The intercom feature is great, hopefully it'll come to the existing Homepod (maxi?). The price is far better than the HomePod maxi too, so I think sales will be better than the HP. I do think Apple should have a cheap HomeKit speaker to put in each room for £30 or so, to compete with Amazon. Not really for music, but just for queries. Though this would need Siri to be less crap. For comparison, the Amazon Dot is on offer now in the UK for £19.
Pretty sure they're never going to do that. Apple has never participated in the "race to the bottom" with pricing - just like they'll never release a $300 laptop or a $100 iPhone. They're just not interested in competing in those markets - never have and I can't see that they ever will. Steve was adamant about that in his time and Tim's kept it that way.
They sell billions of all their products, DESPITE the prices, because they only compete in the mid to high end markets, but they do it better than the others (at least if all those buyers - and the "I want one" people - are any indication) even at the "higher" prices.
Yeah exactly. This dude doesn't get Apple. They aren't going to make a $30 echo dot.
You said exactly the same about HomePod when people said it was too expensive. And now look where we are. You obviously don't get Apple.
There are zero examples in the Apple product line where they make cheap crap just to compete on the low-end. They don't do it. The HomePod mini at $99, coupled with the new "intercom" feature, is designed to get multiple voice controlled devices distributed around a home in order to enhance the viability of the HomeKit ecosystem. At $400, the original HomePod is hard to justify putting in the kids' rooms or in lesser used places in the house just have better coverage for using Siri for HomeKit control. $99 for wireless intercoms that also play music and take Siri commands? They're going to sell a lot of these. They don't need to chase a down-market with a cheap $30 device.
To those saying that Apple should make a $30-$50 echo dot competitor Apple has a $0 option - use your iPhone or Apple watch that you already own for a myriad of other uses. Of course Amazon could also recommend that you use your Amazon phone or watch - oh wait, they don’t have any of those. Apple doesn’t need to make a lousy speaker smart assistant device when they’ve already sold you something that can do the same thing. Better to improve the iPhone and Apple watch each year like they do.
Waiting for the Apple haters to claim this copied Echo Dot when it really just looks like a Mini Homepod. As if the "ugly toilet paper" design was now introduced by Amazon and not Apple.
With that said, I wish it was more cylindrical like the Homepod and I wonder if it's compatible with Find My since people will travel with it more often. I need one to replace the WonderBoom (obvious Homepod ripoff) that I carry in my backpack.
The intercom feature is great, hopefully it'll come to the existing Homepod (maxi?). The price is far better than the HomePod maxi too, so I think sales will be better than the HP. I do think Apple should have a cheap HomeKit speaker to put in each room for £30 or so, to compete with Amazon. Not really for music, but just for queries. Though this would need Siri to be less crap. For comparison, the Amazon Dot is on offer now in the UK for £19.
Pretty sure they're never going to do that. Apple has never participated in the "race to the bottom" with pricing - just like they'll never release a $300 laptop or a $100 iPhone. They're just not interested in competing in those markets - never have and I can't see that they ever will. Steve was adamant about that in his time and Tim's kept it that way.
They sell billions of all their products, DESPITE the prices, because they only compete in the mid to high end markets, but they do it better than the others (at least if all those buyers - and the "I want one" people - are any indication) even at the "higher" prices.
One of the big reasons for this is Apple's focus on experience not specs. They bring specs to the table to deliver on the experience, but they don't just deliver specs for specs' sake or bragging rights or whatever else like most of the others.
I agree of course, I really do hope all these new features are available in the original HomePods we all already have.
It wouldn't really be a race to the bottom as it wouldn't be an expensive device to produce, and wouldn't be competing against the equivalent higher end smart speaker from Amazon. The point is you would be able to operate HomeKit devices from places you might not want to put a $99 speaker. My dad would never listen to music in his bedroom for example, but might want to turn off the light or a wall socket for example, and $99 is a lot to pay for a device to do so, when its main feature (decent quality music) wouldn't be used.
