Am I the one only one that doesn’t mind? iPhone X is dominating. Watch 3 is dominating its own market. iMac Pro on its way. iPad Pro with iOS 11 is a game changer. MacBook pros are better than ever. Hell even AirPods are selling better than ever. I think they can afford to forgo HomePod a little while longer.
I think Apple realised Siri needs to be a whole lot better for the HomePod to get any traction at all. It needs to be better as a whole than any competing product, not just better sound, to be successful at that price point.
I have a Sonos One. It seems to do almost exactly what the HomePod will do and it integrates with my existing Sonos system. Apple can hardly claim it’s a break through product now.
And you can claim this because.....
You've never ever seen HomePod nor used one so this is a BS statement until otherwise proven.
There’s gotta’ be unknown functionality for the price point of $349 ... included WiFi Mesh / extension would have me interested
sidenote - I’m amazed how Amazon continues to add additional types of Echo options - the new one for $129(?) with a decent screen is interesting
The sound quality on the Homepod will have to be exceptional and a notch above any of the cheap competitors to generate any real interest by consumers who care about sound quality. Right now Homepod is priced below most of the high end European speakers so maybe Apple is looking to grab sales from that segment by undercutting price. And like you say it seems for the price stated, there should be some significant features that have not yet been revealed.
By pre-announcing this product, they will reduce the number of Echos and Google Homes being purchased this holiday season by Apple customers by the tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. Sure those are going to sell regardless, but those waiting for the Apple version now know it will exist, and will wait for it instead of opting for the alternative.
The missed December release date won’t make too much of a difference as long as they get it out in the first quarter. In fact it may help that quarters sales numbers considering the holiday quarter is already expected to be a record breaker.
I was laughed at a few months ago here because I said Tim cool is a poor leader.
A poor leader would have shipped a product that was not ready for consumers. This is a good sign, it means Apple is serious about this product.
A good leader should not disappoint fans. Cook cannot match the reception Jobs received when introducing new products.
I don't get the disappointment? Please explain...
Tim is not Steve...we all know that. Tim knows that and has probably even publicly admitted that somewhere. However, I think people like you fail to realize that Apple is far better off today than it ever was when Steve was CEO. Apple has its products in the hands of far more people around that world, its making more money than it ever has, and its innovating new technologies that others are copying just like before under Steve. Apple is doing all of this without the grand presentation of Steve Jobs. I'm sorry you may not agree the direction Apple is going in, but Apple is in a better place today. Its not falling to its feet like some thought it would because Steve isn't here anymore.
Don't be so quick to ask for Tim to be out...you might just be sorry you asked. Apple will not find another Steve Jobs...he's was a special type of person that Apple will not replace. Every CEO will take Apple in the direction they want to and when any CEO starts having this "What would Steve do" mentality...Apple is in deep shit! I myself would be upset if someone came in as CEO trying to be Steve.
I think Apple realised Siri needs to be a whole lot better for the HomePod to get any traction at all. It needs to be better as a whole than any competing product, not just better sound, to be successful at that price point.
BINGO! I have to think this is exactly the reason. The hardware is the easy part...its the software that makes this thing work is the hard part. Not only does it work, it has to work better than anything out there. This is why Apple isn't ever the first to release something new. It should never be about shoving something out the door just to make a few people happy...it should be about release something when its ready.
I have a Sonos One. It seems to do almost exactly what the HomePod will do and it integrates with my existing Sonos system. Apple can hardly claim it’s a break through product now.
And you can claim this because.....
You haven't ever seen HomePod nor used one so its a BS statement until otherwise proven.
Your comment is rude. I have seen the Apple presentation and video and read the AI editorial. You show a lack of understanding of the word almost.
I think Apple realised Siri needs to be a whole lot better for the HomePod to get any traction at all. It needs to be better as a whole than any competing product, not just better sound, to be successful at that price point.
I think you’ve nailed. Siri is still too much of a toy at the moment, and this will show up when she’s inside a device that’s not that different from the competition, instead of having her shortcomings masked by a superior phone.
