This is complete and utter fantasy. Apple did not become the multi-billion dollar company they are today by selling products at or below cost. Employees get a small discount and if these items were sold at or below cost there would be no discount at all. When the HomePod was first released, Apple Employees got a 50% discount for I think 90 days or something like that. If they were selling the HomePod below cost, there’s NO WAY the 50% discount would have been offered. This guy is making this crap up on the fly.
Best Buy and other retail stores had the HomePod for $250 during Christmas. I imagine they must cost Apple less than that to make. Since they didn’t brag on it during the earnings call it’s probably their biggest flop since they 5C. But we Will probably have an editorial from DED that it’s the greatest smart speaker.
Revealing your ignorance again, I’m afraid. The 5C was not s flop — it was the second-best selling handset in US carrier stores. (You can guess what the first was)
...your troll trope talking points requiring updating. Please find the newest FUD packet under your chair.
The iPhone 5C was a flop. Sorry you cannot comprehend that. The iPhone 5S, a far better phone, sold 3x more units than the 5C. No one wanted a cheap iPhone 5 with a plastic back panel when the 5S was a far better and more durable phone. "Commentators viewed iPhone 5C as a flop because of supply chain cuts signifying a decline in demand in October 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company overstocked the iPhone 5C while having shortages of the iPhone 5S, as a result of failing to anticipate the sales ratio between both phones." Tim Cook admitted that they screwed up with the 5C. After one year, Apple lowered the production of the 5C and cut the storage to only 8GB, then shortly afterwards, killed it off completely. If you think the 5C was so great, where is the 6C, 7C, 8C, XC? Oh yeah, Apple admitted the 5C was a flop and killed the idea of a cheap re-branded phone.
Best Buy and other retail stores had the HomePod for $250 during Christmas. I imagine they must cost Apple less than that to make. Since they didn’t brag on it during the earnings call it’s probably their biggest flop since they 5C. But we Will probably have an editorial from DED that it’s the greatest smart speaker.
Revealing your ignorance again, I’m afraid. The 5C was not s flop — it was the second-best selling handset in US carrier stores. (You can guess what the first was)
...your troll trope talking points requiring updating. Please find the newest FUD packet under your chair.
The iPhone 5C was a flop. Sorry you cannot comprehend that. The iPhone 5S, a far better phone, sold 3x more units than the 5C. No one wanted a cheap iPhone 5 with a plastic back panel when the 5S was a far better and more durable phone. "Commentators viewed iPhone 5C as a flop because of supply chain cuts signifying a decline in demand in October 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company overstocked the iPhone 5C while having shortages of the iPhone 5S, as a result of failing to anticipate the sales ratio between both phones." Tim Cook admitted that they screwed up with the 5C. After one year, Apple lowered the production of the 5C and cut the storage to only 8GB, then shortly afterwards, killed it off completely. If you think the 5C was so great, where is the 6C, 7C, 8C, XC? Oh yeah, Apple admitted the 5C was a flop and killed the idea of a cheap re-branded phone.
Unfortunately many fanboys here worship at the Church of Apple never has a failure or miscalculation. They probably think the Current MacPro is still innovative.
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Bullshit. For $350, the mic array, beamforming, and 7 drivers in the HP toast the competition, even the more expensive shelf speakers.
No, it doesn't. It is an overpriced speaker in which you cannot even adjust the tone control. Even at clearance prices of $250, they could not clear them off store shelves. My $150 Polk Audio tower speakers sound 100x better than a HomePod, and I can play any source of music and adjust the bass, treble, and midrange through my receiver. Oh, and I did not need to spend $700 for stereo sound either. Don't forget how useless Siri is. You cannot even use Bluetooth on the HomePod because Apple disabled it. Keep blowing smoke to make yourself feel better for wasting money on a soon to be dead product. Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Oh, mercy. That’s just a willful misunderstanding of what the HomePod is. The HomePod is a device that makes careful measuremets of the acoustics of the room, and adapts the playback to perfectly fit the sound of the room. Putting user “tone controls” on a HomePod would be like putting a gear shifter into a Tesla. It’s not only counterproductive, but also nonsensical, given how the technology works.
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Bullshit. For $350, the mic array, beamforming, and 7 drivers in the HP toast the competition, even the more expensive shelf speakers.