A £30 device that had a basic microphone and speaker just for Siri feedback would be very useful. Doesn't need high specs because the "experience" of this device would be Siri, not music. Though if Apple is so hung up on experience, they really need to fix Siri. Also I think selling "billions of all their products" is a bit of a stretch... The total sales of all iOS devices is about a billion iirc.
Apple needs to make more use of Siri and make it even more ubiquitous. It's sad to see Alexa ripping off Apple 100% and become a household name more than Siri who had years to do that. One of the problems is Apple seemingly abandoning Shazam after acquiring it, which was ubiquitous for a while and used by TV ads and shows.
At this point Apple may need to make Siri better ASAP and offer some sort of 3rd party Siri API so everything works seamlessly. Apple doesn't have much time left. They should acquire a company like Ring and bake Siri and Apple product integration into it.
The intercom feature is great, hopefully it'll come to the existing Homepod (maxi?). The price is far better than the HomePod maxi too, so I think sales will be better than the HP. I do think Apple should have a cheap HomeKit speaker to put in each room for £30 or so, to compete with Amazon. Not really for music, but just for queries. Though this would need Siri to be less crap. For comparison, the Amazon Dot is on offer now in the UK for £19.
Pretty sure they're never going to do that. Apple has never participated in the "race to the bottom" with pricing - just like they'll never release a $300 laptop or a $100 iPhone. They're just not interested in competing in those markets - never have and I can't see that they ever will. Steve was adamant about that in his time and Tim's kept it that way.
They sell billions of all their products, DESPITE the prices, because they only compete in the mid to high end markets, but they do it better than the others (at least if all those buyers - and the "I want one" people - are any indication) even at the "higher" prices.
Yeah exactly. This dude doesn't get Apple. They aren't going to make a $30 echo dot.
You said exactly the same about HomePod when people said it was too expensive. And now look where we are. You obviously don't get Apple.
That's not a fair or accurate comment at all. Did he say back then that they weren't going to make a $30 echo dot back or did he specifically say they weren't going to make a $100 smart speaker? Either way I'm sure his comment was about the principle not the price, and on that he gets Apple.
Besides which, if his comment back then was "they're not going to make a $30 echo dot" then his comment was accurate then and is accurate now. The Echo Dot is a cheap piece of junk compared to everything Apple makes. Your description in your other comment of what they might make for maybe $50 (a non-music centered Siri-only device) is a reasonable idea but that's not what the Echo Dot is.
Also worth considering: Apple almost never come out of the gate with the low-end model. They almost always introduce a new product category with the high end, or perhaps the mid-range (and then expand to the "max" or plus versions as they also expand down). Releasing the fancy expensive HP first - for the early adopters who don't mind spending money on the fancy new tech - and then grow the range for more of the masses, is nearly always their MO. Classic example: expensive iPod -> cheaper iPod Mini -> cheaper iPod nano -> cheaper iPod shuffle. That's what they've done here. And so this is the mini. Perhaps a Nano is coming in another couple of years. Quote me when it happens, I'll wager it'll still be $50 not $30 and it won't be anything like the quality-compromising Dot.
Mind you... why it took them this many years to get this far with the HomePod range is a bit bizarre, unless there were doubts as to whether entering this market was worthwhile and so it was borderline to expand the range or kill it for a while. I for one was borderline for a long time to get one or not. I tried one and the sound blew me away, but it wasn't worth $350 to me, or even the $300 it later came down to. I took it back, and only bought one (well, two actually) when Best Buy had them for $200. It was worth that to me. This mini definitely tips the scales, and is a great deal if the sound is any good. I'll probably fill my house with a bunch of them now.
No new HomePods though? Lackluster event. Apple falling behind allowed Amazon to flood the market and pretend it was their idea. HomeKit is becoming a joke. Apple is at the point where they may need to acquire a company like Ring.
One of the problems is Apple seemingly abandoning Shazam after acquiring it, which was ubiquitous for a while and used by TV ads and shows.