After people calling Elon Musk a hack and backing up their comments that Tesla will be shutting down any day now because the Model 3 isn't being produced as fast as initially intended (even though it did make it launch date) I guess we need to say the same thing about Apple and Cook (and about Jobs when he ran the company) now that Apple has once again delayed a launch date that they gave themselves.
Are you comparing the HomePod (a minor product that if it's spectacularly successful won't add 1% to Apple's bottom line) to Telsa's first foray into the mass automobile market that will determine the future of the company? Seems a little off to me. Except for Apple nerds like us, almost no one has even heard of the HomePod, so a few month delay is irrelevant. If Apple had to delay the iPhone X, you'd be closer to the mark. But they didn't, obviously.
1) I'm comparing the statement that delays mean the company is about to fold. And don't act like this is the first product to be delayed by Apple. They do this with frequency. I I wish Apple would under promise and over deliver like they did with the Intel transition, but while that happened during the Steve Jobs era, it was still a rarity for the company.
2) The flip side to your argument is that Tesla and Musk have less of everything compared to Apple and Cook, and that an automobile has a lot more part, a massive number of regulations, and is much harder to build, yet Tesla made their self-appointed launch date and Apple didn't with what you describe as a "minor product" so there shouldn't be any major unknowns, especially just a couple weeks before December, for something so workaday.
3) Do you really want Apple to keep pulling this promise now and let customers hold off on buying another product because of their marketshare, the way Microsoft did to constantly hurt sales of would be competitors? I don't.
Blip. Much is being made about this delay in the financial press, despite the fact they all panned the unit's capability to change the quarterly numbers beyond a percent or two.
I have a Sonos One. It seems to do almost exactly what the HomePod will do and it integrates with my existing Sonos system. Apple can hardly claim it’s a break through product now.
And you can claim this because.....
You haven't ever seen HomePod nor used one so its a BS statement until otherwise proven.
Your comment is rude. I have seen the Apple presentation and video and read the AI editorial. You show a lack of understanding of the word almost.
Its not rude...its realistic. Until you've actually used something you can't make an honest assessment.
The worst? For your particular use case perhaps an Echo is better. I gave my Echo to my daughter months ago, using Google Home instead which for me is a better device. Also sounds a bit better IMO, tho a tad on the bass-y side. All depends on what you use it for I guess.
How to trigger Gatorguy: say something bad about Google and your done. What a joke.
It's a speaker. At the end of the day, regardless how good it is, it is a speaker with WiFi/easy pairing. Given Google and Amazon are pumping these out left and right???
Really? Delayed?
There's speakers and there's SPEAKERS.
The early Google and Amazon ones don't have particularly good sound.
I think Apple realised Siri needs to be a whole lot better for the HomePod to get any traction at all. It needs to be better as a whole than any competing product, not just better sound, to be successful at that price point.
I might agree with you if Apple weren't marketing the HomePod as a premium-sound "intelligent" speaker rather than a home assistant. In fact Apple pretty much avoided promoting Siri capabilities as a reason to buy it. At the time several posters here felt that was a smart move, let Siri gradually improve after the Home Pod's release, focus instead on the unique speaker functions and sound quality. Personally I don't think Apple would change the focus now and delay the Home Pod to make it an Echo competitor.
It's a speaker. At the end of the day, regardless how good it is, it is a speaker with WiFi/easy pairing. Given Google and Amazon are pumping these out left and right???
Really? Delayed?
There's speakers and there's SPEAKERS.
The early Google and Amazon ones don't have particularly good sound.
1) Why does that matter when you can connect a large variety of speakers to them if music is your primary use. Even now Amazon's been partnering with other companies to include their Alexa service.
2) Do you really think that HomePod will be better than even a mediocre multi-channel surround sound system that many already have in their living room? I don't, so I'm curious what the argument will be when independent tests show that the HomePod isn't nearly on par with such setups and probably a little below the already shipping Sonos One that comes with Alexa built-in.
i wonder what apple’s intention was when they first announced the homepod. if it was to stymie the sales of alexa and google home i’m not sure it did the job. amazon and google are now instead making their version of a high fidelity speaker to beat apple to market 🤔
There’s gotta’ be unknown functionality for the price point of $349 ... included WiFi Mesh / extension would have me interested
sidenote - I’m amazed how Amazon continues to add additional types of Echo options - the new one for $129(?) with a decent screen is interesting
When Apple announced the Apple Watch, I could see the value of it to me directly. Sure, it has its quirks, but I like it, and consider it a value. I've never been disappointed by any apple product I've purchased. Well...maybe aside from the Newton, and even it had its charm. I was less disappointed than I was "why did I buy this?"