No, it doesn't. It is an overpriced speaker in which you cannot even adjust the tone control. Even at clearance prices of $250, they could not clear them off store shelves. My $150 Polk Audio tower speakers sound 100x better than a HomePod, and I can play any source of music and adjust the bass, treble, and midrange through my receiver. Oh, and I did not need to spend $700 for stereo sound either. Don't forget how useless Siri is. You cannot even use Bluetooth on the HomePod because Apple disabled it. Keep blowing smoke to make yourself feel better for wasting money on a soon to be dead product. Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Whoa! A HUNDRED TIMES? Gee thats really good! Perhaps I should sell my six HP's!
We've given four as gifts, and everyone comments back to use how incredibly impressed they are with the sound. I use a stereo pair in my office and have not experienced that kind of sound from such a small tabletop footprint before. And I've owned a lot of AV gear (and still do)...
One thing that would make HomePod an awesome product would be to integrate the device with a mesh WiFi system (like the Netgear Orbi Voice), possibly with a model that would support TimeMachine backup. I know that Apple supposedly abandoned TimeCapsule development, but combining a quality speaker in a system that would enhance home WiFi with TimeMachine would be incredible if it could be done at a reasonable cost.
I wish I could use my HomePods as a home entertainment sound system for my TV.
Here's an in depth article on that very subject from a TV specialist site... is from December last year, s fairly u to date and bo doubt further Apple updates will improve matters further...
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Ok, let’s take “at any price” out of it. In that form factor? At that price?
Best Buy and other retail stores had the HomePod for $250 during Christmas. I imagine they must cost Apple less than that to make. Since they didn’t brag on it during the earnings call it’s probably their biggest flop since they 5C. But we Will probably have an editorial from DED that it’s the greatest smart speaker.
Revealing your ignorance again, I’m afraid. The 5C was not s flop — it was the second-best selling handset in US carrier stores. (You can guess what the first was)
...your troll trope talking points requiring updating. Please find the newest FUD packet under your chair.
The iPhone 5C was a flop. Sorry you cannot comprehend that. The iPhone 5S, a far better phone, sold 3x more units than the 5C. No one wanted a cheap iPhone 5 with a plastic back panel when the 5S was a far better and more durable phone. "Commentators viewed iPhone 5C as a flop because of supply chain cuts signifying a decline in demand in October 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company overstocked the iPhone 5C while having shortages of the iPhone 5S, as a result of failing to anticipate the sales ratio between both phones." Tim Cook admitted that they screwed up with the 5C. After one year, Apple lowered the production of the 5C and cut the storage to only 8GB, then shortly afterwards, killed it off completely. If you think the 5C was so great, where is the 6C, 7C, 8C, XC? Oh yeah, Apple admitted the 5C was a flop and killed the idea of a cheap re-branded phone.
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Bullshit. For $350, the mic array, beamforming, and 7 drivers in the HP toast the competition, even the more expensive shelf speakers.
No, it doesn't. It is an overpriced speaker in which you cannot even adjust the tone control. Even at clearance prices of $250, they could not clear them off store shelves. My $150 Polk Audio tower speakers sound 100x better than a HomePod, and I can play any source of music and adjust the bass, treble, and midrange through my receiver. Oh, and I did not need to spend $700 for stereo sound either. Don't forget how useless Siri is. You cannot even use Bluetooth on the HomePod because Apple disabled it. Keep blowing smoke to make yourself feel better for wasting money on a soon to be dead product. Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Another person talking out of their ass with nothing to back it up....You guys are a dime a dozen!
"Why is HomePod so much more expensive than these other speakers you can talk to? Well, HomePod, I actually have reason to believe, Apple actually sells it at a loss," Gruber says.
Speaking non sequiturs. First sign of an idiot.
A whole bunch of these guys like Gruber and the other jokers on the Verge are full of shit when it comes to Apple.
I'm surprised no one in the comments is talking about the "marketing cost" as a factor...Once that is included there is no way to prove it (if it can even be proved)... When you see a McDonalds commercial for a Big Mac, the marketing of the one product has marketing effects on the brand as a whole. Not just attributed to the one specific product being marketed. Any marketing of the homepod is surely marketing Apple Music as well, which markets the iphone...so where do you draw the line...
Best Buy and other retail stores had the HomePod for $250 during Christmas. I imagine they must cost Apple less than that to make. Since they didn’t brag on it during the earnings call it’s probably their biggest flop since they 5C. But we Will probably have an editorial from DED that it’s the greatest smart speaker.
