For a few years now I've felt like they need to hire someone at Apple whose only job is to go around and slap anyone who makes really stupid anti-consumer decisions, and they should be able to unilaterally reject certain ideas (such as one port on the macbook, not supporting third party streaming services, getting rid of magsafe, and making stupidly large phones).
I guess that person is Tim Cook, but he apparently is busy doing other things.
(of course, none of this has stopped me from ordering a HomePod. I'm just concerned about being able to set it up with my ancient 5S and 2nd gen iPad).
You've just completely contradicted yourself. You claim Apple is making anti-consumer decisions. Consumers overwhelmingly wanted a larger phablet iPhone and Apple released one with the iPhone 6 Plus yet you think Apple should have rejected the idea of making "stupidly large phones?"
Would it be too much to ask of a $350 mono speaker that it at least have an AUX audio input? Then it could play whatever the customer wants to play.
1) Is it mono? That isn't how I've read the technical breakdown of how it works.
2) Why can't you play anywhere without a 3.5mm headphone jack? It does have wireless options. Hell, the most common speakers I see at the beach these days are battery powered with BT.
3) If you know Apple has removed the 3.5mm jack from iPhones why would anyone think that they'd include one on the HomePod? It anything I'd think we should be counting down the clock to when other Apple devices get their 3.5mm jack removed.
Re #1: If it's stereo, it will be interesting to see how well the stereo imaging is coming from a single small device. With most similar systems, you need two for stereo and I thought that's how this worked as well. It's funny how we've gone backwards (IMO) and most of these speaker systems are mono now.
Re #3: Apples and oranges. The 3.5mm jack on the iPhone is an OUTPUT jack. Kent is asking for an INPUT jack and I agree. I realize almost everyone here thinks that physical media is obsolete, but I have 1000+ CD's and it would have been nice to have the option of plugging in a CD player or any other source and many other speaker systems do this. Doesn't matter to me...unless the Home Pod sounds better than a full fledged stereo system, I'm not the market for it as I do have a full-fledged stereo system in my living room. Apple and others have accomplished remarkable things in regards to sound quality, but you can't escape the physics: if you want to reproduce sound properly, you have to push a lot of air and a small system can't.
I'm torn by this. I really want wait for 2nd generation of the HomePod, but my heart says: it's now. damn it.
I'm sure there will be many... many in stock for you to buy. Product is a flop out of the gate. That aint no apple hate, I'm a hardcore apple guy - but I'll call them out right now on stuff like this.
Ok this is clear is mud, can any confirm it will support your iTunes Library even if it does not include iTunes purchases. My entire library consisted of CD which I ripped over the last 20 yrs, I have not bought too many digital only songs from Apple iTunes store. It announcement make it sound like only iTunes purchases are supported. I am assuming if i stream from my computer it will work. I am thinking if you have purchase it know what you purchase will play them via siri requests. My Homepod is due the 9th so i will see how it works, but a heads up would be nice.
Yes it will but you have to use iTunes Match and pay monthly.
Then its all accessible and you can even use Siri
"Hey Siri, play songs from my iTunes library" becomes "Hey Siri, upload all of my vast iTunes music to Apple, charge me to store it there, and them stream it back to me."
We're talking about an Apple iTunes library here people! This is not a "third party" situation!
Do you know what's all involved with having Siri search through a large database of music efficiently? Perhaps it requires a ton of CPU power, perhaps it requires storing a huge database of information, perhaps both, or even more factors. Things which are easily handled by a powerful cloud server farm, but not so easily handled by whatever computer you're running iTunes on (for myself, it's a 7 year old Mac Mini).
And yet, it works on a phone (128/256 GB holds a lot of music)
All locally stored music? If so, then it may just be that it'll be an upcoming feature. Also, in a home network environment, you can have a bunch of different computers sharing music libraries. So it's a bit more complex than just searching the local hard drive. Apple already made tradeoffs and left out some core features to ship on time, so it's not surprising this feature didn't make the cut either.
Would it be too much to ask of a $350 mono speaker that it at least have an AUX audio input? Then it could play whatever the customer wants to play.
1) Is it mono? That isn't how I've read the technical breakdown of how it works.
2) Why can't you play anywhere without a 3.5mm headphone jack? It does have wireless options. Hell, the most common speakers I see at the beach these days are battery powered with BT.
3) If you know Apple has removed the 3.5mm jack from iPhones why would anyone think that they'd include one on the HomePod? It anything I'd think we should be counting down the clock to when other Apple devices get their 3.5mm jack removed.