So too with the HomePod. I don't see the value to me personally. I have speakers, and access to music all I want. Even at less that 1/2 the asking price of this, I've no interest.
My interest point in Amazon's devices is down around the $20 point, and that's just for curiosity rather than functionality I'm interested in. You know...kinda like the Newton.
There are other things I wish Apple would make. Like updated Airports, maybe a Touch Bar keyboard for the Mac. A different remote for AppleTV. An updated MacMini and iPad mini.
Comments
sidenote - I’m amazed how Amazon continues to add additional types of Echo options - the new one for $129(?) with a decent screen is interesting
You've never ever seen HomePod nor used one so this is a BS statement until otherwise proven.
By pre-announcing this product, they will reduce the number of Echos and Google Homes being purchased this holiday season by Apple customers by the tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands. Sure those are going to sell regardless, but those waiting for the Apple version now know it will exist, and will wait for it instead of opting for the alternative.
The missed December release date won’t make too much of a difference as long as they get it out in the first quarter. In fact it may help that quarters sales numbers considering the holiday quarter is already expected to be a record breaker.
Tim is not Steve...we all know that. Tim knows that and has probably even publicly admitted that somewhere. However, I think people like you fail to realize that Apple is far better off today than it ever was when Steve was CEO. Apple has its products in the hands of far more people around that world, its making more money than it ever has, and its innovating new technologies that others are copying just like before under Steve. Apple is doing all of this without the grand presentation of Steve Jobs. I'm sorry you may not agree the direction Apple is going in, but Apple is in a better place today. Its not falling to its feet like some thought it would because Steve isn't here anymore.
Don't be so quick to ask for Tim to be out...you might just be sorry you asked. Apple will not find another Steve Jobs...he's was a special type of person that Apple will not replace. Every CEO will take Apple in the direction they want to and when any CEO starts having this "What would Steve do" mentality...Apple is in deep shit! I myself would be upset if someone came in as CEO trying to be Steve.
BINGO! I have to think this is exactly the reason. The hardware is the easy part...its the software that makes this thing work is the hard part. Not only does it work, it has to work better than anything out there. This is why Apple isn't ever the first to release something new. It should never be about shoving something out the door just to make a few people happy...it should be about release something when its ready.
2) The flip side to your argument is that Tesla and Musk have less of everything compared to Apple and Cook, and that an automobile has a lot more part, a massive number of regulations, and is much harder to build, yet Tesla made their self-appointed launch date and Apple didn't with what you describe as a "minor product" so there shouldn't be any major unknowns, especially just a couple weeks before December, for something so workaday.
3) Do you really want Apple to keep pulling this promise now and let customers hold off on buying another product because of their marketshare, the way Microsoft did to constantly hurt sales of would be competitors? I don't.
How to trigger Gatorguy: say something bad about Google and your done. What a joke.
The early Google and Amazon ones don't have particularly good sound.
2) Do you really think that HomePod will be better than even a mediocre multi-channel surround sound system that many already have in their living room? I don't, so I'm curious what the argument will be when independent tests show that the HomePod isn't nearly on par with such setups and probably a little below the already shipping Sonos One that comes with Alexa built-in.
So too with the HomePod. I don't see the value to me personally. I have speakers, and access to music all I want. Even at less that 1/2 the asking price of this, I've no interest.
My interest point in Amazon's devices is down around the $20 point, and that's just for curiosity rather than functionality I'm interested in. You know...kinda like the Newton.
There are other things I wish Apple would make. Like updated Airports, maybe a Touch Bar keyboard for the Mac. A different remote for AppleTV. An updated MacMini and iPad mini.