In the Apple Store it sounds like an off brand boom box. If you want to pay $350 for something that sounds like a $100 Wal-Mart Bluetooth speaker, feel free.
Don’t forget that the $350 speaker costs $275 to repair out of warranty, so be sure to put out some more $ for the extended warranty.
Pass. I smell a flop. At least the old Spple HiFi was stereo.
In my living room, it sounds really good. Perhaps Apple will figure out a better way to showcase the HomePod at the Apple store, but nothing is going to sound all that great in a large retail space full of people talking and multiple audio devices playing different things. So, you know, your description is just snark.
My guess is there's lots of encouragement by employees for potential customers to take advantage of the 14 day no questions asked return window.
Spot on, that's what the sales guy said to me, and guess what, 16 days later the HomePod is still in my flat......
I've never used a Google or Amazon smart speaker (I have no need for what they offer) -- how do they handle requests for names like: Estrellita or La Paloma by Julio Iglesias?
I tried playing a German song a few days ago on Alexa. At first it did not understand me, then I said "play the German song blah blah" and it understood. Haven;t tried it with Siri yet. I am wondering, though, how Siri interacts with Germans (ie Siri language set to German) that request to play English music titles (possibly pronounced with a German accent). Does it work?
I don;'t know about German, but I live in Belgium, where 60% of the people are Dutch speaking and 40% French speaking. Given the international status of Brussels, our capital, there are a lot of English speaking people as well. So in our daily lives we have a constant the mix of languages (street names, city names, music, ...)
How does Siri cope with this. Simply, It doesn't. Siri is a joke in a Belgian context.
If you put in it English, it does not understand Dutch and French names and is not aware of any Belgian context: Siri understands your question, but it cannot answer because it lacks the context. It fails on almost all the names.
If you put it in French or Dutch, its comprehension of the language is much worse than in English: Siri takes the Belgian context into account in case it does understand what you are asking, which is only true for very simple things. Siri does not understand French names in Dutch and vice versa, which is horrible in a city like Brussels.
If you are wondering how Google handles this (no Amazon in Belgium), well it fares a lot better than Siri if you use it in Dutch or French, but also here there are a lot of dark areas where it fails.
On a regular basis I do a test with 5 main streets in Antwerp, the biggest Dutch speaking city in Belgium. Siri + Apple Maps only score 1 out 5, Google Maps 4 out of 5 and even 5 out of 5 if I adapt my pronunciation.
Man, surprising news - considering people can get the equivalent of a $50,000 audiophile system for $350 - plus the added bonus of a smart system (according to the usual AI fanboys). Meanwhile, back in reality - I think there are a few barriers: - Privacy. Not a lot of people want an 'always listening' device. - Competition. There are better 'smart' systems out there. - Sound Quality. It's good for a smart speaker - but audiophiles don't buy toys to listen to audio. If sound quality is your main priority - a smart speaker isn't on your radar. - Limitations. No Spotify or 3rd party native support. Extremely limited connection capabilities. - Requires Apple Music Subscription to take advantage of 'smart' functionality.
But it sure fills a hallway with good sound...
Have you ever personally tried a HomePod?
- Privacy: Siri encrypts and anonymizes all communication between the HomePod and apple servers
- Competition: name a better sounding speaker at that price -- dumb or smart
- Sound Quality: there is a market for speakers between audio crap and so-called audiophiles
- Limitations: you can airplay any audio source to the HomePod
-- Requires Apple Music Subscription: Wrong -- I have 2 HomePods and, no Apple Music Subscription -- Siri plays, music from my iTunes library just fine -- all currently implemented features.
However, Siri has trouble identifying Spanish names like: Estrellita... Though you you can spell out the name and Siri will respond.
I've never used a Google or Amazon smart speaker (I have no need for what they offer) -- how do they handle requests for names like: Estrellita or La Paloma by Julio Iglesias?
Can you say: "Hey Siri, play my Workout channel on Spotify"?
No. You can't. Not without first telling your iPhone or iPad to play it and then selecting the HomePod as the playback device.
Compare that to the Echo which WILL play back my workout channel from Spotify.
For $350, I expect more than just a great speaker...though I have no doubt that the speaker is fantastic. I want something that--at least from a feature standpoint--competes with the other smart speakers on the market. The HomePod just doesn't.
That doesn't make it a bad speaker, it just means the potential market is a bit smaller. Most people can't tell the difference between 128Kbps encoded audio and VBR encoded audio. Do you really think they'll be able to tell the difference between the HomePod and something like the Echo? The vast majority will not.
Can you say echo play my running APPLE MUSIC playlist. NO you cant!!! So just don't buy that product.
But a Spotify customer only cares about Spotify. Apple is leaving the millions of iPhone users who use Spotify, in the dark
Man, surprising news - considering people can get the equivalent of a $50,000 audiophile system for $350 - plus the added bonus of a smart system (according to the usual AI fanboys). Meanwhile, back in reality - I think there are a few barriers: - Privacy. Not a lot of people want an 'always listening' device. - Competition. There are better 'smart' systems out there. - Sound Quality. It's good for a smart speaker - but audiophiles don't buy toys to listen to audio. If sound quality is your main priority - a smart speaker isn't on your radar. - Limitations. No Spotify or 3rd party native support. Extremely limited connection capabilities. - Requires Apple Music Subscription to take advantage of 'smart' functionality.
