HomePod, the first new Apple product of 2018, is about to arrive. And as a huge Apple fanboy, I couldn’t care less.
Apple’s been hyping its smart speaker ever since unveiling the device last June at the Worldwide Developers Conference. And yet HomePod has failed to really excite fans (except through leaks that gave us early details about the iPhone X). Apple bills HomePod as a powerful speaker that packs Siri to take your listening experience to an all-new level. But with its Feb. 9 release just weeks away, HomePod is looking more like Apple’s next big bomb.
I’ve given HomePod a lot of thought over the last six months. Even though it sounds like an audiophile’s dream smart speaker, there’s absolutely no way I can rationalize buying one. I’ve bought nearly every major new Apple product that’s come out since the original iPhone, but I think some crucial HomePod flaws make it totally unappealing for most people.
Here’s why you should probably skip the HomePod.
It’s too damn expensive
With its $350 price tag, HomePod is one of the most expensive smart speakers on the market. But it doesn’t really come with any benefits over its competitors. Sure, the sound is supposed to be way better than an Amazon Echo, but is marginally better sound really worth the extra money?
Admittedly, I’m cheap. And I don’t have the most sensitive set of ears that can appreciate the clarity of sound pumped out by HomePod’s seven tweeters. Still, if I’m going to pay more than $200 for a speaker, it better make life immensely better. When I think of all the other things I could spend my money on (like DJI’s new Mavic Air drone), an expensive speaker designed by Apple doesn’t land high up on my wish list.
Siri sucks
Apple markets HomePod as a great speaker first. And a Siri device second. If you really care about audio quality, it might be worth the purchase. But if you’re looking for a really smart speaker that will change how you live your life, Siri isn’t going to cut it.
Apple’s digital assistant has made some improvements over the last few years, but Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant both integrate with far more third-party services. They can also actually understand what I’m saying, which isn’t always the case with Siri. Until Apple makes Siri smarter — and integrates it better with other apps — you might as well just buy a $50 Amazon Echo Dot and connect it to an awesome Bluetooth speaker.
You’re stuck with Apple Music
To take advantage of all of HomePod’s music features, you’ll need an Apple Music subscription. I’m a Spotify lover, and the thought of switching back over to Apple Music terrifies me. All my friends are on Spotify, along with all the playlists we make together.
Sure, you could connect your iPhone to the HomePod via Bluetooth and play Spotify from there. It’s not the same, though. You won’t be able to do stuff like say, “Hey Siri, add this to my ‘Upbeat Chill’ playlist,” or “Play my Daily Mix.” Fans of Apple Music might not think it’s a big deal. But if you want to stay on Spotify, this is a dealbreaker.
HomePod is not even finished yet!
Not only did Apple miss the HomepPod’s first estimated shipping window of late 2017, but some of the speakers features won’t even ready for the delayed launch. One of the coolest features of the HomePod is its ability to pair with other HomePod speakers to create a mesh audio network. According to Apple’s website, that feature isn’t coming until later this year.
AirPlay 2 also won’t be available at launch, meaning you can’t choose to have one song play everywhere, or have different songs played in different rooms of your house.
HomePod faces tough, entrenched rivals
As a product, the HomePod feels like it came out of Apple’s HQ as an afterthought. Apple execs say the speaker has been in the works for years, yet HomePod seems like it’s just a knee-jerk response to Google Home and Amazon Echo, the smart speakers currently setting the agenda.
All of HomePod’s rivals seem more compelling in every way except audio quality. Better sound won’t be enough to win the smart speaker war. Even Facebook is bringing more innovation to the smart speaker game right now.
Which begs the question: Does even Apple itself really care about HomePod?
Sound off: Will you be ordering a HomePod?
https://twitter.com/sfsooz/status/955901610483376128
HomePod preorders start this Friday ahead of the smart speaker’s Feb. 9 launch. Will you be ordering one? Or are you satisfied with a competing smart speaker (or other audio device)? Let us know in the comments below.