Revealing your ignorance again, I’m afraid. The 5C was not s flop — it was the second-best selling handset in US carrier stores. (You can guess what the first was)
...your troll trope talking points requiring updating. Please find the newest FUD packet under your chair.
The iPhone 5C was a flop. Sorry you cannot comprehend that. The iPhone 5S, a far better phone, sold 3x more units than the 5C. No one wanted a cheap iPhone 5 with a plastic back panel when the 5S was a far better and more durable phone. "Commentators viewed iPhone 5C as a flop because of supply chain cuts signifying a decline in demand in October 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company overstocked the iPhone 5C while having shortages of the iPhone 5S, as a result of failing to anticipate the sales ratio between both phones." Tim Cook admitted that they screwed up with the 5C. After one year, Apple lowered the production of the 5C and cut the storage to only 8GB, then shortly afterwards, killed it off completely. If you think the 5C was so great, where is the 6C, 7C, 8C, XC? Oh yeah, Apple admitted the 5C was a flop and killed the idea of a cheap re-branded phone.
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Bullshit. For $350, the mic array, beamforming, and 7 drivers in the HP toast the competition, even the more expensive shelf speakers.
No, it doesn't. It is an overpriced speaker in which you cannot even adjust the tone control. Even at clearance prices of $250, they could not clear them off store shelves. My $150 Polk Audio tower speakers sound 100x better than a HomePod, and I can play any source of music and adjust the bass, treble, and midrange through my receiver. Oh, and I did not need to spend $700 for stereo sound either. Don't forget how useless Siri is. You cannot even use Bluetooth on the HomePod because Apple disabled it. Keep blowing smoke to make yourself feel better for wasting money on a soon to be dead product. Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Another person talking out of their ass with nothing to back it up....You guys are a dime a dozen!
Sometimes Apple makes mistakes.
Im pretty sure I remember Tim Cook saying that Apple didn’t get the mix right between the 5C and the 5S.
"Why is HomePod so much more expensive than these other speakers you can talk to? Well, HomePod, I actually have reason to believe, Apple actually sells it at a loss," Gruber says.
Speaking non sequiturs. First sign of an idiot.
You must be new, son. Gruber is one of the best, most astute, and accurate Apple pundits and observers. There’s a reason he is quoted by the rumor sites.
That wasn't the point. Gruber made a comment that doesn't make any sense. "Why is the HomePod so expensive? Because it sells at a loss." As backstab said, it's a non sequitur.
One thing that would make HomePod an awesome product would be to integrate the device with a mesh WiFi system (like the Netgear Orbi Voice), possibly with a model that would support TimeMachine backup. I know that Apple supposedly abandoned TimeCapsule development, but combining a quality speaker in a system that would enhance home WiFi with TimeMachine would be incredible if it could be done at a reasonable cost.
That’s the sort of thing I thought was coming after HomePod was first announced. Alas, unless they change course, it seems not to be the case.
I agree. HomePod, AirPods and Apple TV are maybe the only products in current Apple lineup to be rightly priced. I can’t understand why HomePod isn’t distributed worldwide... I would be glad to buy one in Italy.
You "agree" that Apple should sell all its products at a loss?
I don't think it's possible that Apple released both the AppleTV 4K (Apple: $179) and Homepod (Apple: $349) at loss prices. The comparable tho better gaming Nvidia Shield is sold for a similar price as the AppleTV and in smaller quantities so not even the numbers advantage that Apple has in mass manufacturing of it. The HomePod? Again there's several competing "smart-speakers" with subjectively as good or better sound than the HomePod selling in the same price range or less. They would not all be selling at a loss, that's silly.
"Why is HomePod so much more expensive than these other speakers you can talk to? Well, HomePod, I actually have reason to believe, Apple actually sells it at a loss," Gruber says.
Speaking non sequiturs. First sign of an idiot.
You must be new, son. Gruber is one of the best, most astute, and accurate Apple pundits and observers. There’s a reason he is quoted by the rumor sites.
That wasn't the point. Gruber made a comment that doesn't make any sense. "Why is the HomePod so expensive? Because it sells at a loss." As backstab said, it's a non sequitur.
