Smart Speaker Showdown: HomePod vs. Google Home Max vs. Sonos One

[dubmick]

I did look at Spotify but found the number of downloads to be limiting. I use my phone for music on the commute a lot and don't want to use my data or suffer breaks when the train goes through the numerous tunnels

Limited downloads? I’ve never noticed that as a premium subscriber.

 

[gijoeinla]

This is just scaremongering.

HomePod doesn't have a physical mic mute switch like Google Home Max.

HomePod doesn't recognize individual voices so anyone can ask it to play your private messages.

Apple doesn't respect anonymity and requires you to login to iOS while Android doesn't.

Apple has a worse track record with leaking customers' private pictures to the internet.

Oh ok . Gee—- read this carefully very carefully when u get a chance.

https://www.itworldcanada.com/artic...g-is-latest-failure-to-respect-privacy/399190

 

[Guy Clark]

In response to a later post of yours where you directed me to this post as an example of “constructive”. There is nothing in this post constructive.

You admit to not owning a HomePod but listening to one at a store (and it is commonly known its meant to be listened to in a “home” environment-the name should give it away).

You compare it to Bose and claim Bose sounds better. 1 - you must like artificial bass. 2 - please let us know what Bose single speaker you compared it to in the “at the store” environment where the Bose single speaker sounded better.

Bluetooth...really? I own several. Best of the bunch is probably large Jawbone. HomePod blows it away. I also own Sonos Play:1, Play:3, Playbase and Sub. HomePod destroys the first two...Playbase and Sub not so much. I suspect that will change when I can set up a stereo pair. These comparisons were all made in my home, the natural listening environment.

Since you’ve again restated the falsehood that HomePod is tied to the Apple ecosystem, you must not have heard of Airplay which many devices outside of Apple products are capable of transmitting. Oh, before you start on the “services”, I’ve tried most all of them over my HomePod...they all seem to transmit over Airplay just fine. I’m sure there are some “services I’ve not heard of, so can’t speak for all of them.

Stiil not seeing anything constructive in this post, #113, unless your idea of constructive is complaining about the way “you” think the rest of us want the hardware to be constructed.

It is absolutely essential for the in store sound to be as accurate to what it would be at home as that is the primary selling arena where the consumer can make an informed decision on whether to purchase the HomePod. The same applies to any audio device.
As I stated in my previous comment the HomePod sounded impressive but not to the extent where it destroys the competition. I drew this conclusion once I insisted the Apple Sales Representative turned it down. I am not interested in how loud a speaker can go (Airplay or Bluetooth) I am more interested in an accurate representation of the music that I listen to and how personally involving the sound quality is. Sennheiser HD 800 Dynamic Headphones are unbeatable at this albeit at a price.
You state BOSE and similar products give out artificial Base. That is simply not the case. Not everyone is interested in listening to music at High Volume and the BOSE SoundLink Mini sounds amazing for what it is. Quite ironically one of most impressive Bluetooth speakers I have heard is the JBL Flip 4 which for the low price is incredible. Bluetooth has much going for it and what product sounds better (Airplay or Bluetooth) is a matter of conjecture and no more.
At no stage have I slated the sound quality of the HomePod but it is not the be all and end all of audio devices. It has been quoted as having Audiophile like sound quality which is utterly insane.

 

[KeithJenner]

Wow hmmm ok. That’s interesting. Mine is in my living room. My HomePod hears me 60 feet away — laying in my bed that’s in a n o t h e r room — and just saying Hey Siri. It sets alarms, plays my songs etc. that’s plenty for me.

Frankly I hear your observations but c’mon your “experience” seems a bit ... unbelievable.

First and foremost - I have a Apple Watch, iPhones, iPads etc. If I believe you did this test - and I have no reason not to — you say it’s true — then I think I’d say your right — this product is simply not for you. Why because if I was in the shower I’d just play the music asking to thru my watch or if my iPhone is in there.. The Echo’s and Google gleefully do listen to your goings on in the “bathroom” I for one am thankful Siri respects A CLOSED DOOR.