Buster Hein is a freelance writer who lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Twitter: @bst3r.
101 responses to “Why Apple’s HomePod is poised to bomb”
“more compelling in every way except audio quality.”
ha ha ha.
HomePod will by HUGE success.
huge-ISH
“I’m a Spotify lover”…
with terrible sound quality.
yeah yeah because suddenly everyone is an audiophile with 20/20 hearing lol… stop peddling this ridiculous notion that 320kbps stream is bad quality- it’s not studio quality but it’s good enough for 99% of people
Damn proud of it too.
Getting one, oh **** no. The cost. I don’t really need a big expensive speaker in my house. I really don’t want a “smart speaker” period. No. Just no. Compare this to the Apple Watch. I don’t have an AW but I can see where its going. By about model 5 it will be something that will add value and function that I need and want. I do not see any way the HomePod will EVER become something I either want or need.
$350 is expensive to you? Oh, OK. I come from a different mindset. It’s not a big speaker, it’s actually pretty small, but the sound quality is supposed to be “big” in terms fo what kind of sound it can emit. :-)
To me, $350 is pretty inexpensive as I’m looking at what else is on the market. I was interested in the Elac Discovery Z3 which just got released, but it doesn’t have a voice assistant, but it’s sound quality is pretty insane, but it’s $500 which for me, for a bedroom speaker is about my limit, plus it’s just physically a little on the large size for me. I want something smaller.
For a real stereo, $350 is nothing, that’s cheap. My other stereo has speakers that are passive and require all of the rest of the electronics to drive them, and they were a little over $5000 when they were new, thankfully I found a used pair in mint condition and saved a couple of grand on them, but those to me are High-End or at least approaching High End. One can certainly spend enormous amounts of money on speakers. for the home and there are plenty of people that do.
But for what the HomePod is, I think it will do pretty well in the market if the sound quality is there. IF they do sound good and it works with what I want it to do, I’ll probably buy one for my bedroom and enjoy using it on a daily basis, voice assistant or not.
I agree, if you are a real audiophile and want a top quality sound system, $350 for a decent quality speaker is not a lot. The question though was “Will you be ordering a HomePod”. The answer is no. I am not in the market for an audiophile sound system, or a smart speaker. If others are, more power too them. But it’s not for me.
I look at it as a high end Low=Fi product. I wouldn’t consider this as an “audiphile” product. “Audiophile” products are typically a LOT more expensive and probably even better sounding. But in terms of a Low-Fi product, it’s probably on their higher end of the spectrum, if that makes sense.
That’s fine if it’s not for you, but price and quality of sound are all based on a person’s perception. Right??
Very true.
Just as a comparison, B&O makes a couple of omnidirectional speakers called the BeoSound 1 and BeoSound 2, both omnidirectional, but they only have 1 tweeter and bass driver, but they are well made, much taller and use a lot of expensive metal, and they cost something like $1400 to $1700 or around that price point. They are more of the expensive lifestyle powered omnidirectional. How much better are they going to sound over the HomePod? I don’t know. The HomePod can direct 2 channels and split them amongst 7 tweeters and do crazy stuff that the BeoSounds can’t do.
I’m sure someone will do an honest review when the HomePods ship. But omnidirectional speakers is something that’s been around, but no one has done what Apple’s doing at that price point.
Lexicon announced last year, a super high end powered omnidirectional speaker with arrays of speakers, but it’s still a prototype, but judging from the specs, it’ll probably be at least a $50K speaker system is my guess, maybe more. It’s the SL-1 if you are interested in looking it up.
But the HomePod is the first of it’s type at that price point and I’m interested to see how well it sounds.