I realize almost everyone here thinks that physical media is obsolete, but I have 1000+ CD's and it would have been nice to have the option of plugging in a CD player or any other source and many other speaker systems do this.
1) I don't think anyone thinks that since every device has internal storage. Even more so today than in the past as NAND is put into pretty much everything.
2) CDs use a lot or power compare to other physical media, and the magnetic film can wear off, not to mention they can be broken or stolen. Why not back them up onto a HDD? I personally don't know of anyone that haven't backed up their CDs, even if they aren't planning to give up using them in favor of a HDD-based system.
at some point, they'll open the sdk. then we'll have homepod apps and the whole nine yards. patience everyone…
We heard about at WWDC the same year the iPhone was announced, correct? With the first SDK launched in the October, with the iPhone App Store going live on its Summer release date with iOS 2.0, right?
For a few years now I've felt like they need to hire someone at Apple whose only job is to go around and slap anyone who makes really stupid anti-consumer decisions, and they should be able to unilaterally reject certain ideas (such as one port on the macbook, not supporting third party streaming services, getting rid of magsafe, and making stupidly large phones).
I guess that person is Tim Cook, but he apparently is busy doing other things.
(of course, none of this has stopped me from ordering a HomePod. I'm just concerned about being able to set it up with my ancient 5S and 2nd gen iPad).
So everyone should be slapped at Apple unless its for something you specifically want....got it! I didn't know Apple should revolve around you.
Mmmm... I'd say for something that 100% of people want, yourself included. Who "wants" less features and less abilities and less future proofing and less functionality and less options that tie you down, hinder you? Products that are not fully developed, not fully capable? Who... who wants that?
Nobody... the answer is nobody.
Apple no-longer sells products, it only sells Apple. This isn't a home speaker designed to make people's lives better... it's a product to padlock people into Apple and make it hard for them to leave.
Would it be too much to ask of a $350 mono speaker that it at least have an AUX audio input? Then it could play whatever the customer wants to play.
1) Is it mono? That isn't how I've read the technical breakdown of how it works.
2) Why can't you play anywhere without a 3.5mm headphone jack? It does have wireless options. Hell, the most common speakers I see at the beach these days are battery powered with BT.
3) If you know Apple has removed the 3.5mm jack from iPhones why would anyone think that they'd include one on the HomePod? It anything I'd think we should be counting down the clock to when other Apple devices get their 3.5mm jack removed.
The HomePod is a SPEAKER. The iPhone is a phone. A speaker should have a few inputs to make it more functional. Now I am hearing this speaker won't play songs someone has copied from their CDs to their Apple devices. If this is true it is incredibly stupid.
So can’t we use the Bluetooth to pair with our TVs?
No. This is a closed system. Like buying a car that can only travel on 1 road. But why would Apple only let it drive on 1 road - because they make money on the tolls for that one road.
Ok this is clear is mud, can any confirm it will support your iTunes Library even if it does not include iTunes purchases. My entire library consisted of CD which I ripped over the last 20 yrs, I have not bought too many digital only songs from Apple iTunes store. It announcement make it sound like only iTunes purchases are supported. I am assuming if i stream from my computer it will work. I am thinking if you have purchase it know what you purchase will play them via siri requests. My Homepod is due the 9th so i will see how it works, but a heads up would be nice.
Yes it will but you have to use iTunes Match and pay monthly.
Then its all accessible and you can even use Siri
iTunes Match is $25 annual. Apple Music is $10/mo for a single user account, $15 for a family plan of up to 6 users.
Ok this is clear is mud, can any confirm it will support your iTunes Library even if it does not include iTunes purchases. My entire library consisted of CD which I ripped over the last 20 yrs, I have not bought too many digital only songs from Apple iTunes store. It announcement make it sound like only iTunes purchases are supported. I am assuming if i stream from my computer it will work. I am thinking if you have purchase it know what you purchase will play them via siri requests. My Homepod is due the 9th so i will see how it works, but a heads up would be nice.
Yes it will but you have to use iTunes Match and pay monthly.
Then its all accessible and you can even use Siri
"Hey Siri, play songs from my iTunes library" becomes "Hey Siri, upload all of my vast iTunes music to Apple, charge me to store it there, and them stream it back to me."
We're talking about an Apple iTunes library here people! This is not a "third party" situation!
