Top Five Reasons to Buy a HomePod Mini

[iGeek2019]

I don't subscribe to Apple Music (why should I keep paying for the same music I already own?). Is there a reason to buy a HomePod? If I bought my music on iTunes can I play via HomePod without having an Apple Music subscription?

You can if you AirPlay it from your computer/iPhone. Unless that’s changed since I owned one.

 

[gwbandrew]

But don’t sound as good.

It comes down to personal preference.

	Alexa	Apple
Utilization	1	0
Sound quality	0	1

 

[gnasher729]

The real differences are: 1. HomePod is $299, HomePod mini is $99. 2. HomePod has six speakers which should produce much better sound. That's the differences, and nothing else.

So if you buy speakers for their sound quality (which in my opinion you should), then we need to wait for a review that compares the sound from one HomePod and one HomePod mini, then compares the sound from one HomePod vs. two HomePod mini in stereo setup, then the sound from two HomePods vs. two HomePod minis in stereo setup. And then you can decide what gives you the sound you want for the money you want to pay. That's what I want to see, a comparison of the sound.

If you buy a HomePod for Siri etc., and don't care about the sound as long as it is half decent (like one for your kitchen), then you just take the cheaper one.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I think I will get two to try for music, intercom and turning on and off lights.

 

[robinp]

I did not pay attention to how it was powered, so if this is the case, that it's just going to need a USB-C connection, then it does make it somewhat portable when using a USB-C battery pack. It will be handy for using by the fire pit this fall / winter.

This would be a really neat solution if you could pair it with your phone for taking out of range of your home wifi. Could take it camping or to the beach.

 

[I7guy]

LOL. So you already know the how a HomePod mini sounds like? I just checked Apple website, and it says HomePod mini ships on 11/16. Never underestimate these fanboys...

It's not the "fanboys" (but I like the absolute certainty in which that was mentioned), never underestimate Apple. Based on the price point I'm sure it will sound just fine and be above the competition at that price point.

 

[gnasher729]

I wonder how long before somebody cracks one of these open and puts in a LiPo battery and USB-C charging port.

Sure, the play time would be terrible, but it's got to be done…

Why on earth would you do that? If you want it to be portable, buy a USB-C power bank. Less than £30 for 26,000 mAH. That will give you plenty of play time.

 

[I7guy]

It comes down to personal preference.

	Alexa	Apple
Utilization	1	0
Sound quality	0	1

I agree. Alexa: 0; Siri 0. Sound quality mini: 1

 

[LeadingHeat]

I did not pay attention to how it was powered, so if this is the case, that it's just going to need a USB-C connection, then it does make it somewhat portable when using a USB-C battery pack. It will be handy for using by the fire pit this fall / winter.

The regular HomePod requires WiFi, it’s not a Bluetooth speaker. So that may be another issue there

 

[kennyt72]

... you don't think Apple is listening, despite being busted last year for doing just that?
First they said Siri doesn't record ANYTHING, then they said Siri only records ACTIVE requests for quality assurance, then they said their iOS API's prevented other apps from listening in without notifying you. Well they lied, they lied again after getting caught lying the first time, and last week I was presented with ads for rotary sushi restaurants on four separate apps that were not running at that time an hour after mentioning it in a phone conversation. I HATE sushi, I haven't discussed, searched for or even thought about sushi let alone restaurants that serve it rotary style in years, which is how that topic came up in conversation as I was discussing how a place that used to be popular in high school was shutting down because of dropping sales blamed on the Rona. But please, Apple, tell me again how Siri and iOS protect my "privacy."

Alexa devices have a hard button on the top to mute their mics completely. I don't see that functionality anywhere on the HomePod line, hardware or software based. If you're placing a a smart speaker in your home, you need to accept that your conversations are going to be recorded and used for marketing purposes etc. If you cannot abide this, don't get a smart speaker, but at least don't kid yourself into thinking Apple is any different than Amazon in regards to this issue because they've already lied a couple times about it.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/08/28/apple-apologizes-for-listening-to-siri-conversations.html

Exactly

 

[I7guy]

You don't know that. I wouldn't be surprised if e.g. Sonos One sounds better than the HomePod Mini - it's competing well with the normal HomePod.

Sonos One is the wrong price point.

 

[LeadingHeat]

1. You can buy 2-3 Echo dots for the same price. 5 right now if you go with the previous gen.
2. Alexa has supported this for years.
3. Much, much more smart products support Alexa than Homekit, and cost generally half as much.
4. Yeah Alexa has also supported this for two years now.
5. Why do I need this? It's a cute gimmick but other than that I can continue playback on my Alexa devices with a voice command.