Apple hired a top Technical person from Dolby Labs, they hired Tomlinson Holman who is the TH in the THX standard, so they have at least 2 top people from the audio world that’s working on these designs. What I heard was they were originally working on larger versions just as a personal pet project, not intended to necessarily be released as a product. Remember a few years ago that Tim Cook wanted to encourage personal projects within Apple? I think that’s what this is the result of that project they started several years ago. Obviously, they could make any sized versions at other price points. They also hired a top audio DSP designer too, so they’ve been hiring some interesting talent in the audio world.
Tomlinson is the guy that created the patent behind the speakers and horn design that’s being used in iPads, iPhones, Macs and that’s probably why they do have much better sound quality over the past couple of years than previous internal speakers. Tomlinson is a sharp cookie he understands high end audio, but he also understands how to bring the price down while create a decent sound quality.
it would NOT surprise me if that they eventually came out with a soundbar for the home theater market that has Siri built in. But that’s pure speculation on my part. So, it’s possible that one could buy a Soundbar for front left/right/center and maybe use a couple of these as rears. Just a possibility.
Please also don’t confuse this with Beats stuff, that’s run as a separate business with a different engineering group behind their designs.
I still have to hear them, though.
Woah, I guess I’m just not as much into audio quality as some people. $1700 is way outside my comfort zone, not to mention the ~$50k.
It makes $350 seem like not that much money when you compare to other products. :-). believe me, high end audio gets far more expensive than the $50K. I think the most expensive speakers sans power, is something around $1 Million. :-)
It’s just something that you either get involved with or you don’t. Once you get affected by high end audio, it essentially spoils you. It’s like flying first class. Once you do it, you can’t go back. It’s kind of like a sickness in a way. :-)
Yeah, I wouldn’t spend the $1700 on the B&O, I don’t consider them “high end” for most of their stuff as they are more for people that like things that are more into esthetics, but if the HomePod can create a decent sound quality for $350, I don’t think that’s a lot of money, especially since I will be using these things for listening to music more than I would asking it questions, and giving commands.
even if the sound is great, $350 for a MONO speaker (meaning audiophiles will want two, after the stereo software is ready) is a lot to ask. This one will tank unless they add something amazing to Siri.
It’s supposed to still be able to throw sound in a stereo sound field, it’s just that two of them will be a bigger stereo soundstage. The thing about omnidirectional fills a room pretty well, but having 7 tweeters allows for some other things that 1 tweeter can’t do. It’s supposed to also do a simulated surround sound as well. We’ll see what it can and can’t do when it ships.
Actually, mono is closer to how music is created when performed with musical instruments if you think about it. Stereo is more of an “EFFECT” than it is a natural way of recording/playback.
I respect you don’t want the speaker but this is a pretty poor article over all say with little actual information.
“I’m not spending ÂŁ350 on a speaker i’d rather get a drone” fine, so you don’t like music. I’m not even defending the Homepod here as it may well sound awful, so far all speakers in one box too, mass market consumer crap (all over priced, even the cheap ones) that sound boxy, boomy, veiled and cheap. But ÂŁ350 for a good speaker is hardly expensive. The best Sonos (which is only acceptable in sound quality) is ÂŁ500. The buy an actually decent pair of hifi speakers by Elac you’re looking at ÂŁ750-ÂŁ800 without an amp and they’re considered excellent but budget. I’ve got headphones that cost ÂŁ1000 FFS! – and they need a ÂŁ500 amp to drive them. ÂŁ350 is not remotely expensive if it sounds better than the best Sonos (which won’t take much)
Further more your observations of Siri are incorrect. I have all the home assistants and Alexa is easily the worst. Alexa doesn’t understand anything most members of my family say, triggers lots of the time when it shouldn’t and the skills are buggy, useless or just don’t work at all. It’s smarthome implementation is woeful, it pulls in duplicates and even when you disable them it still doesn’t work properly. It’ll often ask you which device you mean when you specify the only device of its name, the Hue still can’t even change colours. It is hackable and deep, but so is Siri and Google Assistant. Alexa has tried to catch up to Homekit and some of it’s new software developments are good, (finally you can do custom scenes, for two years you couldn’t even ask Siri to open anything because “open” was reserved for skills, so only recently can she open blinds or open gates, no such problem with Siri.
