Sort of a lot of parsing and nuancing with words here. No woke culture from me here: Apple discontinued the HomePod. They reduced the product offerings in this "category "by 50%. The action eliminated more advanced technology that gave rise to the HomePod.
The HP Mini is quite good, but is not sonic/qualitative replacement for the HP, nor, at the moment, is it as capable
Whether this is a retreat, a pause, or some recalibration of market perspective remains to be seen . Perhaps they introduce more to the category in the future, or acquire Sonos (quite unlikely), At the moment, it feels like a retreat. And one that I'm not happy about as an ardent supporter of HomePods, and owner of several.
It all really comes down to Siri. Until it starts hitting home runs a majority of the time you throw it a softball, Apple will have a tough time selling a premium price product that puts a batter in the box that mostly draws walk or bunt singles.
Spend a lot of time developing a product, then release with massive fanfare and an extraordinary price and other limitations that is not well received in the market. so instead of correcting and fine tuning to fix the market problems, nothing. Languishment. Another potentially great product dies from neglect because someone got egg on their face.
Unfortunately it isn’t like the naughty kid sent to the attic and forgotten while the rest of the family fly to Paris for Christmas.
They did correct and fine-tune, the same way they did the iPhone. The original iPhone isn't still on the market, it's been replaced by other, newer iPhones in different form-factors.
They released the HomePod mini for that iteration.
Mike, the iPhone is an established product that is the company’s bread and butter. This is about ecosystem peripherals I guess. HomePod, routers, displays, even the Mac Pro. These products are all potentially great, but had a few issues, they don’t get updated/fixed, the technology ages, and then starts looking extremely poor value for money over time. If the first iteration isn’t a total success, the hardware limitations especially aren’t addressed. As for the software in the HomePod, desultory fixes might be a good way to describe them.
This product got shunned by leadership very early in the piece, which is a shame.
My concern is that this was part of a home invasion strategy that now seems less defined, less robust.
Quite so. Incoherent even.
It wasn't the company's bread and butter when it was replaced.
The point is, the ecosystem hasn't been killed. The HomePod mini still exists.
Could Apple still release something else in the range, a HomePod larger than the mini but smaller than the original? I can't see the mini carrying the product range alone. I have both types, the mini is a nice bedroom speaker but there is no comparison to a pair of HomePods in a large room.
Someone should tell AppleInsider that the iPhone 5C was obsolete in 2017, not 2020. The iPhone 5C was cut off in 2017 with the release of iOS 11. AppleInsider is confusing software support with hardware parts repair support. Once the software isn't supported, the product is pretty much useless. Sure Apple could provide repair parts in 2020, but developers and Apple stopped supporting iOS 10 three years earlier.
The HomePod uses the outdated A8. Apple hasn't used this chip since 2015, 6 long years ago. The mini uses the Watch CPU and has hardware not present in the HomePod. Apple does not support discontinued products for long. Look how they killed off the original iPad with iOS 5.1.1, making that model quickly obsolete.
I get that the very small group of people that bought HomePod are upset, but it was abundantly clear that it was always half-baked, Siri is awful, and it was a heavily restricted product designed to sell Apple Music subscriptions. $349 was a joke, and they could not unload them at $199. But Apple won't be supporting it for long, and it will be an overpriced AirPlay speaker. My 25 year old JBL floor-standing speakers sound incredible, and they cost less than two obsolete HomePods. Apple is famous for burning a few customers here and there. Remember the term, IIvx'd? (Even on day one, the HomePod never sold out because enough people knew it was a turd of a product).
Judging from the last couple of threads on the HomePod, the people most upset about it are the are the same people who didn't buy one, like you. The rest of us will keep on enjoying them and using until they stop functioning. This is true for any modern electronic equipment, be it the HomePod, the Sonos, B&W flex etc.
As for your JBL speakers, totally different product. But here's a little thought experiment for you. Take one of your JBL's drop it in a room far from your amp and have it play that same incredible sound you talk about.
This article misses the boat a bit because most of us know that Apple will not discontinue support for the HomePod anytime soon. What is disconcerting is Apple’s decision to cancel it does leave one with the impression that Apple is rudderless with regard to product development and support. Apple does not appear to have a “product champion” assigned as an owner to each of their products. That’s bad news when the VP of hardware engineer in clearly has his eye elsewhere.
No, it doesn't suggest that. It was around for 4 years. They decided to end it. I wish they hadn't, but it's not some sort of handwaving indictor of woe within Apple. Apple canceled products under Jobs as well. Just the result of internal discussion.
You are making my point for me. The HomePod was around for four years and they did nothing with it during that time. They let it languish just as they did with the trashcan MacPro and the beloved (sarcasm) Apple TV remote. That should’ve never happened.
