The biggest thing many want to know is if this can work as a home theater system. Can it? Will the sound match competing systems? Will it work with an Apple TV? When?
I agree with you but also wonder if they need to release a sound bar and sub woofer too. Something that would include HDMI &/or audio input so that you don't have to use it with just Apple TV.
You guys just aren’t getting it. HP is not a home theater, nor a sound bar. They don’t care about those and you’ll never see one with inputs. It’s part of the Apple ecosystem...a wireless shelf speaker for the walled garden. That’s it.
Which is why I think it’s a niche product with a limited market. Also I wouldn’t call it truly wireless as it has to be connected to a power source to work.
Well then your definition of wireless is unique to yourself. Wireless speakers refer to lack of a wire supplying the audio signal, not power. Even a wireless router has a wall plug.
Shelf speakers are far less “niche” than home theaters or hifi systems. They’re outright mainstream. The Apple Watch is also part of the walled garden, the smart watch being perhaps more niche than a shelf speaker. Still a smashing success.
Although it's very exciting, I'm leery about buying anything with processors that have the Meltdown/Spectre bugs. Should I wait?
If they have software fixes for other Apple devices, I dunno why this would be different.
Read the update notes again, they aren’t fixes, they are are “mitigations”, and that use of language is very deliberate. There can be no software fix for Spectre especially; the only complete fix is new hardware. The patches make the problems more difficult to exploit but not impossible, and there will be a lot of people working to get around them.
Personally I’m holding out on new tech until the new chips are out there. Not the HomePod is even slightly enticing anyway, it’s clearly overpriced and over engineered.
Regardless of whether the fix is a mitigation or not, the question was whether the HP is a security risk because of it. My point was software fixes were released for other iOS devices so there’s no reason to believe there won’t be here. Are you going to toss your iphone out? No? Then you needn’t worry about your speaker.
The biggest thing many want to know is if this can work as a home theater system. Can it? Will the sound match competing systems? Will it work with an Apple TV? When?
This whole HomePod launch is disappointing. In the meantime, I was gifted an Echo and for the Alexa stuff, it’s really good at controlling the smart home stuff. Things that Siri can’t do yet.
Seems like Amazon is taking the lead and it pains me because I have an all Apple ecosystem that is substandard to what Alexa can do.
What do you mean by this? I use Siri to control smart home stuff every day.
Siri Works with Philips Hue and the iDevices switches but it doesn’t work with Smartthings, Z Wave, iRobot, Nest Thermostats or caneras, or the Harmony remotes. Where Alexa works with all of the above plus what Siri does.
It it really shouldn’t be a surprise, the list of HomeKit integrations is very small compared to Alexa’s list. I’ve been holding out on Alexa because of privacy reasons but someone got me one for my birthday. Since using it, I’ve only felt more underwhelmed by HomeKit support.
HomeKit and Siri can most definitely control smart home thermostats, cameras, lighting, and numerous brands of electrical outlets and switches, etc. You’re now citing names products not offering HK support but that’s entirely different than claiming Siri can’t do “smart home stuff”. It can and does.
Although it's very exciting, I'm leery about buying anything with processors that have the Meltdown/Spectre bugs. Should I wait?
If they have software fixes for other Apple devices, I dunno why this would be different.
Read the update notes again, they aren’t fixes, they are are “mitigations”, and that use of language is very deliberate. There can be no software fix for Spectre especially; the only complete fix is new hardware. The patches make the problems more difficult to exploit but not impossible, and there will be a lot of people working to get around them.
Personally I’m holding out on new tech until the new chips are out there. Not the HomePod is even slightly enticing anyway, it’s clearly overpriced and over engineered.
Regardless of whether the fix is a mitigation or not, the question was whether the HP is a security risk because of it. My point was software fixes were released for other iOS devices so there’s no reason to believe there won’t be here. Are you going to toss your iphone out? No? Then you needn’t worry about your speaker.
I’ll run my phone as normal for the next year or so while it’s fully supported with updates and fixes for the mitigations etc, but after that I’ll move it on and update to a new phone with updated chips and no exposure to these bugs.
In the meantime I won’t be sinking £300 into an untested speaker that’s potentially insecure out of the box and may turn out to be poorly supported and/or orphaned in future.
I'm glad some people seem to be worried about purchasing ANY hardware that has processors with the serious security flaws based on flawed system architecture. I really, really want the HomePod but I'm also really, really scared about Spectre/Meltdown and the only thing HomePod has that probably mitigates these flaws is that it probably doesn't run any software other than Apple's. (Does anyone know for sure?) So these bugs may not even need to be fixed in the HomePod.
I'm glad some people seem to be worried about purchasing ANY hardware that has processors with the serious security flaws based on flawed system architecture. I really, really want the HomePod but I'm also really, really scared about Spectre/Meltdown and the only thing HomePod has that probably mitigates these flaws is that it probably doesn't run any software other than Apple's. (Does anyone know for sure?) So these bugs may not even need to be fixed in the HomePod.
