HomePod preorders begin via Apple, smart speaker arrives Feb. 9
Apple on Friday morning began accepting preorders for HomePod, the company's entrance into the smart speaker space with audiophile-focused premium sound. The $349 accessory will ship to users in two weeks, on Feb. 9.
Preorders began first via the official Apple Store app around 5:30 a.m. Pacific, 8:30 a.m. Eastern. That was a bit later than usual for new product launches -- for example, last fall, devices like the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3 all saw sales kick off at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, 3:01 a.m. Eastern.
While preorders were being accepted via the Apple Store app, Apple's website did not immediately begin accepting orders.
Priced at $349, the HomePod is positioned as a high-end audio device for superior music streaming. That's different from cheaper competitors like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, which focus on voice-driven personal assistants.
Apple's offering does, however, include integration with its own assistant, Siri. It also connects to Apple Music, and supports AirPlay for other third-party music services.
At launch, the HomePod is available in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. In the U.S., it will also be sold through Best Buy, while other retailers will offer it internationally.
The HomePod is powered by an Apple A8 chip featuring realtime acoustic modeling, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancelation.
Preorders began first via the official Apple Store app around 5:30 a.m. Pacific, 8:30 a.m. Eastern. That was a bit later than usual for new product launches -- for example, last fall, devices like the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and Apple Watch Series 3 all saw sales kick off at 12:01 a.m. Pacific, 3:01 a.m. Eastern.
While preorders were being accepted via the Apple Store app, Apple's website did not immediately begin accepting orders.
Priced at $349, the HomePod is positioned as a high-end audio device for superior music streaming. That's different from cheaper competitors like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, which focus on voice-driven personal assistants.
Apple's offering does, however, include integration with its own assistant, Siri. It also connects to Apple Music, and supports AirPlay for other third-party music services.
At launch, the HomePod is available in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. In the U.S., it will also be sold through Best Buy, while other retailers will offer it internationally.
The HomePod is powered by an Apple A8 chip featuring realtime acoustic modeling, audio beam-forming, and multi-channel echo cancelation.
Comments
My biggest hope is that this isn't a doorstop in 18 months like the iPod Hi-Fi unit. That was one of Apple's big flops, and an expensive one.
LOL Seriously?!
As it's used in this device, it's probably extremely underutilized. Hell, an A7 would've been able to handle the workload, but it's no longer being produced. I'd be extremely surprised if there wasn't a custom Apple audio processor (DSP) that handles all the audio "magic".
You aren't paying a premium price for old technology, you are paying a discounted price for old technology. If it had the newer chips you would probably be paying more.
Plus, it's a sure bet that there would be absolutely no perceptible difference in sound. All this thing does is play music (and, of course, do digital processing on said music), it doesn't need a bunch of horsepower.
Processors aren't like wood that rots over time. If it was good enough to power an iPhone a year ago, it's more than powerful enough to power a speaker
I may may get a second one when they activate stereo and airplay 2 functionality..
They'll start coming out today. Here's two...
Digital Trends - Apple's HomePod delivers on brilliant sound, but Siri still has room to grow
Refinery29 - One Hour With Apple's New HomePod
Medium - Up close with Apple HomePod, Siri's expensive new Home
Some of today's most expensive automobiles in the six and seven-digit price range use powertrain control modules containing microprocessors that date back almost a decade or more, such as the ARM Cortex M4.
I'm confident that the A8 processor chosen by Apple for this application is more than adequate for a "smart speaker".
cars and appliances are filled with older generation chips and components because they do the job and faster isn’t needed. until we know more i don’t know why this shouldn’t be treated as another appliance.