Yes, the Siri aspect comes up short in the reviews.... but Siri comes up short on the iPhone/iPad, too, and they still sell well. As for the limitations of content, well it is for the Apple Ecosystem, stupid. The reviews generally seem to be from folks that think it is a fail simply because it can't stream pandora or spotify. I say, who cares?
Except iPhones aren’t sold as personal assistants/home automation hubs
”ecosystem”, except for everything in iTunes (I don’t have to run upstairs to my iMac to play music with Sonos)
Do you not own an IOS device? I personally like to use my iPad for music and Appletv controls once I am in for the night.
HomePod was ordered about 15 minutes after the Apple Store opened up for business two weeks ago tomorrow. Yet here we are one day to go and I still don't have a tracking number from Apple. But the "Your Orders" webpage says "Next Day Shipping" so I guess it's premature to start being concerned. If it makes it on a plane this evening from a distribution warehouse, I guess I should get it tomorrow.
Like Felix01 said about MacRumors. Just go to UPS and do the "Track by Reference" and put in your phone number (without dashes) and it should pop-up, it did for me
Every review seems to touch on the limitations of Siri. However these same journalists when given the chance to ask a senior Apple executive, never ask them why they don't make Siri more capable. Weather it is the phone or TV or the Mac. Maybe I just haven't seen the right interviews.
MacRumors has a HomePod article which includes details on how to track your UPS Next Day Air Saver HomePod shipment even if Apple still shows "Preparing to Ship." All you need is the phone number associated with the order.
Worked for me, a nine pound package scheduled for delivery tomorrow (Friday) by end-of-day.
Worked for me, too. UPS has been in possession of my HomePod since Monday, 2/5 where it has been sitting at a hub in TN awaiting shipment via UPS Next Day Air Saver with a scheduled delivery date of Friday, 2/9.
Just go to UPS Track by Reference and use your phone number.
Echo has better integration? That's not good for Apple because Echo's integration sucks. I can play apple music over the Echo only if I am using my phone to control it and just using Alexa as a standard bluetooth speaker. She won't launch and play it, only wants to access my amazon music, which has a fraction of what apple does.
Echo has better integration? That's not good for Apple because Echo's integration sucks. I can play apple music over the Echo only if I am using my phone to control it and just using Alexa as a standard bluetooth speaker. She won't launch and play it, only wants to access my amazon music, which has a fraction of what apple does.
If you have no music subscriptions, several of which are completely free or have free tiers, then why would expect to get access to those other services? Unlike with the HomePod, you can use voice commands with all those services whereas the HomePod will require you to use to tether wirelessly to push those services.
If you go with a Sonos One you not only get Alexa (and later this year Google Now and potentially Siri) you have the widest array of options all controlled with voice commands.
HomePod was ordered about 15 minutes after the Apple Store opened up for business two weeks ago tomorrow. Yet here we are one day to go and I still don't have a tracking number from Apple. But the "Your Orders" webpage says "Next Day Shipping" so I guess it's premature to start being concerned. If it makes it on a plane this evening from a distribution warehouse, I guess I should get it tomorrow.
I got my tracking number around 10:00am on Thursday.
Almost no one I know talks to their electronics in a meaningful way...yes, isolated use cases here or there, (tomorrow's weather, price of a stock, sports score), but generally in private and Siri does all those kinds of things well. But very few talk to an inanimate object in a public/group/office environment. So I think the Siri/Alexa thing over-emphasized in terms of importance, especially for how Apple is positioning it as a high quality device
The most effective use for me is short audibles for text or emails while driving.
Homepod, like so many Apple things, is planting the seeds for something larger and integrated is my feeling...
HomePod was ordered about 15 minutes after the Apple Store opened up for business two weeks ago tomorrow. Yet here we are one day to go and I still don't have a tracking number from Apple. But the "Your Orders" webpage says "Next Day Shipping" so I guess it's premature to start being concerned. If it makes it on a plane this evening from a distribution warehouse, I guess I should get it tomorrow.
I got my tracking number around 10:00am on Thursday.