Google Assistant is a fantastic voice assistant and definitely better than Siri, however it’s not close on home automation – there are no zones like homekit, there are no groups – just single rooms. With Siri I can have “mood lighting” (a combo of Hue bulbs) within a bedroom turn off, I can’t do that with Google. I can’t even have scenes with Google yet. Where as with Siri I can make a scene for anything I want to say – literally anything and it’ll trigger everything I wanted it to do – Alexa only JUST got that and Google still doesn’t. Google can at least change the colour of Hue lights – but it’s not where near Homekit and Siri yet.
In fact for SmartHome integration Siri is miles ahead of everyone – with the combination of Homebridge you can add just about anything to it. I can ask Siri to preheat my Tesla car, I can get her to open/close the blinds, I can say “good night” and have her run my good night scene turning everything off and even responding like she knows i’ve said good night (unlike Alexa which just says “ok” in response to everything) – Alexa feels like legacy voice recognition where you have to say a specific key phrase trigger that it hears and does something – Siri and Google feel like you can say the same thing in multiple ways and they’ll always understand.
The poor part of Homepod is the delay (though that doesn’t really bother me) but not having stereo support on launch is crazy.
“Even though it sounds like an audiophile’s dream smart speaker, there’s absolutely no way I can rationalize buying one.”
It’s OK if you don’t want to buy a HomePod… Not every Apple product will be bought by every person. But thinking that the HomePod will “bomb”, just because you don’t want one (and have rationalized your own reasons for not wanting one) does NOT mean that it will automatically be a sales failure for Apple.
The HomePod is for a different market than the Amazon Echo and Google Home… Both of which are “smart speakers” with low-end audio quality.
Those who are waiting to buy the HomePod want it because it is a “smart speaker” with high-end audio quality and audio beamforming technology.
For people who own an iPhone, or iPad, or Mac, or Apple TV, or Apple Watch, that works with Siri and Apple’s services, the HomePod integrates seamlessly with their devices (unlike Amazon Echo or Google Home).
The other benefit of the HomePod is that it doesn’t track you or collect your personal information for advertisers, like Amazon Echo and Google Home do.
These are some of the important and unique HomePod features:
* A long-throw woofer with its own separate amplifier
* An array of seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier
* Six-microphone array for far-field Siri
* A separate internal microphone for low-frequency calibration and automatic bass correction
* Direct and ambient audio beamforming (This one is an extremely important feature!)
* Studio-level dynamic processing
These are features that you WON’T find in any other speaker in this price range… And DEFINITELY not in any other “smart speaker”!
Having read the preliminary reviews of the HomePod’s audio quality (and looking forward to more thorough audiophile reviews), the HomePod does provide unmatched audio reproduction and audio beaming.
A quote form an Engadget review last June:
“The existing crop of intelligent home assistants sort of suck at audio. The HomePod however, sounded crisp and bright no matter the musical genre flowed through it — it rendered the Eagles as well it did Kendrick Lamar. As a reminder, there’s a huge woofer and seven tweeters inside, all meant to make audio sound as vivid as possible no matter where you are in a room. It works… It’s just a killer speaker.” ??
NOTE: If you are unfamiliar with “audio beamforming”, here is a concise description:
“Beamforming shapes audio into controllable beams of sound, directed to each listener’s ear. As a result, listeners receive an individual 360° sound experience without the need for headphones. Through a standard speaker set up, each person would hear the same audio, although those closest to the speakers would hear the audio louder than others. Sound beams are far more precise: they can be individually controlled and directed with pinpoint accuracy. These beams can be used to direct equalized audio to each person, or at a volume adjusted to each listener’s preference. Multiple beams could also be employed simultaneously, so that one listener hears a German audio track, the second hears a Spanish audio track, and the rest hear an English audio track. These audio tracks would all be heard with perfect clarity and no overlap.”