Omg.

You may want to re-read the post you quoted, this time taking into account that it was clearly a joke.
[doublepost=1519259847][/doublepost]

Limited downloads? I’ve never noticed that as a premium subscriber.

I’ve been looking at Spotify today to find out a bit more about how it works. In the details is states that there is a limit of 3333 downloads per device. I assume that is the number that you can have downloaded at a time, although that doesn’t seem clear.

More of a problem to me is the maximum 10,000 songs in the library and, as far as I can tell, not being able to add your own tracks to the library. There is no way I would want to work with that, if I am understanding it correctly.

 

[PLondon]

A

The point is that Apple doesn't collect personal usage information and thus does not have it to share with other companies or use internally. This is the entire purpose of "differential privacy". The fact that you can go back and listen to everything your Google Home or Alexa device has heard you say is already a privacy issue, it's idiotic to claim that this is somehow an example of increased privacy - Apple doesn't have this feature because they don't store this information in a way that is tied to you.

To claim that Google is better at privacy than Apple is a fool's errand. Even if they didn't explicitly sell or share your information to other companies, they wouldn't need to - the bulk of their revenue comes from advertising using their own ad platforms - Google indirectly sells your information to third parties via its advertising platforms, that's why they can say they don't explicitly sell your information. Company privacy policies are irrelevant. You're the one that appears to have the misconception here.

Again you are also wrong, Apple do collect and sell your personal usage information to third party companies, what is worse, third party companies they refuse to disclose.

Of course it’s better to know what’s been recorded by your home device / phone. That way you can review what has been recorded. Apple for all one knows could record everything said in the vicinity of your phone / HomePod and you wouldn’t know as they don’t allow you to review what information they gather. For your information, Google allows you to fully opt out of data collection, Apple does not.

Ads are a nightmare I agree, which is why I use ad blockers on all my devices. But don’t for a second think that Apple isn’t selling your information to ads companies, because they are. Step out of the glass bubble and smell the fresh air. The difference between Google and Apple is transparency, Google are open about what they do and lets you, the user control what information is shared, Apple does not.
[doublepost=1519260386][/doublepost]

Wow hmmm ok. That’s interesting. Mine is in my living room. My HomePod hears me 60 feet away — laying in my bed that’s in a n o t h e r room — and just saying Hey Siri. It sets alarms, plays my songs etc. that’s plenty for me.

Frankly I hear your observations but c’mon your “experience” seems a bit ... unbelievable.

First and foremost - I have a Apple Watch, iPhones, iPads etc. If I believe you did this test - and I have no reason not to — you say it’s true — then I think I’d say your right — this product is simply not for you. Why because if I was in the shower I’d just play the music asking to thru my watch or if my iPhone is in there.. The Echo’s and Google gleefully do listen to your goings on in the “bathroom” I for one am thankful Siri respects A CLOSED DOOR.

Omg.
[doublepost=1519252834][/doublepost]

Ah ok. Google — the defender of privacy. Got it.

Haha, I have to confess that I’m a big fan of sarcasm.

My point was that people need to wake up and realise that Apple isn’t this saintly company being run from a garage anymore. When it comes to privacy they are rated 3rd by security companies behind Google and Amazon as they refuse to disclose what other companies they share your data with.

We all believe the hype because Apple used to b the upstart underdog fighting the big bad wolf. Sadly these days Apple is the wolf.

 

[ersan191]

A

Again you are also wrong, Apple do collect and sell your personal usage information to third party companies, what is worse, third party companies they refuse to disclose.

Of course it’s better to know what’s been recorded by your home device / phone. That way you can review what has been recorded. Apple for all one knows could record everything said in the vicinity of your phone / HomePod and you wouldn’t know as they don’t allow you to review what information they gather. For your information, Google allows you to fully opt out of data collection, Apple does not.