So let's see: close to whole home coverage for the price of one Homepod Mini thanks to the Best Buy sale going on right now, the same if not better functionality in regards to communication and control of smart devices around the home, easy stereo pairing that improves sound quality dramatically with minimal effort and supports ALL music streaming services including Apple's? Sorry, but no. Apple needs to try a lot harder and compromise on their ridiculous price margins a bit more before I'd ever consider abandoning my Echos for HomePods, Mini or otherwise.

One word: privacy. I’d rather trust Apple with my home’s smart products and conversations than Amazon. Sure, no company is probably 100% safe but with Apple touting privacy in everything they do, I know it’s at least on the forefront of their minds.

 

[DeftwillP]

I guess walking over to where the person is and talking to them while making eye contact is passé

The juxtaposition of this statement to avatar is just great.

I'll buy a couple minis. I'm doing it for sound, not smart assistant. Also for ecosystem, I already have like 9 other airport expresses setup with speakers plus a OG homepod. I stream music all over.

 

[mazz0]

It already connects to a USB-C power adaptor out of the box so all you need is one of the portable batteries with a USB-C port.

Will it connect to an iPhone’s hotspot for internet access?

 

[no_idea]

I have a regular HomePod. I was on the fence for a while about paying for one but it has been great at home during the pandemic for entertainment

 

[mazz0]

But don’t sound as good.

Or look as good

 

[currentinterest]

I own 5 HomePods, 4 in one home, 1 in another. I will likely buy at least 5 HomePod minis 2 for one home 3 for the other. I will also be purchasing at least 4 as gifts. Apple will not be able to make enough of these.

 

[EatinPonies]

Not sure if it's been answered yet: will these work as regular AirPlay 2 devices also? I don't like Apple Music, so I have Spotify instead. Will handoff work with Spotify?

I could see a lot of use out of the intercom features so that my family isn't constantly yelling from the kitchen to the office "DINNER IS READY!!!"

 

[Duncan-UK]

Late to the party, so this may have been covered, but how can you write a recommendation list that has any credibility, when sound quality doesn't appear to be considered? Why try and rush out a rejig of Apple spin as opposed to actually waiting to hear what these are like in terms of real world performance?

 

[gnasher729]

Alexa devices have a hard button on the top to mute their mics completely. I don't see that functionality anywhere on the HomePod line, hardware or software based. If you're placing a a smart speaker in your home, you need to accept that your conversations are going to be recorded and used for marketing purposes etc. If you cannot abide this, don't get a smart speaker, but at least don't kid yourself into thinking Apple is any different than Amazon in regards to this issue because they've already lied a couple times about it.

HomePod doesn't need a hard button - there is a hardware chip that detects the phrase "Hey Siri" and nothing else, analyses the sound pattern, starts listening and filters out everything that doesn't come from the person saying "Hey Siri". (So if you are in group with four people and you say "Hey Siri", it won't listen to them). The "Hey Siri" detection is hardware. There's no way around it. If you say "Hey Siri" it listens to you. If you don't say "Hey Siri" it can't hear you. Even if you stand besides the person saying it.

And no, your conversations are not recorded and not used for marketing purposes. Things that Siri doesn't understand are sent anonymously to humans to listen to. They have no idea who is talking. All they know is that it was one of many millions of Siri users. They cannot use it for marketing purposes because they don't know who is talking. They couldn't use it for marketing purposes anyway, because all they would record is things that Siri doesn't understand. So something that would be useful for a marketer, like "Hey Siri, I want to buy a new BMW" is understood by Siri and not recorded.

 

[EatinPonies]

I own 5 HomePods, 4 in one home, 1 in another. I will likely buy at least 5 HomePod minis 2 for one home 3 for the other. I will also be purchasing at least 4 as gifts. Apple will not be able to make enough of these.

lmao You, sir, are not the normal use case here.

 

[gk4]

I already have so many wireless standards floating around my environment I probably don't even know that some of them are here, why they're in here, or what they are doing. Sure Apple, add another. Who cares at this point.

In fairness, this isn't a standard Apple made and it's meant to be the successor to an existing standard. So it would kind of be like applying that same comic to WiFi 6 and saying "we already have WiFI 5, but sure....why not - we can never get enough standards".

 

[speg]

i'd love to get a Homepod mini, but with siri on my wrist.. I just don't see getting much use out of a HomePod.

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

I will probably pass on this. I would have more use for it. If they came out with something like the echo show. Or google nest. Which has a screen on it. I would find more use for that.

 

[Bozley0621]

I guess walking over to where the person is and talking to them while making eye contact is passé

This became passé in my family long before I was born or even before intercoms in the home. My family has yelled across the house, up the stairs, down the stairs, into the next room, into the outside open air, for generations.