Thank you. It was a term I had never heard before. “Sounds” like a really neat technology.
“Sure, the sound is supposed to be way better than an Amazon Echo, but is marginally better sound really worth the extra money?”
There is a big difference between “way better” and “marginally better.”
“There is a big difference between “way better” and “marginally better.””
Exactly! ?
“Siri sucks”
Actually, no it doesn’t.
In December 2017 LoopVentures tested the various AI assistants with the same 800 questions divided into five categories.
Test Results:
Understood Query:
Apple Siri: 99.0%
Amazon Echo: 97.9%
Google Home: 99.9%
MS Cortana: 98.9%
Answered Correctly:
Apple Siri: 75.4%
Amazon Echo: 63.8%
Google Home: 81.1%
MS Cortana: 56.4%
Siri is currently only slightly behind Google Home, but well ahead of both Amazon Echo and MS Cortana. And Siri’s ratings have been consistently improving.
Siri is horrible. Tried to use this weekend and just gave up.
She won’t reply if you ask her personal questions. ?
But seriously, I use Siri quite a bit. All of the different AI assistants have limitations (NONE of them are Star Trek ready yet!). But as long as you realize the areas and types of questions that you can expect to be answered, you will find that using a voice assistant can be very helpful.
Just don’t ask things like: “Hey Siri, what’s my favorite color?” ?
EDIT: Just for a laugh I tried asking Siri “What’s my favorite color?”. She answered “Sorry, I can’t read your mind… Not yet, anyway.” (Nice to have a bit of humour thrown in ?)
Nope. Siri IS horrible.
Period.
Quit trying so hard.
Nope. She is very accurate. I just asked her if you were a tool, and she said yes.
Do not ask favorite color. Easy example is the other day a video of Trump and Billy Bush is on the TC and ask if Billy is related to George and Siri nothing and our Google home gives us the relationship.
But it is also the Google home integration with the iPhone. Wife clicks her iPhone camera shutter button and then later walks into our family room and can ask for fine details in photos and the TV turns itself on, input sets itself and photo appears in 4k on largest screen in house. We also have a 4k Chromecast.
I guess if you don’t mind Google listening in all the time your ok. Did you hear about how Burger King ran a commercial on TV and if Google Assistant was nearby it started talking about the Whopper. Burger King and Google both received enough complaints that Burger King pulled the commercial, and Google had to make some quick coding changes.
I don’t trust Google or Amazon devices that are always listening to EVERYTHING!
I’ll give you the celebrity relationship status, the rest I can do on my phone and Apple TV, so whippie. Good work on being able to quickly find out who the Kardashian’s are dating, totally worth your privacy.
I use it. Do you? I have to wonder.
“Baseless.”
I’m sorry but that makes me laugh. How dumb do you have to be? Do you talk like you have marbles in your mouth? If you can’t get Siri to work, you are either lying or an idiot. It works across the room, heck it will work in the next room if I yell. It works in cars with music on, it works in crowded rooms. Is it Star Trek? No, but it works just fine. This is a fandroid fantasy.
wait…we aren’t supposed to have marbles in our mouths?! Don’t take it personally and start insulting people…Siri gets it wrong more than it should. I just asked her to dial a number and she did a mathematical equation. It is great, at times, but it doesn’t always “just work.”
No you should take the marbles out of your mouth first. Like I said, it’s not Star Trek yet, but Siri is certainly not the bumbling fool AI that tech blogs make her out to be.
