larrya

lkrupp said:

97, 98, 99? And this warrants the kind of headline we get for this report? I’m really pissed at how these tech blogs like AI keep the flame wars going with incendiary headlines. Does anyone really think anybody could tell the difference between a 97 and a 99 score outside of lab conditions? I think not. How would you react if some sales clerk at a T-mobile store told you about this test? If you were an iOS user would this make you switch? A difference of 2 points?

And as for the pictures supplied it looks to me like the iPhone X and Pixel 2 photos are better than the S9 Plus. Good grief, why the constant oneupmanship game? Couldn’t the headline have been that the S9 Plus, Pixel 2, and iPhone X are very close in quality and all take great pictures? 

StrangeDays said:

gatorguy said:

StrangeDays said:

eightzero said:

There is no chance Apple will make a competing service native to their hardware. HomePod is all about that subscription fee.

Despite the fact that it works perfectly fine...without a subscription fee? Ignoring for a moment that voice playback controls work with your iTunes purchases for free, the fact remains that "AirPlay wifi speakers" are an entire product category that has existed for years, and the HP is simply the most recent. *None* of them offer voice playback controls, because all of them are simply AirPlay endpoints for audio playback. HP is exactly the same as all those speakers, except with much better sound. Nobody gave two shits about voice playback controls until this month.

You're trying to ignore that Apple really does promote Siri voice control as a major feature on the HomePod. The very first paragraph of their product page makes that clear:

"HomePod is a powerful speaker that sounds amazing and adapts to wherever it’s playing. It’s the ultimate music authority, bringing together Apple Music and Siri to learn your taste in music. It’s also an intelligent home assistant, capable of handling everyday tasks — and controlling your smart home. HomePod takes the listening experience to a whole new level. And that’s just the beginning."

That's why people keep bringing it up.
...and before you start in yes Siri on HomePod can do exactly what Apple says it can. Less careful readers could come away with the impression it can offer voice control of music other than just Apple Music since even in the footnote Apple is less than clear Siri works ONLY with Apple Music.
From the fine print: 

1. Siri works with Apple Music. Subscription required for Apple Music.

I'm trying to ignore nothing of the sort. I'm trying to correct the new made-up narrative that the AirPlay HomePod speaker "doesn't work" with Spotify. That's what was claimed, and that's nonsense. All AirPlay speakers in the entire market "work with" Spotify. EOS.

As for voice playback control, it may be the new speaker talking point, but in all the years iOS has supported it I've never used it IRL. It's always browsing my music in iTunes or Music app and initiating playback once I find what I'm in the mood for. The cognitive load of browsing is lighter than trying to recall my entire library from memory.

Good to see you're still on your agenda tho. Must...muddy...the waters...