Apple is now showing "Shipped" for mine, too. AND, I'm GLAD I looked because it says a signature is required, but there won't be anyone home when UPS delivers tomorrow. If I hadn't noticed this, I probably wouldn't have been able to get it until next week! Fortunately, Apple/UPS lets you pre-sign for delivery by printing out a form, filling it out, and leaving it for the driver.
Almost no one I know talks to their electronics in a meaningful way...yes, isolated use cases here or there, (tomorrow's weather, price of a stock, sports score), but generally in private and Siri does all those kinds of things well. But very few talk to an inanimate object in a public/group/office environment. So I think the Siri/Alexa thing over-emphasized in terms of importance, especially for how Apple is positioning it as a high quality device
The most effective use for me is short audibles for text or emails while driving.
Homepod, like so many Apple things, is planting the seeds for something larger and integrated is my feeling…
"A meaningful way"? You mean having, deep. passionate conversations about each other's dreams and aspirations? If not, then what could you possibly mean if being able to make a command or query, then have it immediately executed holds no import, useful quality, or purpose for you?
Almost no one I know talks to their electronics in a meaningful way...yes, isolated use cases here or there, (tomorrow's weather, price of a stock, sports score), but generally in private and Siri does all those kinds of things well. But very few talk to an inanimate object in a public/group/office environment. So I think the Siri/Alexa thing over-emphasized in terms of importance, especially for how Apple is positioning it as a high quality device
The most effective use for me is short audibles for text or emails while driving.
Homepod, like so many Apple things, is planting the seeds for something larger and integrated is my feeling…
"A meaningful way"? You mean having, deep. passionate conversations about each other's dreams and aspirations? If not, then what could you possibly mean if being able to make a command or query, then have it immediately executed holds no import, useful quality, or purpose for you?
You know what I mean.
Voice control is, as a part of our daily social and functional behaviors, an incredibly small facet of how we interact. As a percentage, and as how it impacts how we do things, it is relatively meaningless, and far from meaningful. Its far easer, more private, and less intrusive to type "aapl" in my browser than speak out, Hey <assistant of choice>, what's the price of Apple stock today?"
From a time allocation perspective, its probably 1/500th of the totality of how we interact on a daily basis. Hell, most people hate to type, but Dragon Naturally Speaking never lit the world on fire.
Every review seems to touch on the limitations of Siri.
I've noticed that there's not that much depth behind the criticism though. WhatHiFi said that the voice interaction with Siri for Apple Music was better than they expected, which is probably the biggest key right out of the gate.
Almost no one I know talks to their electronics in a meaningful way...yes, isolated use cases here or there, (tomorrow's weather, price of a stock, sports score), but generally in private and Siri does all those kinds of things well. But very few talk to an inanimate object in a public/group/office environment. So I think the Siri/Alexa thing over-emphasized in terms of importance, especially for how Apple is positioning it as a high quality device
The most effective use for me is short audibles for text or emails while driving.
Homepod, like so many Apple things, is planting the seeds for something larger and integrated is my feeling…
"A meaningful way"? You mean having, deep. passionate conversations about each other's dreams and aspirations? If not, then what could you possibly mean if being able to make a command or query, then have it immediately executed holds no import, useful quality, or purpose for you?
You know what I mean.
Voice control is, as a part of our daily social and functional behaviors, an incredibly small facet of how we interact. As a percentage, and as how it impacts how we do things, it is relatively meaningless, and far from meaningful. Its far easer, more private, and less intrusive to type "aapl" in my browser than speak out, Hey <assistant of choice>, what's the price of Apple stock today?"
From a time allocation perspective, its probably 1/500th of the totality of how we interact on a daily basis. Hell, most people hate to type, but Dragon Naturally Speaking never lit the world on fire.
My hunch is that voice control inside the home (you only mentioned public/group/office settings) is going to be huge. It is not that way yet (as you say) but I think it's headed that way. This may be consistent with your "planting the seeds" comment, but I think it's quite obvious that the HomePod will play a major role in the oft-mentioned "integrated home". It's just going to take a while to get everything in place for that.
I have a feeling about a million of us are going to be glad we pre-ordered.