I agree, Siri is getting better. For the first few years I found it useless. I’d just try it after each major OS update to see and then put it away for another year. In the last year I’ve started to find it useful, but the error rate is still higher than I want. It has surprised me on occasion by figuring out my somewhat ambiguous question, (When do the Lions next play? Giving me the time of the BC lions game not the Detroit lions presumably because I live in BC) or tossing in the odd bit of humor, ( Siri, say “I am your father Luke”. Answer “No”). So it is much better than it used to be. It’s not my preferred way of finding out something just because of the unreliability though.
When I asked Siri to say I am your father Luke, she replied “together we can rule the galaxy as father and assistant.”
I found that Siri has several answers depending on exactly how the request is phrased. When I said, “Siri, Say ‘Luke, I am your father’ ” elicited “No, No, that cannot be true.”
I love you, thanks for posting. Too bad they didn’t add a human in the test….
siri sucks
Last $350 Apple speaker lasted on the market for 18 months. Have one somewhere in the basement. Doubt this one will last as long.
I had one, amplifier died, I was told there was no way to repair it. The iPod Hifi was a disaster, no reason to believe this will be any different. I will definitely wait and see this time.
But, but Steve Jobs was in charge then and he never got anything wrong, or had any failures! (Apart from the G4 Cube, The Lisa, The Apple III, Macintosh TV, MobileMe, The Hockey Puck Mouse…)
I’m starting to miss SJ. He was a total jerk, but his standards were much higher.
We really did not use ours long as I think it had the old connector.
It also has an audio-in jack on the back. My iPod Hi-Fi is connected to my TV for audio and it still sounds AMAZING!
So your theory is that because Apple sold a speaker previously (iPod Hi-Fi, in 2006) that ANY speaker Apple will sell will also be not a big seller?
That’s like saying the Apple Lisa was not a big seller, therefore all other Apple computers will not sell well either!?!
And by the way, Apple bought Beats in 2014, and Apple has been selling speakers which HAVE been selling very well since then!
My concern is the Siri is really bad and almost killed me and so selling for speaker quality worries me and why compared to the last speaker.
How did siri almost kill you…
HAHAHA
Did Siri Try and Throttle you?
Did Siri Melt you mind?
I bet you were arguing with it while Driving Right?
It can cause high blood pressure.
It was called the iPod Hi-Fi and it has AMAZING sound and great engineering. I currently have one of mine connected to my TV for audio and it sounds great. I have my other one connected to an Airport Express and I am able to use Airplay to play audio from my iOS devices.
Just because it’s old, doesn’t mean they still don’t sound great.
2010 Mac Pro + Toslink + iPod Hifi = Happiness
Said $350 Apple speaker (a.k.a. iPod Hifi) has lasted in my home for 12 years, and I couldn’t be happier with it…. which is why I have no need for the HomePod.
LoL. I tried the Amazon Echo – it SUCKS, unless all you want is a device to spend money on Amazon with… I have 2 Google Home devices. I use them to add items to my (Apple) shopping list (IFTTT…) That’s it.
Both the Echo and Google Home sound quality suck (no really, it Ess-uuh-cee-key-ess!)
And WTF is it with every tech pundit piling it onto Siri? I, for one, have been using Siri extensively, on the iPhone, as well as in my car using CarPlay, and I couldn’t be happier with it. And that from a guy whose birth language isn’t even English (born and initially raised in Luxembourg, then ZĂĽrich, Switzerland for university, before immigrating to the US)…
I will most likely get two HomePods (maybe not at launch, but 6-12 months into it) to replace my Google Home devices. From what I have read, the beam forming tech is simply outstanding. And that is exactly what I am looking for – a HIGH-END audio device creating an outstanding audio experience in any room I put it in.
And if it doesn’t deliver? There’s always eBay…
Google home Max has excellent sounds not sure what you are talking about?
The Max also is a lot more substantial and really hard to see the Homepod being competitive but will be curious to see.
“Thing is sound aside the Google Assistant is light years ahead of Siri.” Hahahahahahahah… Good one.
