This is why several reviewers have said this thing is bargain-priced if you prize great sound above all.
As mentioned in the source report, I expect a fair number of users — maybe a majority — will not use Siri at all except to control volume and music playback, which all works fine. Which is exactly what Apple reckoned for the initial release.
If you are primarily interested in talking to household objects all the time (but with decent sound), get the Sonos One. If you want incredible sound, get a HomePod.
You're continuing to unintentionally spread the false narrative about Siri. The fact is that Siri on the Homepod already does what most people use their smart speaker for. The article below has the research that demonstrates that most Echo users haven't even activated one "skill," and the number one reason that the majority of all smart speaker owners use their speakers for is to listen to music, and then it's limited to checking and sending messages, checking on traffic/weather, hearing news, etc., all things that Siri can already do!. Not to mention the Homepod will be getting over the air upgrades, and most of all, the Homepod is the only smart speaker that will protect your privacy and security. Google and Amazon load everything they hear or see up to the cloud identified to YOU. Google links that info to your "universal identifier' number that they try to assign to every person to link with your photos, emails, web searches, documents, etc. That dossier is available not only to Google and its subsidiaries and successor companies, but to law enforcement, intel agencies, governments, and hackers. Ouch!
This is why several reviewers have said this thing is bargain-priced if you prize great sound above all.
As mentioned in the source report, I expect a fair number of users — maybe a majority — will not use Siri at all except to control volume and music playback, which all works fine. Which is exactly what Apple reckoned for the initial release.
If you are primarily interested in talking to household objects all the time (but with decent sound), get the Sonos One. If you want incredible sound, get a HomePod.
You're continuing to spread the false narrative about Siri. The fact is that Siri on the Homepod already does what most people use their smart speaker for. The article below has the research that demonstrates that most Echo users haven't even activated one "skill," and the number one reason that the majority of all smart speaker owners use their speakers for is to listen to music, and then it's limited to checking and sending messages, checking on traffic/weather, hearing news, etc., all things that Siri can already do!. Not to mention the Homepod will be getting over the air upgrades, and most of all, the Homepod is the only smart speaker that will protect your privacy and security. Google and Amazon load everything they hear or see up to the cloud identified to YOU. Google links that info to your "universal identifier' number that they try to assign to every person to link with your photos, emails, web searches, documents, etc. That dossier is available not only to Google and its subsidiaries and successor companies, but to law enforcement, intel agencies, governments, and hackers. Ouch!
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
The market is most of the AppleInsider readership.
And, you don't need to have Apple Music. You just need something (say, an iPhone) capable of streaming AirPlay to it.
I think this is an amazing device. But I won't be buying it. Apparently, Apple has tethered it to an iCloud account AND requires two-factor authentication. I don't have an iPhone attached to me at all times. In fact, we don't have any in the house. My iPad may or may not be around when I want to listen to music. I want to play my music from my Macs on my LAN - and that's it. But apparently I can't do this.
Apple's insistence on tethering to a personal device and an iCloud account is driving me away from their products. If they do this with MacOS it will be a sad day indeed.
I think this is an amazing device. But I won't be buying it. Apparently, Apple has tethered it to an iCloud account AND requires two-factor authentication. I don't have an iPhone attached to me at all times. In fact, we don't have any in the house. My iPad may or may not be around when I want to listen to music. I want to play my music from my Macs on my LAN - and that's it. But apparently I can't do this.
Apple's insistence on tethering to a personal device and an iCloud account is driving me away from their products. If they do this with MacOS it will be a sad day indeed.
AirPlay from your Mac. The iPad doesn't need to be around after initial setup.
I think this is an amazing device. But I won't be buying it. Apparently, Apple has tethered it to an iCloud account AND requires two-factor authentication. I don't have an iPhone attached to me at all times. In fact, we don't have any in the house. My iPad may or may not be around when I want to listen to music. I want to play my music from my Macs on my LAN - and that's it. But apparently I can't do this.
Apple's insistence on tethering to a personal device and an iCloud account is driving me away from their products. If they do this with MacOS it will be a sad day indeed.
AirPlay from your Mac. The iPad doesn't need to be around after initial setup.
The initial setup requires 2FA. I refuse to enable it on any of my devices because I have been stranded for days in the past.
Apple presumes you have an iDevice nearby at all times. There are other use cases.
For instance, try reading your iCloud mail using a browser on another person'd device that is linked to iCloud. It's impossible. It shouldn't be, but it is.
I think this is an amazing device. But I won't be buying it. Apparently, Apple has tethered it to an iCloud account AND requires two-factor authentication. I don't have an iPhone attached to me at all times. In fact, we don't have any in the house. My iPad may or may not be around when I want to listen to music. I want to play my music from my Macs on my LAN - and that's it. But apparently I can't do this.
Apple's insistence on tethering to a personal device and an iCloud account is driving me away from their products. If they do this with MacOS it will be a sad day indeed.