Ads are a nightmare I agree, which is why I use ad blockers on all my devices. But don’t for a second think that Apple isn’t selling your information to ads companies, because they are. Step out of the glass bubble and smell the fresh air. The difference between Google and Apple is transparency, Google are open about what they do and lets you, the user control what information is shared, Apple does not.
[doublepost=1519260386][/doublepost]
Haha, I have to confess that I’m a big fan of sarcasm.

My point was that people need to wake up and realise that Apple isn’t this saintly company being run from a garage anymore. When it comes to privacy they are rated 3rd by security companies behind Google and Amazon as they refuse to disclose what other companies they share your data with.

We all believe the hype because Apple used to b the upstart underdog fighting the big bad wolf. Sadly these days Apple is the wolf.

If you genuinely think that Google has better privacy than Apple then you’re delusional, immune to facts and reason, and nobody can help you.

 

[Tec972]

Siri will never match the competition unless Apple rethinks its stance on “privacy”. The more an assistant knows about the person he or she is assisting, the more helpful that assistant becomes. This is simple logic and it applies as much to real life human assistants as it does to AIs. Voice interaction will be the next major leap forward. There were touch screens before the iPhone, but it was Apple who took the experience to the next level. The company that does the same for voice UI will be the next Apple.

Have seen quite a few post regarding how bad Siri is compared to other assistants. While it is true that Siri is way behind, I see many coming to apples defense claiming it’s because Apple guards your privacy.

Stop making excuses for them. That’s wrong! In the grand scheme of things Siri is awful and it’s simply because Apple has let it slide like almost everything else they’ve done. There’s a lot Siri doesn’t do compared to other assistants that has nothing to do with privacy. Apple is lazy AF when it comes to following up much of their software. Siri is merely one example of many things they have let fall by the wayside. If you haven’t noticed how poor and sloppy Apple has gotten, I really don’t know what to tell you. Your head is buried in the sand.

 

[steve knight]

I did look at Spotify but found the number of downloads to be limiting. I use my phone for music on the commute a lot and don't want to use my data or suffer breaks when the train goes through the numerous tunnels

And I seem to use playlists less and less now anyway. Both on the phone and on the Echo it's genre or band so "Alexa play jazz music" or "Alexa play Arctic Monkeys" etc. First of all, I will probably hear stuff I haven't heard before and secondly I can just speak.

she wants playlists that change. she is blind so they are easier then other methods. she uses google's I am feeling lucky for random stuff.

 

[err404]

You're missing something critically important - most people subscribe to Spotify, which works on every smart speaker except the Homepod. Not supporting Spotify on a speaker is like not supporting Netflix on a video streamer. It's breathtakingly stupid.

Maybe, but Apple Music is still huge. It the second most popular service and is expected to overtake Spotify in the US this year.
BTW I personally subscribe to Google Music and Spotify because as much as I like Google (and YouTube Red), it doesn’t work on my Echo (or Alexa skill on my Sonos). If I replace my echo, I’ll probably drop Spotify.
I dont think most people care about which service the use on their smart speakers, so long as it works on the devices they care about.
[doublepost=1519272216][/doublepost]

Have seen quite a few post regarding how bad Siri is compared to other assistants. While it is true that Siri is way behind, I see many coming to apples defense claiming it’s because Apple guards your privacy.

Stop making excuses for them. That’s wrong! In the grand scheme of things Siri is awful and it’s simply because Apple has let it slide like almost everything else they’ve done. There’s a lot Siri doesn’t do compared to other assistants that has nothing to do with privacy. Apple is lazy AF when it comes to following up much of their software. Siri is merely one example of many things they have let fall by the wayside. If you haven’t noticed how poor and sloppy Apple has gotten, I really don’t know what to tell you. Your head is buried in the sand.

The issue is that beyond trivia and some gimmicks, all voice assistants suck. Anything meaningful that they do (messaging, timers, to-do list, etc), are pretty similar across the major players.

 

[vahdyx]

I didn't like the fact homepod didn't support multi users. It sounds fantastic, but I returned it for the Google Home Max. Honestly that extra $50 was kind of stupid but at the end of the day I'm happy with it. Kind of ****s up my home kit stuff but whatever.