I am writing about the Google HOME, not the MAX. I don’t own a ‘MAX’, so cannot comment. The Google Home speaker SUCKS (just like the Echo).
I also tried the whole Pixel XL thing, and was LESS than impressed (before switching back to iPhone X). So, more power to you if your standards put the Google/Android crap on par with Apple/Siri (sure Andy Ihnatko will let you butt-**** him for that), I will stick to what I know works FOR ME…
LOL….You think siri is better than Google Assistant……good one.
Siri is better than Google Assistant for some things.
Home automation is in another league with Siri (see my post above explaining why) Google Assistant unfortunately doesn’t have the customisation yet.
Is that you Tim?
Ironically the google home Max has and amost identical setup to the old Apple WifI Speaker. Front facing base and Twin tweeters. Both sound good… I suspect the HomePod will be better with active sound shaping etc.
Also the Max is even MORE expensive Than the HomePod.
I thought the exact same thing about the iPhone SE, and I was wrong. People said that the Apple Watch was going to be a failure, yet everywhere I go I see people wearing one.
I love Apple HomeKit, I have HomeKit products everywhere in my home and I love it. I’m going to purchase at least 3 this Friday for my kitchen area, media room, and bedroom. I love Siri, and I’m looking forward to using the HomePod with HomeKit. Also, I have been holding off investing in Sonos speakers to put throughout the house because they lack AirPlay integration and Siri.
I refuse to get an Alexa or Google Assistant because I don’t trust either company enough to allow those devices to sit and listen to everything they hear. Amazon Alexa just wants to sell you stuff, and Google just wants metadata to advertise to you, it all comes down to trust.
I wouldn’t count the HomePod dead on arrival just yet.
Yet you are buying China made products. Interesting.
Worthless article, IMO…
REAL audiophiles are NOT very interested in this product.
We already HAVE better sounding audio systems.
Room correction SW has been around for many many years. Smallish boxes with a bunch of little speakers blowing sound around have been out for decades. They all claimed to sound “great”.
With the cost of the hardware and Apples profit margin, I doubt audiophiles are going to be running out to buy these.
Just reminds me of the overpriced crap Bose put out for many years.
But if you love Apple products, go for it. Just don’t try to sell it as a great product.
P.S. I own no Samsung, Android or Microsoft products. But I do a whole bunch of Apple products.
“reminds me of the overpriced crap Bose put out for many years.”……
No high, no lows, it’s gotta be Bose.
Buy Other Sound Equipment
I agree with the conclusion, but not the reasons. I think the main problem with HomePod is that it doesn’t really solve any pressing needs. The reason the Airpods were a hit is that they “fixed” something many people saw as a problem: wires tangling and short battery life on previous bluetooth solutions. They gave lots of folks reason enough to plunk down $160…which was also a similar price to other bluetooth buds.
HomePod doesn’t solve anything i can think of – it just gives you a slightly more convenient way to invoke an assistant you already have in your pocket, on your iPad, and on your Apple TV…and it gives it to you with better sound. Aside from a few audio nuts, most of us won’t shell out $350 for that little bit of improvement in our lives.
I think if HomePod tackled a real problem – like reducing the wiring/widget clutter that afflicts all of us by integrating another Apple widget or two (perfect candidate would be to have the HomePad also be an Airport wifi “mesh node”).
Um, I think it’s too early to dismiss it, and the thing is, I don’t think Apple’s all that concerned if they aren’t the top selling smart speaker either. It’s their first attempt, and they just handed Siri over to Craig’s supervision, so I will give Craig’s group a year to figure things out and we’ll see.
As far as a smart speaker, I’m still not convinced that any voice assistant is that big of a deal. Also, Siri is software, not hardware, if the hardware isn’t done well, then it doesn’t matter about the software.
I think it will be a marginal hit and I’m sure they’ll make a decent profit from it.