You can just use AirPlay which works flawlessly & which works without direct WiFI access. Then you can disable personal requests & Siri Mic functionality from the Home app. You can also AirPlay from your Mac. Apple does not make money from tracking you like Google & Amazon does. Remember that.Your Siri commands are not tied to your Apple ID,they are encrypted end-to-end ,randomized & you can also disable SIri syncing from iCloud settings on iPhone & iPad.
I have used HomePod in my office and at home. The audio at all levels is very impressive. I would concur that this unit produces great sound. Only issue I have found is in a party setting. I had 20 people over Saturday night (yes it was a good time) and HomePod had trouble listening to commands with all the ambient noise...I hope they can somehow figure this out...I just simply switched to iPhone control of the music and was fine. In a quite setting it works great.
Ha! The sound is great... Siri, not so much...
We had the homePod on the coffee table in the family room -- 4 people coming in and out over dinner-prep sounds in the kitchen, which is open to the family room.
We spent about an hour learning how to speak Siri -- sometimes got a little frustrated, with Siri telling us to watch our language (never say, Hey Siri play softer, as she will look for a song named softer).
After a while, were able to speak Siri to about the level of a fourth-grader. Then it hit the fan -- we overloaded Siri. Someone would say: Hey Siri play Bolero, and she'd play it... Someone else would ask for Tiptoe Through The Tulips, and she'd switch to that (each time acknowledging what she was playing. So it went -- often someone else asking for another song, say, Capriccio Italian or Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog or Voices Of Spring or Pistol Packin' Moma or Soba Ni Iru Ne... (We have rather eclectic tastes -- She never could understand Tzena, Tzena, Tzena, and a request for Song Of The Vagabonds was acknowledged as American Pie).
Anyway, Siri would acknowledge these songs, but never play them... crickets...
So, we did as you did, switched to our iPhones and that bypassed the Siri issues.
The linked report in the article suggested that the homePod be raised on books or some kind of pedestal improve the sound. I moved the it to the open living/dining room area on the coffee table -- on a pedestal of a DVD container about 2 inches taller than the homePod -- seemed appropriate!
We'll try again, tonight -- even with Siri's deficiencies, it was kind of fun -- kinda' a modern reversal of the retro TV Show: Name That Tune (with Cathy Lee Gifford)...
I have used HomePod in my office and at home. The audio at all levels is very impressive. I would concur that this unit produces great sound. Only issue I have found is in a party setting. I had 20 people over Saturday night (yes it was a good time) and HomePod had trouble listening to commands with all the ambient noise...I hope they can somehow figure this out...I just simply switched to iPhone control of the music and was fine. In a quite setting it works great.
Thats interesting because I was at the Apple Store playing with one this weekend and it was working perfectly fine with Siri commands, even with the music playing fairly loud and also with all of the other noises and voices you hear in an Apple Store. I was actually amazed at how it could continuously pickup Hey Siri with all of the surrounding noise.
It could have been the environment. We have a kitchen that opens up to the great room...wood floors...we were all mostly in the kitchen where the HomePod was. Everyone was drinking and very loud during the time...so more of a loud party scenario...so maybe was on the extreme end of ambient noise not for sure...
And of course this review will be dismissed as biased and probably paid for by Apple. Audiophile (or expert) opinions are welcomed only when they support the dominant narrative. In this case the HomePod has been pre-failed by the negative narrative so any support from an audiophile will be rejected out of hand. That’s how the Internet works.
I have used HomePod in my office and at home. The audio at all levels is very impressive. I would concur that this unit produces great sound. Only issue I have found is in a party setting. I had 20 people over Saturday night (yes it was a good time) and HomePod had trouble listening to commands with all the ambient noise...I hope they can somehow figure this out...I just simply switched to iPhone control of the music and was fine. In a quite setting it works great.
How many people, there were 4 of us in the kitchen talking and music playing and my daughter said hey Siri pause real quick and it stopped playing. I wonder how much ambient noise it takes.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
Lets recap:
Apple Music subscription. Either iTunes Match or an Airplay device (including Android) will also work. So you are wrong.
Audiophile speakers probably don't blow the HomePod out of the water for anything less than 200% the price. Partially wrong.3.
Made in China. 100% correct. Good for you.
"Sounds pretty good." Did you read the article? Audiophile quality at $349. That's better than pretty good. So wrong again.
Voice command for 1 person only. It works for anyone in the room but only the owner can get things like reminders and text messages. So mostly wrong.
Apple Music not required but you do need at least one Apple device. Maybe an iPod? Mostly wrong.
"who doesn’t value their privacy." What? That is a reason to buy one over either Amazon or Google. Privacy. So wrong again.
"Im sure there is a market for that.". Hey, right again.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
The market is most of the AppleInsider readership.
And, you don't need to have Apple Music. You just need something (say, an iPhone) capable of streaming AirPlay to it.
Wrong. For it to be a 'Smart Speaker' you have to have an Apple Music subscription. If you don't have an Apple Music Subscription - it's just a speaker.
