product is available in market and a review by some sounds specialist is done.
 
They’re still comparing their new speaker to something Google says was last updated in 2011. Apple is. Apple used a Play 3 as a comparison to the Homepod.

Wait, wasn't your original argument that Apple did something that was already done last year? Now you're arguing that Sonos hasn't been updated since 2011?

Look, you just discovered that speaker tech doesn't advance a whole lot year after year and proved my point that Apple's speaker technology is the biggest advance we've seen in years.

Here's an example: This past Xmas, I bought 2 Play 1's for my parents. I had to walk around and wave it around the room as part of the setup process which is not intuitive nor user-friendly. There were a couple of other things I had to do which I forget.

Apple eliminated that process entirely which is huge! You no longer need special tools or perfect placement to get the best sound. HomePod does that automatically, on the fly. That alone is a pretty big leap in speaker tech whether you let your rational mind admit it or not.
 
Wait, wasn't your original argument that Apple did something that was already done last year? Now you're arguing that Sonos hasn't been updated since 2011?

Look, you just discovered that speaker tech doesn't advance a whole lot year after year and proved my point that Apple's speaker technology is the biggest advance we've seen in years.

Here's an example: This past Xmas, I bought 2 Play 1's for my parents. I had to walk around and wave it around the room as part of the setup process which is not intuitive nor user-friendly. There were a couple of other things I had to do which I forget.

Apple eliminated that process entirely which is huge! You no longer need special tools or perfect placement to get the best sound. HomePod does that automatically, on the fly. That alone is a pretty big leap in speaker tech whether you let your rational mind admit it or not.

No, my original argument was that it was comparable to tech released “over a year ago” because I hadn’t really looked much into when the last Play 3 was introduced.

And how is Apple’s speaker tech so advanced? It sounds comparable to a speaker from 2011. Making it easier to set up seems to be all you’re bragging on them about.

But maybe they could have also improved the sound to where it blows away speakers from the last year.

Look, I’m glad that’s Apple is putting out a smart speaker. I really am. But it isn’t the best speaker and it isn’t going to have the best assistant. And worth Sonos putting Alexa in their speakers in the near future Apple can’t be content to have good enough speakers and an almost good enough assistant.
 
No, my original argument was that it was comparable to tech released “over a year ago” because I hadn’t really looked much into when the last Play 3 was introduced.

And how is Apple’s speaker tech so advanced? It sounds comparable to a speaker from 2011. Making it easier to set up seems to be all you’re bragging on them about.

But maybe they could have also improved the sound to where it blows away speakers from the last year.

Look, I’m glad that’s Apple is putting out a smart speaker. I really am. But it isn’t the best speaker and it isn’t going to have the best assistant. And worth Sonos putting Alexa in their speakers in the near future Apple can’t be content to have good enough speakers and an almost good enough assistant.

Part of the auto configuration process is what allows HomePod to produce better sound. It optimizes output by analyzing the music and its environment in real time. That's also what allows such a small speaker to produce better sound than a larger one, like the Sonos 3, while packing more tech.

If you downloaded iOS 11 beta or watched a few YT videos of Siri in action, you'd know that Siri is better than Google Now, and since Google Home just blew away Echo in a couple of tests, it's safe to assume Siri will blow away the Echo. That's not saying much since I always thought of Echo as essentially a very expensive alarm clock. It's looking like HomePod will be a better Sonos and better Echo in convenient package.

If you want the best speaker and assistant, then I'd recommend spending big bucks on speakers and getting an AW.
 
It doesnt matter who comes first. But Samsung do have one advantage that Apple doesnt. Integration with Samsung's own huge array of appliances/audio-visual/home-automation products plus 3rd party "SmartThings" enabled devices.

So you can use the speaker (just like using Bixby on Galaxy) to interface and control all those devices. Bixby (Korean language) is already able to do all those things now. Just awaiting English language version.
 
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