3 Years.. It was announced in 2017 and released in Feb 2018.
Mike Wuerthele said: The HomePod ecosystem isn't dead. It evolved into the HomePod mini, like Apple said.
I just find it hard to believe that Apple would view the mini as the sum total of their speaker lineup. They don't do that for headphones/earphones. It's just an odd stance from a company that has obviously taken sound quality seriously and improved sound performance for their laptop and desktop speakers.
AppleZulu said: They discontinued the computational acoustics feature of the larger device, like they discontinued fingerprint reader and force-touch features on iPhones.
Another odd aspect of this decision. You can argue that the other two examples were dropped for either a superior technology (Face ID) or a similar technology (Haptic touch). What replaced the computational acoustics? Nothing. They just retreated to a more vanilla approach like their competitors.
AppleZulu said: They discontinued the computational acoustics feature of the larger device, like they discontinued fingerprint reader and force-touch features on iPhones.
Another odd aspect of this decision. You can argue that the other two examples were dropped for either a superior technology (Face ID) or a similar technology (Haptic touch). What replaced the computational acoustics? Nothing. They just retreated to a more vanilla approach like their competitors.
Not saying I like it, but the implications are definitely different. Support will continue for the original HomePod essentially as it always would have, because there is still a HomePod being made and sold. Use cases for HomeKit, Apple Music and Siri will continue to created with the expectation of HomePods being out there. If Apple were totally writing HomePod out of the picture, utility of legacy devices would decrease as programming of other things would quit assuming people have HomePods.
Mike Wuerthele said: The HomePod ecosystem isn't dead. It evolved into the HomePod mini, like Apple said.
I just find it hard to believe that Apple would view the mini as the sum total of their speaker lineup. They don't do that for headphones/earphones. It's just an odd stance from a company that has obviously taken sound quality seriously and improved sound performance for their laptop and desktop speakers.
This is of course the dismaying part, with unknown implications. I keep hoping that Apple will soon enter the high-end music streaming market, with lossless audio and surround formats like Dolby Atmos. You can already watch movies with Atmos soundtracks on an iPhone with AirPods Pro, and on an AppleTV hooked up to a good sound system. Tidal and Amazon are dabbling in this audio market, but with truly horrible implementation in their apps, and in the case of Amazon, Atmos is only available on their HomePod competitor, which obviously can't actually create a true surround sound experience.
Apple already has all the hardware in place with AppleTV and iPhones/iPads connected to AirPods Pro to deliver lossless audio and surround formats like Atmos. The original HomePod would surely sound fantastic, at least with the lossless formats, and linked together, could potentially create true surround sound. Plus, an object-oriented format like Atmos could deliver that surround sound through three or up to infinity linked HomePods. HomePod mini lacks the spatial awareness required to do an Atmos setup.
In any case, ditching the original HomePod before hopefully introducing those audiophile music formats doesn't make sense. They ditched AirPort routers just as they leaned harder into HomeKit implementation, however, so who knows?
I have a pair of QUAD ESL-63s that still work superbly after buying them in 1987. Heck, QUAD’s original ESL, introduced in 1957 is still regarded by some as one of the finest speakers in the world. So four years?
Due to space concerns now, my ESLs and big chunky power amps are total overkill and/or I don’t have the space. The HomePods seemed a viable alternative, taking up minimal space and sounding pretty good for the size (too much bass though). I knew that being a processor, WiFi type of software/hardware thing it was at risk of the usual fate of computer products. But 4 years was a lot shorter than I expected!
What happens when AirPlay 3 is the thing and HomePods are stuck on V2 with no update path? That’s my concern. Time will tell.
And I still have my Quad-57s in use, designed in 1957, manufactured in the early 1970s and refurbished about 10 years ago. They are still going strong as well as my OG Apple home pod in the kitchen.
I don’t understand the hoopla.
I had quad 63s and loved them but they just didn’t hold up in Florida’s heat and humidity.
Don’t give up on your 63s. As much as I love my homepods, the Quad-63s are magical.
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
Rene Ritchie pretty much called it.
Apple started work on the HomePod tech long before Google and Amazon had come up with their smart speakers.
Apple focussed on sound quality, while the other two focussed on smarts. By the time Apple realised that smarts was going to win the day, they had the speaker with the best sound, but not the best smarts. This is astounding considering that Siri was first out of the gate: they should’ve won on both counts.
The second problem was that they went in the opposite direction than their usual strategy: they started big and went smaller.
It’s possible they may go again, building on the success of the Mini, but this was something of a misstep.
Siri is the weak spot. If they try again then “cool speaker” won’t cover it.
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
The "not on par with a full component system" thing really depends on what sort of component system you're talking about. This is an ongoing weirdness in discussions of audio things, the tendency to make comparisons of audiophile and mass consumer products without considering which is which, and what costs how much.