It's completely free to open iTunes, or the iTunes Remote app, and playback to an HP endpoint, as one has always been able to do with AirPlay speakers. The paid services are to have your entire music library accessible via the cloud and voice-controlled.
Ok this is clear is mud, can any confirm it will support your iTunes Library even if it does not include iTunes purchases. My entire library consisted of CD which I ripped over the last 20 yrs, I have not bought too many digital only songs from Apple iTunes store. It announcement make it sound like only iTunes purchases are supported. I am assuming if i stream from my computer it will work. I am thinking if you have purchase it know what you purchase will play them via siri requests. My Homepod is due the 9th so i will see how it works, but a heads up would be nice.
Yes it will but you have to use iTunes Match and pay monthly.
Then its all accessible and you can even use Siri
"Hey Siri, play songs from my iTunes library" becomes "Hey Siri, upload all of my vast iTunes music to Apple, charge me to store it there, and them stream it back to me."
We're talking about an Apple iTunes library here people! This is not a "third party" situation!
That is exactly what I though, it will not allow me to stream directly from the vast library of songs on my computer, which I do not store in icloud and any way.
Today I have my ITunes Library on an external HDD on my Imac as well a backup on a NAS. The NAS is a PLEX server and it allows me to stream music and movies to any device I have which support Plex and Plex on an iOS devices can then Airplay to any device in house which supports Airplay which I have a few speaks and ATV's hooked to surround sound systems in my house. So I can stream from my Mac to any airplay device. I can also stream synced music on any iOS device to my Airplay devices as well as songs I can access on the plex server. I was hopping to eliminate the who thing.
I have to decide if I want to pay for iTunes Match to avoid the who Plex system I have been using.
Your system will continue to work with AirPlay powered speakers like the HP. There's even an Apple TV app for Plex which I use.
For a few years now I've felt like they need to hire someone at Apple whose only job is to go around and slap anyone who makes really stupid anti-consumer decisions, and they should be able to unilaterally reject certain ideas (such as one port on the macbook, not supporting third party streaming services, getting rid of magsafe, and making stupidly large phones).
I guess that person is Tim Cook, but he apparently is busy doing other things.
(of course, none of this has stopped me from ordering a HomePod. I'm just concerned about being able to set it up with my ancient 5S and 2nd gen iPad).
So everyone should be slapped at Apple unless its for something you specifically want....got it! I didn't know Apple should revolve around you.
Mmmm... I'd say for something that 100% of people want, yourself included. Who "wants" less features and less abilities and less future proofing and less functionality and less options that tie you down, hinder you? Products that are not fully developed, not fully capable? Who... who wants that?
Nobody... the answer is nobody.
Apple no-longer sells products, it only sells Apple. This isn't a home speaker designed to make people's lives better... it's a product to padlock people into Apple and make it hard for them to leave.
What paranoid nonsense. I enjoy using the Apple ecosystem and give two shits about a made-up "Android friend" coming over to my house and not being able to BT to my pretend HP. All of my television watching is via an Apple TV because I don't care about cable. My existing wireless speakers are AirPlay powered. This suits my use cases and that's fine. If it doesn't suit yours, that's fine too, buy something else and stop whining.
Ok this is clear is mud, can any confirm it will support your iTunes Library even if it does not include iTunes purchases. My entire library consisted of CD which I ripped over the last 20 yrs, I have not bought too many digital only songs from Apple iTunes store. It announcement make it sound like only iTunes purchases are supported. I am assuming if i stream from my computer it will work. I am thinking if you have purchase it know what you purchase will play them via siri requests. My Homepod is due the 9th so i will see how it works, but a heads up would be nice.
Yes it will but you have to use iTunes Match and pay monthly.
Then its all accessible and you can even use Siri
"Hey Siri, play songs from my iTunes library" becomes "Hey Siri, upload all of my vast iTunes music to Apple, charge me to store it there, and them stream it back to me."
We're talking about an Apple iTunes library here people! This is not a "third party" situation!
That is exactly what I though, it will not allow me to stream directly from the vast library of songs on my computer, which I do not store in icloud and any way.
Today I have NAS with my library back up to, and it also is a PLEX server and it allows me to stream music to any device I have which support Plex and Plex on an iOS devices can then Airplay to any device in house which supports Airplay which I have a few speaks and ATV's hooked to surround sound systems in my house.
I have to decide if I want to pay for iTunes Match to avoid the who Plex system I have been using.
I fail to understand why your current PLEX setup, if it supports Airplay, wouldn't work with the HomePod?