Sounds good IMO, it's not HomePod but it's no slouch. I guess it's like a BMW vs an Audi. Both are good but one is clearly better lol.

Anyway I think people will fight about anything but in the end it doesn't even matter. Get what you want.

 

[ersan191]

I didn't like the fact homepod didn't support multi users. It sounds fantastic, but I returned it for the Google Home Max. Honestly that extra $50 was kind of stupid but at the end of the day I'm happy with it. Kind of ****s up my home kit stuff but whatever.

Sounds good IMO, it's not HomePod but it's no slouch. I guess it's like a BMW vs an Audi. Both are good but one is clearly better lol.

Anyway I think people will fight about anything but in the end it doesn't even matter. Get what you want.

I would be very surprised if they weren't currently working on multi-user support for the HomePod.

 

[Guy Clark]

Oh ok . Gee—- read this carefully very carefully when u get a chance.

https://www.itworldcanada.com/artic...g-is-latest-failure-to-respect-privacy/399190

No matter where you go in the modern world Big Brother is practically watching your every move. This doesn't specifically apply to Google.

 

[TrueBlou]

I know this comparison is meant more from the perspective of audiophiles, but HomePod isn’t even an option until Harmony Hub is added as a integrated option.

I know not everyone will favour third-party solutions, preferring to stick with official support only.

But if that sort of thing doesn’t phase you, there’s always the open-source Homebridge software. Which you can run on Mac, Windows and Raspberry Pi to name just a few.

Basically it acts as a hub, allowing hundreds of different internet-of-things devices which don’t have official HomeKit support to work within the Apple ecosystem.

I love it, been using it for a long time now. I’ve got my Harmony Hub, Lights, Cameras and even iKettle and Smarter Coffee machine hooked into HomeKit with it. Because yes, I am so lazy I want to just ask Siri to make me a coffee in the morning while I’m still bleary eyed in bed and have it ready when I go downstairs

 

[The Game 161]

I would be very surprised if they weren't currently working on multi-user support for the HomePod.

I’m sure they are working on plenty for it. Think they know much will need to be improved with it. They got it out as they needed to.

 

[TrueBlou]

I’m sure they are working on plenty for it. Think they know much will need to be improved with it. They got it out as they needed to.

Agreed, they seemed to want to focus on music, audio quality and basic Siri interactions for launch. And that’s pretty much what we have.

Apple filed a patent last year for Siri to recognise individual voices, so I’m sure we’ll see it come along as and when Apple sees fit. Or more likely, perfects it.

 

[vahdyx]

I would be very surprised if they weren't currently working on multi-user support for the HomePod.

I had this big long post written about why I agree with you and how Apple seems to be falling behind in this market and how the Homepod needs a lot more work for the casual market, and how the Homepod will likely never be a true smart speaker, etc.

But then I realized I'm getting sucked up into the controversy and I don't really wanna.

So long story short, right now the Homepod isn't for me and probably won't ever and I agree with ya, it would be surprising for sure. Hopefully they add more smart features.

 

[vahdyx]

I know not everyone will favour third-party solutions, preferring to stick with official support only.

But if that sort of thing doesn’t phase you, there’s always the open-source Homebridge software. Which you can run on Mac, Windows and Raspberry Pi to name just a few.

Basically it acts as a hub, allowing hundreds of different internet-of-things devices which don’t have official HomeKit support to work within the Apple ecosystem.

I love it, been using it for a long time now. I’ve got my Harmony Hub, Lights, Cameras and even iKettle and Smarter Coffee machine hooked into HomeKit with it. Because yes, I am so lazy I want to just ask Siri to make me a coffee in the morning while I’m still bleary eyed in bed and have it ready when I go downstairs

Oh wow I didn't know this existed!!! I've been trying to figure out a way to add more things to my house that isn't Homekit enabled. I wanted to stick with Homekit but kind of thought it wasn't possible hence why I got the Google Home Max. This is awesome. I'll check it out for sure.