HomePod's audio quality is absolutely competitive and almost surely better than most component systems anywhere near the HomePod's price range. Two of them paired will outperform any $600 stereo, and although two won't give you surround sound, a $600 5.1 system isn't likely to sound better than a pair of HomePods. The truth is, most people buy basic sound bars and such and have no idea what they're missing, which is why a $100 HomePod mini that sounds pretty good sells way better than a $300 HP that sounds fantastic. Linking 5 or 7 of them to do a true surround arrangement would probably be unbelievably good, but at $1,500 to $2,100 to do that, you're probably not going to get many takers.
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
Rene Ritchie pretty much called it.
Apple started work on the HomePod tech long before Google and Amazon had come up with their smart speakers.
Apple focussed on sound quality, while the other two focussed on smarts. By the time Apple realised that smarts was going to win the day, they had the speaker with the best sound, but not the best smarts. This is astounding considering that Siri was first out of the gate: they should’ve won on both counts.
The second problem was that they went in the opposite direction than their usual strategy: they started big and went smaller.
It’s possible they may go again, building on the success of the Mini, but this was something of a misstep.
Siri is the weak spot. If they try again then “cool speaker” won’t cover it.
With hind sight being 20/20, Siri was going to fail when compared to Alexa or Google. The main reason is the amount of data being collected by the latter two. Apple isn't and never was in the data collection business at least not to the extent that Amazon and Google are.
As for sound and computational audio, Apple is pretty much in the top of that category in its class, so don't compare it to specialty companies like B&W, Marantz etc...
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
Apple was never in the high end Audio business and consequently never stepped out of it. If there was a time for them to step into that business it would've been sometime before 2015 when they were still offering AAC 128kbps music on their iTunes store. Post 2015, iOS 8.4 I believe it was, they quietly switched to AAC 256kbps and the difference with the lossless formats was narrowed by quite a bit. It basically was good enough and overnight became pretty damn good for the vast majority of the music consuming public.
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
The "not on par with a full component system" thing really depends on what sort of component system you're talking about. This is an ongoing weirdness in discussions of audio things, the tendency to make comparisons of audiophile and mass consumer products without considering which is which, and what costs how much.
HomePod's audio quality is absolutely competitive and almost surely better than most component systems anywhere near the HomePod's price range. Two of them paired will outperform any $600 stereo, and although two won't give you surround sound, a $600 5.1 system isn't likely to sound better than a pair of HomePods. The truth is, most people buy basic sound bars and such and have no idea what they're missing, which is why a $100 HomePod mini that sounds pretty good sells way better than a $300 HP that sounds fantastic. Linking 5 or 7 of them to do a true surround arrangement would probably be unbelievably good, but at $1,500 to $2,100 to do that, you're probably not going to get many takers.
While its true that most component home theater systems go for (far) more than $600, it is misleading to say that Homepods outperform all $600 - $700 systems. There are some very good ones out there.
But even if Homepods were better than a $600 component home theater system the Homepods are capped at that level and can never get any better. A benefit of a component home theater system is that it is modular and can be improved. One way is to start with a decent receiver and two good front speakers, then keep adding subwoofer, front speaker, rear speakers and overheard speakers as your budget and desires dictate.
You can't do that with Homepods. You're locked into a stereo pair emulating surround sound.
Resurrecting the Home Pod: 1: It should cost $50 at most. 2. Siri should be greatly upgraded with most of the voice recognition on the device. 3. HomeKit should become an open standard that can be used with out a license.
Resurrecting the Home Pod: 1: It should cost $50 at most. 2. Siri should be greatly upgraded with most of the voice recognition on the device. 3. HomeKit should become an open standard that can be used with out a license.
1. You're not familiar with Apple, are you? 2. Probably a good idea, to the extent that's possible, though the last part works against the first part. 3. You're not familiar with Apple, are you?
It seems to me that Apple simply stepped out of the high end audio sphere -- at least for now.
As good as the Homepod was, it could not compete with a multi-speaker 5.1 or 7.1 system -- even when 2 were stereo paired.
Yes, it was really good sound, but not on par with a full component system.
i would have preferred them to expand its capabilities to add a subwoofer and pair 5 or 7 of them (including the mini) into a real surround sound or Atmos system rather than a simulated one. THAT would be awesome -- especially if it connected to more than just Apple products.
But, unfortunately, they may have figured there would not be enough market to support such a high end system -- most people are happy with a simple sound bar.
The "not on par with a full component system" thing really depends on what sort of component system you're talking about. This is an ongoing weirdness in discussions of audio things, the tendency to make comparisons of audiophile and mass consumer products without considering which is which, and what costs how much.