Well, hopefully your homepod is behind a firewall, so that's the first one that should be updated if you are worried about a device not running third party code being updated. They're much much much less vulnerable just because of that but it is not zero.
The fact no software than run third party code (even javascript code) will likely protect the homepod for a long while (until Apple opens it up, which may never occur if all the equivalent of Alexa skills are run on the server).
MacPro said: I'd like to know that too, but buying at least one on Friday anyway.
We'll be looking for reports! Especially any kind of comparison feedback to something we might be familiar with in terms of sound quality.
Like, I'm curious if this would sound better than any of the Logitech speakers you'd plug into a computer or Airport Express, or say something like Kanto YU4 w/ Airport Express. (similar price range) I know (or least I'm pretty sure) it isn't going to sound as good as an amp and pair of reasonably good speakers. But, you're not going to get those for $350 either.
Aplus said: I’m assuming Apple TV will be able to stream to it, but I’d really like to know if there’s any way to get audio from other things connected to a television to it (e.g. Playstation, OTA/cablebox). Does anyone know if it at least has an AUX in?
I kind of doubt it, and sometimes there is lag involved in these kind of systems (which makes them not great for 'live' type stuff like gaming or playing keyboard/guitar through, etc.) But, maybe Airplay 2 addresses that kind of thing?
rogifan_new said: Which is why I think it’s a niche product with a limited market. Also I wouldn’t call it truly wireless as it has to be connected to a power source to work.
If my family is any indication, or many I know... I think we'll be surprised. Most people don't care much about home-theatre, stereo systems, etc. anymore so the competition is iPad/laptop speakers and the other BT and garbage home-assistant speakers. If these sound substantially better, a lot of people will buy them.
I just keep thinking of the particular combination of traits a person would have to have in order to want this, and I just keep being left with a very small population of consumers...
What do you think the size of the population of consumers that want a Rolls Royce is? Is it so small that the car should be discontinued?
I just wish Apple would apply THAT kind of thinking to the Mac. (Or, heck, even Steve's favorite for analogy, BMW. Apple seems to be now shooting more for a Subaru or Mazda audience, with a few Chevy Cruze thrown in.)
sandor said: well, is Apple using it for 20Hz to 2 KHz or 20Hz to 200Hz??
size isn't the differential, what frequencies Apple is sending to the speaker is what makes the difference.
I think it's more about whether the speaker can reproduce the frequencies Apple sends to it with any quality.
I just keep thinking of the particular combination of traits a person would have to have in order to want this, and I just keep being left with a very small population of consumers...
What are the traits one would have to have?
Someone who is enough of an audiophile to want to spend >$300 on a single speaker yet doesn't already own one.
Someone who is techie enough to accept having a standalone, ambient listening device who hasn't already scooped up a handful of Amazon dots or Google Home minis BUT YET is willing to accept Siri's (handicapped) technical performance.
I'm a huge Apple fan, advocate, and developer ... but I truly don't see a juicy market opportunity here. The upgrade cycle is going to be long, since the speakers make up a bulk of the cost.
I don't understand why Apple didn't at least make the processor/display core swappable. It would have actually been cool to be able to swap out the "brain and spinal cord" each year to gain new functionality.
boxcatcher said: Someone who is enough of an audiophile to want to spend >$300 on a single speaker yet doesn't already own one.
Someone who is techie enough to accept having a standalone, ambient listening device who hasn't already scooped up a handful of Amazon dots or Google Home minis BUT YET is willing to accept Siri's (handicapped) technical performance.
Kind of like me (or, better, my family) but I/we don't care much about the 'listening device' aspect, aside from maybe switching tracks, play/pause, etc. What does a home assistant really need to do anyway? Control the music, maybe play a podcast, possibly home-control, and convert some units (i.e.: how many tablespoons in a cup?). Beyond that, the rest is, at best, trivial pursuit and marketing data to sell you, or at worst a wire-tap for 3-letter agencies. I have no need for that, and once the "I'm a Jetson" novelty dies off, I doubt most other people will either.
This whole HomePod launch is disappointing. In the meantime, I was gifted an Echo and for the Alexa stuff, it’s really good at controlling the smart home stuff. Things that Siri can’t do yet.
Seems like Amazon is taking the lead and it pains me because I have an all Apple ecosystem that is substandard to what Alexa can do.
What do you mean by this? I use Siri to control smart home stuff every day.
Siri Works with Philips Hue and the iDevices switches but it doesn’t work with Smartthings, Z Wave, iRobot, Nest Thermostats or caneras, or the Harmony remotes. Where Alexa works with all of the above plus what Siri does.
It it really shouldn’t be a surprise, the list of HomeKit integrations is very small compared to Alexa’s list. I’ve been holding out on Alexa because of privacy reasons but someone got me one for my birthday. Since using it, I’ve only felt more underwhelmed by HomeKit support.
HomeKit and Siri can most definitely control smart home thermostats, cameras, lighting, and numerous brands of electrical outlets and switches, etc. You’re now citing names products not offering HK support but that’s entirely different than claiming Siri can’t do “smart home stuff”. It can and does.
