First look: Apple's HomePod speaker
Apple took the wraps off HomePod, a competitor to so-called "smart speakers" like Amazon Echo, on Monday, later offering WWDC attendees a closer look at the device prior to an expected debut in December.
Apple had both white and black HomePods on display at the San Jose Convention Center, though neither model was fully functional. Whether the HomePods contained speaker hardware, a processor and other components is unclear, as the only functioning feature was the Siri graphic on top of the unit.
Aside from a single power cable, the sneak peek versions do not feature input/output ports, suggesting Apple plans to rely solely on wireless connectivity for audio transfer. The decision comes as no surprise considering the company's efforts to slowly remove wired connections from its product lineups.
From a design standpoint, HomePod is an elegant piece of equipment that should fit in with most modern home decors. A 3D mesh acoustic fabric hides away functional bits like a 7-tweeter pack, 6-microphone beamforming array, central up-firing subwoofer and chassis.
An A8 chip sits below the speaker cap to handle realtime acoustic modeling, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancelation. Perhaps most importantly, the A8 also powers Siri, making HomePod an intelligent assistant device capable of accepting commands, answering queries, controlling HomeKit accessories and more.
HomePod is expected to ship in December for $349.
Apple had both white and black HomePods on display at the San Jose Convention Center, though neither model was fully functional. Whether the HomePods contained speaker hardware, a processor and other components is unclear, as the only functioning feature was the Siri graphic on top of the unit.
Aside from a single power cable, the sneak peek versions do not feature input/output ports, suggesting Apple plans to rely solely on wireless connectivity for audio transfer. The decision comes as no surprise considering the company's efforts to slowly remove wired connections from its product lineups.
From a design standpoint, HomePod is an elegant piece of equipment that should fit in with most modern home decors. A 3D mesh acoustic fabric hides away functional bits like a 7-tweeter pack, 6-microphone beamforming array, central up-firing subwoofer and chassis.
An A8 chip sits below the speaker cap to handle realtime acoustic modeling, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancelation. Perhaps most importantly, the A8 also powers Siri, making HomePod an intelligent assistant device capable of accepting commands, answering queries, controlling HomeKit accessories and more.
HomePod is expected to ship in December for $349.
Comments
I've no doubt people will buy this, but I think it's far too overpriced for the majority. And yes, I know that Apple isn't in it for the majority (which is a bit of a weird way to run their business), but just think what they could achieve sales-wise if they sold it at a more reasonable price.
I knew it did multi-room audio sync years ago. What else is new?
I'd be very happy to see 5.1 audio support and Hi-rez
I think Apple's doing the right thing at the 350 price point. Any lower and your
market is going to get eaten up by Bluetooth speakers.
in fact, why not a range: a cheaper entry level version; this one; one with Apple TV built in, and one that is a standalone home kit hub, apple TV and speaker all in one.
And to really seal the deal, have them all connect with a NAS (yeah, I'm dreaming that will ever happen).
My IPad's audio is really good already, so I'm not interested.
But
It seems like an Apple docking station that includes an improved Mike and speakers would be more useful.
The people that would be interested already have all the other hardware built into their IPhone/IPad.
The appeal of Amazon's products are they're cheap, we'll see if theirs an upscale market...
Sonos would be the next logical step up. (Not this from Apple)