You folks are focusing on relatively unimportant technicalities. Rather than arguing about the unknowable math to decide whether Gruber is technically correct in his “loss” comments, just consider the more basic case. It’s not a wild idea to think that HomePod and Apple TV are not profit centers for Apple, but are instead gateways to draw consumers into (or more fully into) Apple’s ecosystem. Profit or not, it’s quite possible that neither device has a lot of ‘mark up’ in the selling price. I would also imagine that a household populated with the things is much less likely to switch brands when it’s time to upgrade phones, tablets, notebooks or desktop computers.
HomePod buyers are highly likely to subscribe to Apple Music. ATV owners probably already buy or rent video content from Apple, and are likely good prospects for whatever video content service is currently under development. People who have bought into either or all that will likely continue to stick with those other devices that are widely known to generate profits for Apple.
It’s really not a stretch to make those arguments, is it?
Best Buy and other retail stores had the HomePod for $250 during Christmas. I imagine they must cost Apple less than that to make. Since they didn’t brag on it during the earnings call it’s probably their biggest flop since they 5C. But we Will probably have an editorial from DED that it’s the greatest smart speaker.
Revealing your ignorance again, I’m afraid. The 5C was not s flop — it was the second-best selling handset in US carrier stores. (You can guess what the first was)
...your troll trope talking points requiring updating. Please find the newest FUD packet under your chair.
The iPhone 5C was a flop. Sorry you cannot comprehend that. The iPhone 5S, a far better phone, sold 3x more units than the 5C. No one wanted a cheap iPhone 5 with a plastic back panel when the 5S was a far better and more durable phone. "Commentators viewed iPhone 5C as a flop because of supply chain cuts signifying a decline in demand in October 2013. Apple CEO Tim Cook admitted that the company overstocked the iPhone 5C while having shortages of the iPhone 5S, as a result of failing to anticipate the sales ratio between both phones." Tim Cook admitted that they screwed up with the 5C. After one year, Apple lowered the production of the 5C and cut the storage to only 8GB, then shortly afterwards, killed it off completely. If you think the 5C was so great, where is the 6C, 7C, 8C, XC? Oh yeah, Apple admitted the 5C was a flop and killed the idea of a cheap re-branded phone.
The technology in HomePod is indeed not appreciated by many. It’s in a class of its own at any price.
No. No it's not. Not even close. Not even in the same ball park as other offerings. So far behind you think it's first. Venture into a hifi shop and not your local dollar store - you will be amazed.
Bullshit. For $350, the mic array, beamforming, and 7 drivers in the HP toast the competition, even the more expensive shelf speakers.
No, it doesn't. It is an overpriced speaker in which you cannot even adjust the tone control. Even at clearance prices of $250, they could not clear them off store shelves. My $150 Polk Audio tower speakers sound 100x better than a HomePod, and I can play any source of music and adjust the bass, treble, and midrange through my receiver. Oh, and I did not need to spend $700 for stereo sound either. Don't forget how useless Siri is. You cannot even use Bluetooth on the HomePod because Apple disabled it. Keep blowing smoke to make yourself feel better for wasting money on a soon to be dead product. Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Another person talking out of their ass with nothing to back it up....You guys are a dime a dozen!
Sometimes Apple makes mistakes.
Im pretty sure I remember Tim Cook saying that Apple didn’t get the mix right between the 5C and the 5S.
Well pretty sure isn't sure...it's just thinking it happened. Source, or it didn't happen! Bottomline though, the 5C was the second best selling phone. When you have 2 phones, one of them has to be second.
Comments
Source please?
We've given four as gifts, and everyone comments back to use how incredibly impressed they are with the sound. I use a stereo pair in my office and have not experienced that kind of sound from such a small tabletop footprint before. And I've owned a lot of AV gear (and still do)...
https://www.flatpanelshd.com/review.php?subaction=showfull&id=1545383058
That looks like totally inflated numbers. I don’t believe those numbers for a second.
When you see a McDonalds commercial for a Big Mac, the marketing of the one product has marketing effects on the brand as a whole. Not just attributed to the one specific product being marketed. Any marketing of the homepod is surely marketing Apple Music as well, which markets the iphone...so where do you draw the line...
Im pretty sure I remember Tim Cook saying that Apple didn’t get the mix right between the 5C and the 5S.
HomePod buyers are highly likely to subscribe to Apple Music. ATV owners probably already buy or rent video content from Apple, and are likely good prospects for whatever video content service is currently under development. People who have bought into either or all that will likely continue to stick with those other devices that are widely known to generate profits for Apple.
It’s really not a stretch to make those arguments, is it?