But it sure fills a hallway with good sound...
Have you ever personally tried a HomePod?
- Privacy: Siri encrypts and anonymizes all communication between the HomePod and apple servers
- Competition: name a better sounding speaker at that price -- dumb or smart
- Sound Quality: there is a market for speakers between audio crap and so-called audiophiles
- Limitations: you can airplay any audio source to the HomePod
-- Requires Apple Music Subscription: Wrong -- I have 2 HomePods and, no Apple Music Subscription -- Siri plays, music from my iTunes library just fine -- all currently implemented features.
However, Siri has trouble identifying Spanish names like: Estrellita... Though you you can spell out the name and Siri will respond.
I've never used a Google or Amazon smart speaker (I have no need for what they offer) -- how do they handle requests for names like: Estrellita or La Paloma by Julio Iglesias?
Can you say: "Hey Siri, play my Workout channel on Spotify"?
No. You can't. Not without first telling your iPhone or iPad to play it and then selecting the HomePod as the playback device.
Compare that to the Echo which WILL play back my workout channel from Spotify.
For $350, I expect more than just a great speaker...though I have no doubt that the speaker is fantastic. I want something that--at least from a feature standpoint--competes with the other smart speakers on the market. The HomePod just doesn't.
That doesn't make it a bad speaker, it just means the potential market is a bit smaller. Most people can't tell the difference between 128Kbps encoded audio and VBR encoded audio. Do you really think they'll be able to tell the difference between the HomePod and something like the Echo? The vast majority will not.
Can you say echo play my running APPLE MUSIC playlist. NO you cant!!! So just don't buy that product.
But a Spotify customer only cares about Spotify. Apple is leaving the millions of iPhone users who use Spotify, in the dark
They're also missing out if not using one of the only hifi 96 kHz/24 bit streaming services that would REALLY showcase the HomePod sound capabilities: Tidal. While I originally thought it was just an overpriced music streaming service I have a new-found appreciation for it, particularly on desktop devices where their even higher quality MQA/Masters are available. In my case I just ignore the Hip-hop which gets most of the focus there and search the content I DO care about.
Besides the superiority in HomePod sound quality, what I love most about it (compare to expensive speakers) is it's mobility and simplicity. You practically can carry and move it to any rooms without re-wiring or re-adjusting cables. It's light to carry. And its ability to re-adjust the sound to match the room is better than any other smart speakers. Simple, smart and high quality, very Apple-like.
Can't check my calendar? Can't initiate a phone call? Can't handle more than one user? (or is this designed only for single people?)
Homepod is designed for multiple users. Everyone can use it, the whole family and guests. For that reason alone, calendar and phone shouldn't be supported because they are private. Imagine the embarrassment if your schedule include visiting a sexual health doctor for regular check up or everyone can hear your phone conversation with your boss.
I've owned dozens of Macs since 1984, and currently own three. Aside from OS, I think there has been a steady decline in the quality of non-OS Apple software over the years, so I am skeptical of non-Mac Apple products, especially when Siri is at the center. I just got my first iPhone after using Androids — because the iPhone was free with a switch to a new prepaid service provider which will unlock it after three months. I own the Google Home Air Freshener model ($49 on Black Friday), which sounds bad but at least has Bluetooth, which the HomePod does not. I can listen to podcasts, share music to a larger ecosystem with the Chromecast Audio device, and get weather and news. I have no interest in hooking my every bulb and appliance to a system. I own an Amazon Fire 10 pad, which allows me to do nearly everything I'd do on an iPad at a fraction of the cost ($100). I have a decent receiver and four floor-standing speakers that I wouldn't trade for a HomePod since it that costs more than I paid for all four speakers at Costco. (Alas, Costco doesn't have deals like that anymore.) I use Google Assistant a lot and Siri never, either on Mac or iPhone. I use an array of Google apps now on the iPhone. (How much has Apple spent to make Maps so bad?) My biggest unrelieved problem is that my 170,000-song iTunes collection won't feed to the iPhone, which will never load it. (So much for the ecosystem.) It instantly loads to an Apple TV that is 7 years old or so, but not to the phone over wifi. Is an ancient Apple TV so much more capable than a new phone, or does Apple not want me to be able to listen to my non-paid-stream collection on my phone?
Comments
They all failed spectacu...oops, wrong universe.
Homepod is designed for multiple users. Everyone can use it, the whole family and guests. For that reason alone, calendar and phone shouldn't be supported because they are private. Imagine the embarrassment if your schedule include visiting a sexual health doctor for regular check up or everyone can hear your phone conversation with your boss.
I am searching around to find an AirPods case supporting wireless charging feature, sorry, I can't wait till AirPods 2018 laid on Apple Store.
Any suggestion?