Because it would be the single most immediately useful product in the companies lineup and entire history. Can't have that.
Instead, they'd make an iPad with a touch bar.
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.
What to Expect From Apple in 2018: Three New iPhones and iPad Pro With Face ID, HomePod, Refreshed Macs, and More
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Instead, they'd make an iPad with a touch bar.
For the last couple of years, Apple has been really out of touch with their customer base, but I think 2017 was a turn in the right direction. I was impressed to see Apple invite a selected few from the industry to discuss the future of the Mac (Pro) and actually listening to what customers are asking for.
I hope we will see more of this in 2018.
Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with the MacBook line-up in 2018, the Apple-branded display and also the pricing model of the updated iPhone X.
Apple also has the perfect opportunity to re-invent the Mac Mini.
I hope we will see more of this in 2018.
Personally, I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with the MacBook line-up in 2018, the Apple-branded display and also the pricing model of the updated iPhone X.
Apple also has the perfect opportunity to re-invent the Mac Mini.
Have you listened to it? Not many products with beam forming on the transmit side. The only systems I'm aware of are five figure audiophile stuff. Will it work in practice? I don't know. Only a few people not covered by an NDA have listened to the system.
I'm more of a content producer than an audio engineer but since audio is my livelihood and I'm a total nerd I do a bit of reading on the technical aspects. One thing I do know from experience is that room acoustics matter as much, or more, than the speakers once you cross a certain quality threshold. Trying to compensate for room acoustics with EQ is a losing battle. It can make a difference but the difference is slight and often at the expense of other frequencies or leads to worse sound in other parts of the room. There is no free lunch. Automatic EQ-ing is what Sonos, Alexa, and Google all do to compensate for poor placement and poorly treated rooms. The automatic EQ technology has undoubtably improved but it isn't new. Plenty of companies were doing it well back in 2011 so I don't think comparing against the Play 3 is disingenuous.
In theory beam forming on transmit could make a real difference because the audio waves themselves are adjusted to compensate for the room/placement. In the limited reviews I've read so far the listeners made a point to talk about how the HomePod sounded good from every vantage point. This is a big deal and very difficult to pull off. Beamforming on transmit is unproven and unprecedented at this price point. If Apple has really pulled it off then I think it is well worth the money if your primary purpose is listening and not purchases.
EDIT: unreliable source, but I spoke with an Apple retail employee and he said the official word is HomePod in January but no word as to when in January. Like everything about the device I'm cautiously optimistic.
If Apple are confident in the sound quality is superior why give a comparison with the oldest speaker Sonos still sell? Because they know it wont stand out against a Play 5 or a pair of Play 1s.
We'll see when Apple eventually manages to get this thing out of the door wont we.
You still have bezel except now it’s called a notch.
I wouldn’t say the word ‘major’ was justified. The only new product is late and the rest is rehashing of existing products.
I would be happier if they would announce a cheaper HomePod that would act as a ‘dumb’ half of a stereo pair.
I would be happier if they would announce a cheaper HomePod that would act as a ‘dumb’ half of a stereo pair.
"We're expecting a minor spec bump with 8th-generation Kaby Lake Refresh chips [for the MacBook Pro]". Is a major spec bump from a dual core to a quad core 13" MBP unlikely?
Self driving cars would work if we had better roads. I drive a huge truck now just for protection because driving conditions are so poor where I live. I also appreciate all the modern sensors this truck has. Driving on the road feels like an off-road adventure. I don’t know how a self driving car would account for a drive through town that I take.
Infrastructure is a mess.
Apple needs to to re-establish it's name for quality products with world class quality control. In the last few years, we've seen far too many instances of half-baked software releases and too many hardware defects for a company of Apple's stature. I doubt Mr Jobs would allow it.
Correct, great post.
The single best thing Apple could do this coming year is reintroduce a sense of quality about their hardware and software releases and do the necessary to repair the lost trust over the shoddy software releases and the battery fiasco.
iPhone display size is nice as it is. Don't be like Samsung. it's ridiculously too large. We've got tablet for that
How about a MacBook Pro with a *real* keyboard? One that has some travel and doesn't get crippled by dust, grit, or snack particles!
How about an overhaul of the Mac OS and iOS and associated Apple apps, so that glitches are vanquished and consistency, transparency, and functionality reign?!
How about making the extra character access on iOS keyboards be accomplished through an *up* stroke rather than a down one? After all, the additional characters are labeled *above* the main letters, not *below* them!
Let's also bring back the iPad Mini, with new internals, new camera, bezel-free, non-notch design!
How about an overhaul of the Mac OS and iOS and associated Apple apps, so that glitches are vanquished and consistency, transparency, and functionality reign?!
How about making the extra character access on iOS keyboards be accomplished through an *up* stroke rather than a down one? After all, the additional characters are labeled *above* the main letters, not *below* them!
Let's also bring back the iPad Mini, with new internals, new camera, bezel-free, non-notch design!
Disagree. I think it makes complete sense that Apple will release a 6.5 larger version in 2018 alongside the 5.8 iPhone X. It's been rumored know that three iPhones will launch a 2018 . To me, that sounds inline about what to expect with Apple expanding the iPhone X line. I don't see Apple offering only OLED model with an incremental update for a second year in a row.
Best of 2018 will be featuring the throttle of iPhone X, just in time of the next iPhone.
Of course only to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. *cough* *cough*
Of course only to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. *cough* *cough*
I don't think the conspiracy you're seeing here is real. Sonos's speakers are mostly just speakers (from a sound reproduction standpoint) and the age doesn't matter as much. The updated "tech" is mostly in the networking, etc. Sonos undoubtably uses high quality drivers and amplifiers but they aren't cutting edge in terms of design or materials. Plus the Play 5 is in a different price, power, and size class. The Play 3 is closer to the size, power (and cost) of the HomePod. However, the HomePod introduces some new (at this price point) speaker technology. You're right that we'll have to see how it plays out in the real world.
I agree a comparison with the Play 5 would be very interesting—especially since the HomePod would be the value/budget option of the two. My guess is that even with the extended movement of the bass driver in the HomePod the Play 5 is better at the low-end (one 4" woofer just can't compared to two bigger ones). However, I don't think using the Play 3 was anything other than trying to compare the HomePod with a similarly spec'ed and priced option from the competition.
Have you actually used an iPhone X for any extended period of time. Every single reviewer out there mentions how the notch just disappears over time.
They skipped 3 out of 6 with what you're showing, not 1. So once a year only 50% of the time.
HomePod: announced in June of 2017
Play 5: released in late November of 2017
You're saying "wait and see" with the HomePod sound quality, so why would you expect Apple to compare their own product to something that hadn't even been released yet?
Nothing like that. I was thinking about being able to play Boom Beach on my Apple TV for example.
Sounds like a good guess. Overall volume and bass as an edge for the Play 5 wouldn't be unlikely. Sound quality throughout the room and amount of separation from a single unit as an edge for the HomePod wouldn't be unlikely either.
Bezel-less 9” iPad mini/Pro with FaceID, A11 or 12, 3-4GB of RAM, 3D Touch, pencil support, etc. I would buy that in a heartbeat to replace my two-year-old iPad mini 4. Maybe we’ll get a surprise in 2018?What to NOT expect: a bezel-less 9-inch iPad mini with Pencil support.