Actually, they just made it another Siri request - and this one works quite well. Walk into a mall or shop and hear a song you like? Ask Siri on your iPhone "What song is this?" and she says something like "let me listen for a moment" and then tells you - in my experience 99.9% accurately. It's all of Shazam just built into Siri.
I was hoping they’d push out the new Apple TV too, I want to upgrade to 4K but have no intention of buying the existing model that’s got to be replaced sooner rather than later.
Apple needs to make more use of Siri and make it even more ubiquitous. It's sad to see Alexa ripping off Apple 100% and become a household name more than Siri who had years to do that. One of the problems is Apple seemingly abandoning Shazam after acquiring it, which was ubiquitous for a while and used by TV ads and shows.
siri has absorbed Shazam. Just ask Siri what the song is. But your larger point is correct. It was telling in the launch event when Apple said Siri was the first digital assistant, and then talked about the strides Siri has made in the last three years. Unsaid but before then of course, stagnation for some internal reason.
OK, can this HomePod mini play music on a iTunes library hosted on mac on the same wifi network without a music subscription?
If you aren't using Apple Music, I believe you have to use iTunes Match if you want to use Siri to play music. Otherwise, you will just have to use AirPlay from your Mac to play local files.
Any word on audioOS 14 or whatever the HomePod update for ios14 is called? They always seem to announce new features with previews of iOS and then it gets lost and left way behind the iOS launch.
I want a bunch of these. I have the original HP, which we use to control HomeKit and play music. I want to put these around the house to make it easier. This is a reasonable price for multiples.
I did want to point out to the Editor: The headline is incorrect. Apple did not release the HomePod mini. Apple announced the HomePod mini. Per your article it is being released in mid-November. Words have meaning.
The HomePod Mini is certainly a direct competitor to the standard Echo, but for non-audiophile use cases the lower-end Echo Dot still has a huge following, and will continue to sell very well. If Amazon would put the new spherical Dot with the embedded clock on sale during Prime days I'd buy one immediately because I need an unobtrusive clock in my family room, and it also integrates well into my security system.
The family of Echo devices have had intercom and announcement capability for a couple of years (at least) and the Echo devices with screens, the Echo Spot and the three Echo Shows (5", 8", and 10") devices link seamlessly with Ring cameras. The Dot, standard Echo, and Studio integrate with Ring Alarm to provide glass breakage detection as well as being listeners for your smoke and CO alarms. I take no shame in taking advantage of Amazon's willingness to sell these buggers at a loss. The fact that I can access Apple Music, podcasts, and streaming radio (like NPR) on all of my Echo devices is a really big deal.
I really enjoy my HomePod and if I had a need for another smart speaker somewhere on my property I would buy the HomePod Mini in a heartbeat. Apple's implementation of the intercom functionality will no doubt be better than Amazon's, which it should be considering how long they've had to sample the competition. The main issue I have right now is that nearly every room in my house, including the garage, laundry room, basement, and main bathroom already has a smart speaker. I recently acquired an Echo Studio for free and I struggled to find a place to put it where it alone would answer queries. By the way, the HomePod sounds better than the Echo Studio, but the Studio is not far behind.
The choice of "smart" devices for my home was largely defined by timing and availability. At the time I built out my system Apple was far behind with HomeKit. They are catching up, but certainly not at a breakneck pace. I'm into the Amazon and Ring around smart home devices, home automation, and security ecosystem pretty deep, about as deep as I'm into the Apple ecosystem with just about everything Apple does from iPhones, Macs, all the cloud services, etc. I'm totally okay with this. Having this heterogeneity is a good thing in my case because: 1) each ecosystem is very well integrated within its own sphere of influence, 2) the two systems are actually nicely, i.e., loosely, coupled by virtue of client access from iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows, and 3) the likelihood of a single point failure is somewhat reduced. If Apple's or Amazon's servers go down individually, I'm not going to lose everything.
The opportunity for winner-take-all exclusivity between Apple and Amazon has long passed, at least for me. I'm very content to keep gleaning the best from both ecosystems. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Apple and Amazon getting along very nicely.