It's simply the case that, if you want voice control via Siri, you need to have your music stored in the cloud. I listed a few reasons in my previous post why making Siri work efficiently locally might be a challenge.
Siri can currently play songs from my local iTunes library on either my Mac or my iPhone. There is no reason whatsoever that Siri could not also do the same on a HomePod. It depends only on Apple making the decision to enable it there.
Would it be too much to ask of a $350 mono speaker that it at least have an AUX audio input? Then it could play whatever the customer wants to play.
1) Is it mono? That isn't how I've read the technical breakdown of how it works.
2) Why can't you play anywhere without a 3.5mm headphone jack? It does have wireless options. Hell, the most common speakers I see at the beach these days are battery powered with BT.
3) If you know Apple has removed the 3.5mm jack from iPhones why would anyone think that they'd include one on the HomePod? It anything I'd think we should be counting down the clock to when other Apple devices get their 3.5mm jack removed.
The HomePod is a SPEAKER. The iPhone is a phone. A speaker should have a few inputs to make it more functional. Now I am hearing this speaker won't play songs someone has copied from their CDs to their Apple devices. If this is true it is incredibly stupid.
So you think that the iPhone should come with RJ-11 jacks for connecting to landlines and having a headset attached because that's how "phones" worked for generations before the iPhone existed? Um… no!
BTW, the iPhone as a phone is just a single app on the device. At least with HomePod, some sort of audible output is most likely the most common utility, so you've hurt your already weak argument even more with your iPhone analogy.
For a few years now I've felt like they need to hire someone at Apple whose only job is to go around and slap anyone who makes really stupid anti-consumer decisions, and they should be able to unilaterally reject certain ideas (such as one port on the macbook, not supporting third party streaming services, getting rid of magsafe, and making stupidly large phones).
I guess that person is Tim Cook, but he apparently is busy doing other things.
(of course, none of this has stopped me from ordering a HomePod. I'm just concerned about being able to set it up with my ancient 5S and 2nd gen iPad).
Complaining is cheap, but doing something about it takes guts. Submit your resume to Apple with your above pitch. Maybe you can be Apple's chief slapmaster.
Comments
Re #3: Apples and oranges. The 3.5mm jack on the iPhone is an OUTPUT jack. Kent is asking for an INPUT jack and I agree. I realize almost everyone here thinks that physical media is obsolete, but I have 1000+ CD's and it would have been nice to have the option of plugging in a CD player or any other source and many other speaker systems do this. Doesn't matter to me...unless the Home Pod sounds better than a full fledged stereo system, I'm not the market for it as I do have a full-fledged stereo system in my living room. Apple and others have accomplished remarkable things in regards to sound quality, but you can't escape the physics: if you want to reproduce sound properly, you have to push a lot of air and a small system can't.
Product is a flop out of the gate. That aint no apple hate, I'm a hardcore apple guy - but I'll call them out right now on stuff like this.
2) CDs use a lot or power compare to other physical media, and the magnetic film can wear off, not to mention they can be broken or stolen. Why not back them up onto a HDD? I personally don't know of anyone that haven't backed up their CDs, even if they aren't planning to give up using them in favor of a HDD-based system.
3) Can you really see Apple including an option in HomePod for a wired 3.5mm port so you can plug in a portable CD player to play music? I can't. This is 2018 where high-fidelity wireless music isn't just possible, but commonplace. More power to you, but you and Kentfromohio are so far out of Apple's purview that if you still need a CD to play your music you're just going to be disappointed with the direction they've been going since 2001.
Who "wants" less features and less abilities and less future proofing and less functionality and less options that tie you down, hinder you? Products that are not fully developed, not fully capable?
Who... who wants that?
Nobody... the answer is nobody.
Apple no-longer sells products, it only sells Apple.
This isn't a home speaker designed to make people's lives better... it's a product to padlock people into Apple and make it hard for them to leave.
Like buying a car that can only travel on 1 road.
But why would Apple only let it drive on 1 road - because they make money on the tolls for that one road.
Great car huh
Your system will continue to work with AirPlay powered speakers like the HP. There's even an Apple TV app for Plex which I use.
Having two different stereo speakers is different than claiming a single HP is mono. Mono is different than channel separation. Words matter.
BTW, the iPhone as a phone is just a single app on the device. At least with HomePod, some sort of audible output is most likely the most common utility, so you've hurt your already weak argument even more with your iPhone analogy.
Good luck.