 

[TrueBlou]

Oh wow I didn't know this existed!!! I've been trying to figure out a way to add more things to my house that isn't Homekit enabled. I wanted to stick with Homekit but kind of thought it wasn't possible hence why I got the Google Home Max. This is awesome. I'll check it out for sure.

Yeah it’s a very handy thing. Personally I’ve found it most stable on a Raspberry Pi, mines been running without a hitch for over a year. Only been off if I’ve had the power in the house off.
When I ran it on my Mac I had occasional issues but ymmv and there’s been a lot of development since I last tried it on anything but a Pi.

Oh, and you can go to NPM and search for Homebridge plugins, to see if what you need is available. Just slap the word Homebridge before the name of your device and you’ll get a list of any compatible plugins for that device.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

A nice, non bias overview of the three products. Apple execs have said in the past that Siri was not engineered to be Trivial Pursuit, but it would be nice if Siri had a more competitive feature set. Probably a limitation of Siri I imagine at the moment. If Siri was able to answer such "Trivial Pursuit" questions, Apple would be advertising the fact, heavily. The article did miss the fact that the Google and Amazon devices can be used with IFTTT workflows, and others, which is great for building custom workflows / extending the capability set, but I imagine Homepod cannot do so yet?

You hit the nail right on the head. New Animojis??? Hello??? Trivial pursuit LOLOL... they advertised the Animojis so loud and that to be is beyond trivial. Of course, their marketing knows best, they'll market heavily because they are successful at it.

I recently discovered IFTTT and it's such a wonderful tool on Android because it actually allow you to automate so much of your life. However, I do have to say Apple will slowly add feature that are similar slowly. from my observation, Apple definitely take the slower approach but that means sometimes less bugs. They implemented a feature where you get in the car and the iPhone detects you are about to drive and silence your notifications and sends a text to people who texts you. I think that is a wonderful feature. However, it is still a walled garden because Apple will not let you customize like you can with Androids.

 

[TrueBlou]

You hit the nail right on the head. New Animojis??? Hello??? Trivial pursuit LOLOL... they advertised the Animojis so loud and that to be is beyond trivial. Of course, their marketing knows best, they'll market heavily because they are successful at it.

I recently discovered IFTTT and it's such a wonderful tool on Android because it actually allow you to automate so much of your life. However, I do have to say Apple will slowly add feature that are similar slowly. from my observation, Apple definitely take the slower approach but that means sometimes less bugs. They implemented a feature where you get in the car and the iPhone detects you are about to drive and silence your notifications and sends a text to people who texts you. I think that is a wonderful feature. However, it is still a walled garden because Apple will not let you customize like you can with Androids.

IFTTT is available on iOS as well, is there something specific you mean that doesn't work with it on iOS? I'm just curious. Or maybe it's nosey, never used to be nosey til I met the wife

 

[lederermc]

Agreed.

Talk about beating a....

I’ll repeat what I’ve shared on other threads in this topic. Personally I do not — I do not want to own a Google / Amazon device that is listening in on my family 24 hrs a day. I don’t want a “assistant” to speak into day and night.
. . .

I agree 100% which is why I unplugged my fire stick as soon as the prime video app was added to the Apple TV

 

[potentmf]

A

Again you are also wrong, Apple do collect and sell your personal usage information to third party companies, what is worse, third party companies they refuse to disclose.

Of course it’s better to know what’s been recorded by your home device / phone. That way you can review what has been recorded. Apple for all one knows could record everything said in the vicinity of your phone / HomePod and you wouldn’t know as they don’t allow you to review what information they gather. For your information, Google allows you to fully opt out of data collection, Apple does not.

Ads are a nightmare I agree, which is why I use ad blockers on all my devices. But don’t for a second think that Apple isn’t selling your information to ads companies, because they are. Step out of the glass bubble and smell the fresh air. The difference between Google and Apple is transparency, Google are open about what they do and lets you, the user control what information is shared, Apple does not.
[doublepost=1519260386][/doublepost]
Haha, I have to confess that I’m a big fan of sarcasm.