Wrong. For it to be a 'Smart Speaker' you have to have an Apple Music subscription. If you don't have an Apple Music Subscription - it's just a speaker.
Wrong. An iTunes Match subscription will also work. And voice controls for starting and stopping music or getting weather or news still work without Apple Music or iTunes Match.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
No. not "sounds good". Sounds shockingly great for such a small speaker, with frequency response characteristics worthy of speakers costing many times as much (down to 40Hz). The reviewer is claiming that the HomePod changes the value proposition for bookshelf sized speakers. "True" audiophiles are going to want floor-standing speakers with real stereo imaging and a subwoofer for the extra Hz at the bottom end.
I'd like to see the HomePod compared to something like the Paradigm Shift A2; I believe the guy gushing over on Reddit has KEF X300As which are favorably regarded.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
Apple is all about maintaining the user's privacy. Sounds like you have them confused with Google.
Let's face it... everything is made in China these days and this sounds like it's an audiophile's dream. It also sounds like they will be taking the operating system of HomePod to the new level, probably starting in June (WWDC). I'd expect to see some big things at that point.
So let’s recap... Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker. If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
The market is most of the AppleInsider readership.
And, you don't need to have Apple Music. You just need something (say, an iPhone) capable of streaming AirPlay to it.
Wrong. For it to be a 'Smart Speaker' you have to have an Apple Music subscription. If you don't have an Apple Music Subscription - it's just a speaker.
Bullshit. I don't have an Apple Music subscription. I run it from my Mac and Siri finds the songs in my Library. This is an .mp3 downloaded from the web:
Comments
https://qz.com/1105740/the-majority-of-smart-speaker-owners-use-their-devices-for-a-small-set-of-functions/
Sounds good for an Apple Music Only - Must Have Subscription - Smart Speaker.
If audio quality is your only concern, there are true audiophile speakers that blow HomePod out of the water - but for a much higher price.
So the HomePod is a made in China, budget consumer-level speaker that sounds pretty good - and has a nifty voice command feature for 1 person only - who is willing to pay for an Apple Music Subscription and already owns Apple devices - who doesn’t value their privacy.
Im sure there is a market for that.
Apparently, Apple has tethered it to an iCloud account AND requires two-factor authentication.
I don't have an iPhone attached to me at all times. In fact, we don't have any in the house.
My iPad may or may not be around when I want to listen to music.
I want to play my music from my Macs on my LAN - and that's it.
But apparently I can't do this.
Apple's insistence on tethering to a personal device and an iCloud account is driving me away from their products.
If they do this with MacOS it will be a sad day indeed.
It's impossible. It shouldn't be, but it is.
You can also AirPlay from your Mac.
Apple does not make money from tracking you like Google & Amazon does. Remember that.Your Siri commands are not tied to your Apple ID,they are encrypted end-to-end ,randomized & you can also disable SIri syncing from iCloud settings on iPhone & iPad.
We had the homePod on the coffee table in the family room -- 4 people coming in and out over dinner-prep sounds in the kitchen, which is open to the family room.
We spent about an hour learning how to speak Siri -- sometimes got a little frustrated, with Siri telling us to watch our language (never say, Hey Siri play softer, as she will look for a song named softer).
After a while, were able to speak Siri to about the level of a fourth-grader. Then it hit the fan -- we overloaded Siri. Someone would say: Hey Siri play Bolero, and she'd play it... Someone else would ask for Tiptoe Through The Tulips, and she'd switch to that (each time acknowledging what she was playing. So it went -- often someone else asking for another song, say, Capriccio Italian or Jeremiah Was A Bullfrog or Voices Of Spring or Pistol Packin' Moma or Soba Ni Iru Ne... (We have rather eclectic tastes -- She never could understand Tzena, Tzena, Tzena, and a request for Song Of The Vagabonds was acknowledged as American Pie).
Anyway, Siri would acknowledge these songs, but never play them... crickets...
So, we did as you did, switched to our iPhones and that bypassed the Siri issues.
The linked report in the article suggested that the homePod be raised on books or some kind of pedestal improve the sound. I moved the it to the open living/dining room area on the coffee table -- on a pedestal of a DVD container about 2 inches taller than the homePod -- seemed appropriate!
We'll try again, tonight -- even with Siri's deficiencies, it was kind of fun -- kinda' a modern reversal of the retro TV Show: Name That Tune (with Cathy Lee Gifford)...
Hey Siri, Can You Find That Song?
For it to be a 'Smart Speaker' you have to have an Apple Music subscription.
If you don't have an Apple Music Subscription - it's just a speaker.
The reviewer is claiming that the HomePod changes the value proposition for bookshelf sized speakers.
"True" audiophiles are going to want floor-standing speakers with real stereo imaging and a subwoofer for the extra Hz at the bottom end.
I'd like to see the HomePod compared to something like the Paradigm Shift A2; I believe the guy gushing over on Reddit has KEF X300As which are favorably regarded.