Comments
There are zero examples in the Apple product line where they make cheap crap just to compete on the low-end. They don't do it. The HomePod mini at $99, coupled with the new "intercom" feature, is designed to get multiple voice controlled devices distributed around a home in order to enhance the viability of the HomeKit ecosystem. At $400, the original HomePod is hard to justify putting in the kids' rooms or in lesser used places in the house just have better coverage for using Siri for HomeKit control. $99 for wireless intercoms that also play music and take Siri commands? They're going to sell a lot of these. They don't need to chase a down-market with a cheap $30 device.
<cue the Kiwi accent jokes>
With that said, I wish it was more cylindrical like the Homepod and I wonder if it's compatible with Find My since people will travel with it more often. I need one to replace the WonderBoom (obvious Homepod ripoff) that I carry in my backpack.
Apple needs to make more use of Siri and make it even more ubiquitous. It's sad to see Alexa ripping off Apple 100% and become a household name more than Siri who had years to do that. One of the problems is Apple seemingly abandoning Shazam after acquiring it, which was ubiquitous for a while and used by TV ads and shows.
At this point Apple may need to make Siri better ASAP and offer some sort of 3rd party Siri API so everything works seamlessly. Apple doesn't have much time left. They should acquire a company like Ring and bake Siri and Apple product integration into it.
Turn the original HomePod into an iPad?
No new HomePods though? Lackluster event. Apple falling behind allowed Amazon to flood the market and pretend it was their idea. HomeKit is becoming a joke. Apple is at the point where they may need to acquire a company like Ring.
siri has absorbed Shazam. Just ask Siri what the song is. But your larger point is correct. It was telling in the launch event when Apple said Siri was the first digital assistant, and then talked about the strides Siri has made in the last three years. Unsaid but before then of course, stagnation for some internal reason.
I did want to point out to the Editor: The headline is incorrect. Apple did not release the HomePod mini. Apple announced the HomePod mini. Per your article it is being released in mid-November. Words have meaning.
The family of Echo devices have had intercom and announcement capability for a couple of years (at least) and the Echo devices with screens, the Echo Spot and the three Echo Shows (5", 8", and 10") devices link seamlessly with Ring cameras. The Dot, standard Echo, and Studio integrate with Ring Alarm to provide glass breakage detection as well as being listeners for your smoke and CO alarms. I take no shame in taking advantage of Amazon's willingness to sell these buggers at a loss. The fact that I can access Apple Music, podcasts, and streaming radio (like NPR) on all of my Echo devices is a really big deal.
I really enjoy my HomePod and if I had a need for another smart speaker somewhere on my property I would buy the HomePod Mini in a heartbeat. Apple's implementation of the intercom functionality will no doubt be better than Amazon's, which it should be considering how long they've had to sample the competition. The main issue I have right now is that nearly every room in my house, including the garage, laundry room, basement, and main bathroom already has a smart speaker. I recently acquired an Echo Studio for free and I struggled to find a place to put it where it alone would answer queries. By the way, the HomePod sounds better than the Echo Studio, but the Studio is not far behind.
The choice of "smart" devices for my home was largely defined by timing and availability. At the time I built out my system Apple was far behind with HomeKit. They are catching up, but certainly not at a breakneck pace. I'm into the Amazon and Ring around smart home devices, home automation, and security ecosystem pretty deep, about as deep as I'm into the Apple ecosystem with just about everything Apple does from iPhones, Macs, all the cloud services, etc. I'm totally okay with this. Having this heterogeneity is a good thing in my case because: 1) each ecosystem is very well integrated within its own sphere of influence, 2) the two systems are actually nicely, i.e., loosely, coupled by virtue of client access from iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Windows, and 3) the likelihood of a single point failure is somewhat reduced. If Apple's or Amazon's servers go down individually, I'm not going to lose everything.
The opportunity for winner-take-all exclusivity between Apple and Amazon has long passed, at least for me. I'm very content to keep gleaning the best from both ecosystems. Nothing thrills me more than seeing Apple and Amazon getting along very nicely.