My point was that people need to wake up and realise that Apple isn’t this saintly company being run from a garage anymore. When it comes to privacy they are rated 3rd by security companies behind Google and Amazon as they refuse to disclose what other companies they share your data with.

We all believe the hype because Apple used to b the upstart underdog fighting the big bad wolf. Sadly these days Apple is the wolf.

Stop trying to pull off those rose colored glasses for people.

Many believe that Apple is concerned about privacy and taking measures to keep things private, while also collecting their data to help build better products. But, since Apple isn't "selling" this data, some are ok with that. Bottom line, data is being collected and used by all.

 

[DiamonDecoden]

IFTTT is available on iOS as well, is there something specific you mean that doesn't work with it on iOS? I'm just curious. Or maybe it's nosey, never used to be nosey til I met the wife

Yes, I know it exist in iOS (found this after I got the Note 8 phone though very recently) but I looked over all the automation recipes on iOS and doesn't seem as powerful as the android version. It seems more for 3rd party apps and not as useful.... IDK maybe I will try the social media ones. IDK can someone with more experience with IFTTT and both OSs being able to tell me if IFTTT is just as useful in iOS?

 

[TrueBlou]

Yes, I know it exist in iOS (found this after I got the Note 8 phone though very recently) but I looked over all the automation recipes on iOS and doesn't seem as powerful as the android version. It seems more for 3rd party apps and not as useful.... IDK maybe I will try the social media ones. IDK can someone with more experience with IFTTT and both OSs being able to tell me if IFTTT is just as useful in iOS?

I don't doubt it'll be a bit more limited on iOS due to Apple's policies, but there are hundreds of compatible apps and services. Suppose it just depends what you want to do, but I'd expect Android to be more flexible due to it's open nature.

I'm also curious to see what eventually comes out of Apple's acquisition of Workflow once they integrate it. Again, probably not as flexible as IFTTT but perhaps with it being officially baked into iOS something good will come of it.
[doublepost=1519318238][/doublepost]

Stop trying to pull off those rose colored glasses for people.

Many believe that Apple is concerned about privacy and taking measures to keep things private, while also collecting their data to help build better products. But, since Apple isn't "selling" this data, some are ok with that. Bottom line, data is being collected and used by all.

There is however a big difference in HOW the information is collected, used and stored.

With Apple, all of your requests are sent to their servers using a randomised Siri ID so that the information is not tied to you personally. Information retained on their servers for the purposes of product development and improvement is done so using Differential Privacy. Which scrambles your requests with those of millions of other users, essentially becoming randomised data which is not tied to any user in any way.

Compared to others, such as Amazon/Google (and if you want to throw Facebook and any other service who's profits rely on user data, feel free it's basically the same policy) your information, that being anything sent via their speakers or otherwise, is directly tied to you as an individual. With it linked to your email address, user account and every other piece of data you've given them.

Of course many of us don't really care, we're hardly imparting top secret information on a day-to-day basis.

But there is a definite difference in how your personal data is used and monetised between a company who neither profits from it in any direct or indirect manner and doesn't need to track an individual. And those who do because they want to target products to you (Amazon) or target advertising towards you because the vast majority of their multi-billion dollar revenue depends on tracking an individual (Google/Facebook and so on.)

 

[DiamonDecoden]

I don't doubt it'll be a bit more limited on iOS due to Apple's policies, but there are hundreds of compatible apps and services. Suppose it just depends what you want to do, but I'd expect Android to be more flexible due to it's open nature.

I'm also curious to see what eventually comes out of Apple's acquisition of Workflow once they integrate it. Again, probably not as flexible as IFTTT but perhaps with it being officially baked into iOS something good will come of it.

Yea, that is why I switched to Android - Note 8 because I was tired of waiting for Apple for the features that I want. I am sure eventually everything will get baked in because if they release everything at once, 1. the general user will be overwhelmed 2. bugs to fix. However, I have no doubt when Apple integrates it, it'll work more smoothly than Android but it'll be awhile and IF they want to integrate it or go another direction.