HomePod's audio quality is absolutely competitive and almost surely better than most component systems anywhere near the HomePod's price range. Two of them paired will outperform any $600 stereo, and although two won't give you surround sound, a $600 5.1 system isn't likely to sound better than a pair of HomePods. The truth is, most people buy basic sound bars and such and have no idea what they're missing, which is why a $100 HomePod mini that sounds pretty good sells way better than a $300 HP that sounds fantastic. Linking 5 or 7 of them to do a true surround arrangement would probably be unbelievably good, but at $1,500 to $2,100 to do that, you're probably not going to get many takers.
While its true that most component home theater systems go for (far) more than $600, it is misleading to say that Homepods outperform all $600 - $700 systems. There are some very good ones out there.
But even if Homepods were better than a $600 component home theater system the Homepods are capped at that level and can never get any better. A benefit of a component home theater system is that it is modular and can be improved. One way is to start with a decent receiver and two good front speakers, then keep adding subwoofer, front speaker, rear speakers and overheard speakers as your budget and desires dictate.
You can't do that with Homepods. You're locked into a stereo pair emulating surround sound.
...and as others have mentioned, HomePods are locked into AppleTV; if you want to watch broadcast TV or a DVD they're all but useless. A component system offers far more flexibility.
Comments
The HP Mini is quite good, but is not sonic/qualitative replacement for the HP, nor, at the moment, is it as capable
Whether this is a retreat, a pause, or some recalibration of market perspective remains to be seen . Perhaps they introduce more to the category in the future, or acquire Sonos (quite unlikely), At the moment, it feels like a retreat. And one that I'm not happy about as an ardent supporter of HomePods, and owner of several.
It all really comes down to Siri. Until it starts hitting home runs a majority of the time you throw it a softball, Apple will have a tough time selling a premium price product that puts a batter in the box that mostly draws walk or bunt singles.
As for your JBL speakers, totally different product. But here's a little thought experiment for you. Take one of your JBL's drop it in a room far from your amp and have it play that same incredible sound you talk about.
This is of course the dismaying part, with unknown implications. I keep hoping that Apple will soon enter the high-end music streaming market, with lossless audio and surround formats like Dolby Atmos. You can already watch movies with Atmos soundtracks on an iPhone with AirPods Pro, and on an AppleTV hooked up to a good sound system. Tidal and Amazon are dabbling in this audio market, but with truly horrible implementation in their apps, and in the case of Amazon, Atmos is only available on their HomePod competitor, which obviously can't actually create a true surround sound experience.
Apple already has all the hardware in place with AppleTV and iPhones/iPads connected to AirPods Pro to deliver lossless audio and surround formats like Atmos. The original HomePod would surely sound fantastic, at least with the lossless formats, and linked together, could potentially create true surround sound. Plus, an object-oriented format like Atmos could deliver that surround sound through three or up to infinity linked HomePods. HomePod mini lacks the spatial awareness required to do an Atmos setup.
In any case, ditching the original HomePod before hopefully introducing those audiophile music formats doesn't make sense. They ditched AirPort routers just as they leaned harder into HomeKit implementation, however, so who knows?
I don’t understand the hoopla.
I had quad 63s and loved them but they just didn’t hold up in Florida’s heat and humidity.
Don’t give up on your 63s. As much as I love my homepods, the Quad-63s are magical.
HomePod's audio quality is absolutely competitive and almost surely better than most component systems anywhere near the HomePod's price range. Two of them paired will outperform any $600 stereo, and although two won't give you surround sound, a $600 5.1 system isn't likely to sound better than a pair of HomePods. The truth is, most people buy basic sound bars and such and have no idea what they're missing, which is why a $100 HomePod mini that sounds pretty good sells way better than a $300 HP that sounds fantastic. Linking 5 or 7 of them to do a true surround arrangement would probably be unbelievably good, but at $1,500 to $2,100 to do that, you're probably not going to get many takers.
Apple isn't and never was in the data collection business at least not to the extent that Amazon and Google are.
As for sound and computational audio, Apple is pretty much in the top of that category in its class, so don't compare it to specialty companies like B&W, Marantz etc...
Apple was never in the high end Audio business and consequently never stepped out of it.
If there was a time for them to step into that business it would've been sometime before 2015 when they were still offering AAC 128kbps music on their iTunes store.
Post 2015, iOS 8.4 I believe it was, they quietly switched to AAC 256kbps and the difference with the lossless formats was narrowed by quite a bit. It basically was good enough and overnight became pretty damn good for the vast majority of the music consuming public.
1: It should cost $50 at most.
2. Siri should be greatly upgraded with most of the voice recognition on the device.
3. HomeKit should become an open standard that can be used with out a license.
2. Probably a good idea, to the extent that's possible, though the last part works against the first part.
3. You're not familiar with Apple, are you?