Exactly - don't tell my Siri she can't control my Nest thermostat or my 100+ zWave devices. She works perfectly with them, on a daily basis. I use macOS software called Indigo to manage a large zWave installation for home automation. It has a plugin for my Nest thermostat. There is open source software (runs on the same Mac mini as Indigo) that acts as a HomeKit bridge, and exposes ALL my Indigo devices (zWave & Nest) to HomeKit/Siri.
BTW - HomeKit Bridges (hardware or software) are a part of the HomeKit standard. They allow non-HomeKit devices to be controlled by HomeKit/Siri.
Many of my friends have the Amazon Alexa for more than a year, but before I even discovered on AppleInsider that Apple was developing the HomePod, I already made the decision I would wait to add only a similar device made by Apple. And having an Apple ecosystem has always been an emphasis for me (although I have owned Nest products).
As I read everyone’s comments, and of course none of us can give any official “reviews” yet, part of me feels like I want to purchase the HomePod by preorder on the web site tonight to bring greater capabilities to my Apple wireless routers and Apple wireless devices, while the other part is telling me to be cautious and hold back on this purchase. I already have a portable Bluetooth Bose Soundlink II speaker since 2013, and I use it almost everyday to stream my radio podcasts and music. You can plug it in to run on AC while keeping the battery charged or use its battery for portable power in any room or when I travel for more than 10 hours. The HomePod I’m sure will have great sound, but it’s disadvantage to me is that it must always be plugged in and is not portable.
Lastly, I tend toward the decision to wait. I have learned from experience (e.g., 1st generation iPad vs iPad 2) that waiting to buy something after the 1st generation of any product is a much wiser and satisfying investment for the long term.
Comments
Shelf speakers are far less “niche” than home theaters or hifi systems. They’re outright mainstream. The Apple Watch is also part of the walled garden, the smart watch being perhaps more niche than a shelf speaker. Still a smashing success.
Regardless of whether the fix is a mitigation or not, the question was whether the HP is a security risk because of it. My point was software fixes were released for other iOS devices so there’s no reason to believe there won’t be here. Are you going to toss your iphone out? No? Then you needn’t worry about your speaker.
HomeKit and Siri can most definitely control smart home thermostats, cameras, lighting, and numerous brands of electrical outlets and switches, etc. You’re now citing names products not offering HK support but that’s entirely different than claiming Siri can’t do “smart home stuff”. It can and does.
In the meantime I won’t be sinking £300 into an untested speaker that’s potentially insecure out of the box and may turn out to be poorly supported and/or orphaned in future.
Like, I'm curious if this would sound better than any of the Logitech speakers you'd plug into a computer or Airport Express, or say something like Kanto YU4 w/ Airport Express. (similar price range) I know (or least I'm pretty sure) it isn't going to sound as good as an amp and pair of reasonably good speakers. But, you're not going to get those for $350 either.
I kind of doubt it, and sometimes there is lag involved in these kind of systems (which makes them not great for 'live' type stuff like gaming or playing keyboard/guitar through, etc.) But, maybe Airplay 2 addresses that kind of thing?
If my family is any indication, or many I know... I think we'll be surprised. Most people don't care much about home-theatre, stereo systems, etc. anymore so the competition is iPad/laptop speakers and the other BT and garbage home-assistant speakers. If these sound substantially better, a lot of people will buy them.
I just wish Apple would apply THAT kind of thinking to the Mac.
I think it's more about whether the speaker can reproduce the frequencies Apple sends to it with any quality.
Someone who is enough of an audiophile to want to spend >$300 on a single speaker yet doesn't already own one.
Someone who is techie enough to accept having a standalone, ambient listening device who hasn't already scooped up a handful of Amazon dots or Google Home minis BUT YET is willing to accept Siri's (handicapped) technical performance.
I'm a huge Apple fan, advocate, and developer ... but I truly don't see a juicy market opportunity here. The upgrade cycle is going to be long, since the speakers make up a bulk of the cost.
I don't understand why Apple didn't at least make the processor/display core swappable. It would have actually been cool to be able to swap out the "brain and spinal cord" each year to gain new functionality.
BTW - HomeKit Bridges (hardware or software) are a part of the HomeKit standard. They allow non-HomeKit devices to be controlled by HomeKit/Siri.
As I read everyone’s comments, and of course none of us can give any official “reviews” yet, part of me feels like I want to purchase the HomePod by preorder on the web site tonight to bring greater capabilities to my Apple wireless routers and Apple wireless devices, while the other part is telling me to be cautious and hold back on this purchase. I already have a portable Bluetooth Bose Soundlink II speaker since 2013, and I use it almost everyday to stream my radio podcasts and music. You can plug it in to run on AC while keeping the battery charged or use its battery for portable power in any room or when I travel for more than 10 hours. The HomePod I’m sure will have great sound, but it’s disadvantage to me is that it must always be plugged in and is not portable.
Lastly, I tend toward the decision to wait. I have learned from experience (e.g., 1st generation iPad vs iPad 2) that waiting to buy something after the 1st generation of any product is a much wiser and satisfying investment for the long term.