And many at least a million of us may regret not doing so. MODF. I could have ordered yesterday, one was in the basket. Delivery was still guaranteed for the 9th. But I didn't.
I expect my Siri on HomePod experience to be the same as my iPads and iPhone— tolerable. The always on aspect of Siri on the HP makes it a little more tolerable. At some point Apple will improve Siri. I hope it's before they clean up iTunes. But the musicality throughout a room is my most important consideration. For that I'll cut Siri some slack. And Alexa can help out.
Almost no one I know talks to their electronics in a meaningful way...yes, isolated use cases here or there, (tomorrow's weather, price of a stock, sports score), but generally in private and Siri does all those kinds of things well. But very few talk to an inanimate object in a public/group/office environment. So I think the Siri/Alexa thing over-emphasized in terms of importance, especially for how Apple is positioning it as a high quality device
The most effective use for me is short audibles for text or emails while driving.
Homepod, like so many Apple things, is planting the seeds for something larger and integrated is my feeling…
"A meaningful way"? You mean having, deep. passionate conversations about each other's dreams and aspirations? If not, then what could you possibly mean if being able to make a command or query, then have it immediately executed holds no import, useful quality, or purpose for you?
You know what I mean.
Voice control is, as a part of our daily social and functional behaviors, an incredibly small facet of how we interact. As a percentage, and as how it impacts how we do things, it is relatively meaningless, and far from meaningful. Its far easer, more private, and less intrusive to type "aapl" in my browser than speak out, Hey <assistant of choice>, what's the price of Apple stock today?"
From a time allocation perspective, its probably 1/500th of the totality of how we interact on a daily basis. Hell, most people hate to type, but Dragon Naturally Speaking never lit the world on fire.
My hunch is that voice control inside the home (you only mentioned public/group/office settings) is going to be huge. It is not that way yet (as you say) but I think it's headed that way. This may be consistent with your "planting the seeds" comment, but I think it's quite obvious that the HomePod will play a major role in the oft-mentioned "integrated home". It's just going to take a while to get everything in place for that.
Largely,yes, which is why talk/concern about Siri in the HomePod todayis really not worth much consideration.
As it is, everyone I ask that has Siri or Alexa options in the home barely use it, and will often go days without any interaction. Sure, there may be some that use a several times a day, but for the marketplace at large, there are many psychological, technical, and practical impediments to near-term, broader use. In a home with multiple people, can individuals be identified to link interactions to them? i.e, "Make a haircut appointment tomorrow at 11 am..." Can any system figure out with extremely high reliability who is asking, and who's calendar to put it on?
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Just go to UPS Track by Reference and use your phone number.
If you go with a Sonos One you not only get Alexa (and later this year Google Now and potentially Siri) you have the widest array of options all controlled with voice commands.
You know what I mean.
Voice control is, as a part of our daily social and functional behaviors, an incredibly small facet of how we interact. As a percentage, and as how it impacts how we do things, it is relatively meaningless, and far from meaningful. Its far easer, more private, and less intrusive to type "aapl" in my browser than speak out, Hey <assistant of choice>, what's the price of Apple stock today?"
From a time allocation perspective, its probably 1/500th of the totality of how we interact on a daily basis. Hell, most people hate to type, but Dragon Naturally Speaking never lit the world on fire.
I expect my Siri on HomePod experience to be the same as my iPads and iPhone— tolerable. The always on aspect of Siri on the HP makes it a little more tolerable. At some point Apple will improve Siri. I hope it's before they clean up iTunes. But the musicality throughout a room is my most important consideration. For that I'll cut Siri some slack. And Alexa can help out.
Items to be Shipped
Largely,yes, which is why talk/concern about Siri in the HomePod todayis really not worth much consideration.
As it is, everyone I ask that has Siri or Alexa options in the home barely use it, and will often go days without any interaction. Sure, there may be some that use a several times a day, but for the marketplace at large, there are many psychological, technical, and practical impediments to near-term, broader use. In a home with multiple people, can individuals be identified to link interactions to them? i.e, "Make a haircut appointment tomorrow at 11 am..." Can any system figure out with extremely high reliability who is asking, and who's calendar to put it on?