I personally, am looking for a good sounding speaker that’s small that will work with my iTunes catalog, if it has a voice assistant that can do the things I use it for, great. It’ll turn on/off lights, and things like that, and we’ll see how good It is working with Apple Music. We don’t know if it’s going to support other music streaming services, but since it’s Airport, can you just use another device that’s running Spotify or another streaming service and just route the audio to the HomePod in the mean time? Apple does have a Siri SDK for the 3rd parties, so it’s up to them to develop their app/service to work with Siri, some have done it, and some haven’t.
But to me, the speaker sound quality is of the most importance as that’s what it’s going to be used for the most. $349 is the high end of the Low-Fi market. Google new bigger model is $400, but it’s a lot larger and not all of us want that big of a product, I certainly don’t. For me, I have to listen to it, and I still have some questions as to how it will integrate into what I use to listen to music. I’m not expecting it to rival my traditional stereo as It’s not in the same class (price or quality), but I wouldn’t expect it to compete. But for my bedroom? It’s certainly better than any clock radio I can think of and that’s essentially what the Echo and Home products are.
Do I think it’s going to bomb? NO. I think it’s going to sell fairly well. Time will tell.
But I’m still trying to figure out what I will actually use a voice assistant for other than what I use Siri for already. It does the things either really well or pretty well, as I’m still getting used to how to articulate my requests. But to me, they are all like that. I”ve used Google’s Assistant and it’s certainly not 100%, and neither is Alexa, they all have a ways to go.
And how many units do they have to sell to be a success or a failure? No one has articulated that yet.
How many would constitute a success or a bomb? They have over 30 million Apple Music customers which are prime candidates to buy at least one unit over the next 12 months. How many of just those are going to buy one in the first 12 months? 1%, 2%, 3%, etc.? Let’s say 3% buy 1 unit each, that’s 900 thousand units, Multiply by about $70, because if they make 20% Net profit after tax, that’s about $70 net profit, that’s about $63 Million for an accessory for the first year. How many is Apple estimating they are going to sell in the first year? 1 Million units? 2 Million units? I’m on the fence on buying one and I don’t use Apple Music, but I use ITunes Library and iTunes Match, if it works for me, I’m probably about 90% likely to buy one. I also know there are some that want to buy multiple units.
The first mistake to make is comparing how many Apple sells of their unit compared to Google or Amazon, different products to different customer base and a different profit margin. Both Amazon and Google have been slashing prices and both companies have not proven they know how to make decent profit margins on hardware.
Too early to tell if it’s a bomb or success, much too early.
“Even though it sounds like an audiophile’s dream smart speaker, there’s absolutely no way I can rationalize buying one.”It’s OK if you don’t want to buy a HomePod… Not every Apple product will be bought by every person. But thinking that the HomePod will “bomb”, just because you don’t want one (and have rationalized your own reasons for not wanting one) does NOT mean that it will automatically be a sales failure for Apple
i don’t think my opinion on homePod is the way the entire market is going to feel. It could eventually become a phenomenal must have product. This generation feels half baked and I just don’t see a ton of people wanting it yet. Maybe I’m wrong.
This article is absurd and so is not using sound as the determining factor when buying a speaker. My phone, watch, tablet, Mac, and Apple TV all do the smart thing just fine. If I’m buying a speaker I want great sound! Want to talk about bombs? Try Cult of Mac lately. Ad blocker: On.
It also has an audio-in jack on the back. My iPod Hi-Fi is connected to my TV for audio and it still sounds AMAZING!
“…the sound is supposed to be way better than an Amazon Echo, but is marginally better sound really worth the extra money?” You contradicted yourself within the same sentence. You used the worn out bs about siri, contradicted yourself again regarding spotify and have done no testing. Let’s wait and see if it’s any good before we pump out any more weak articles.
“The other (major) benefit of the HomePod is that it doesn’t track you or collect your personal information for advertisers, like Amazon Echo and Google Home do.”
Bingo!
HomePoop, I mean, HomePod is going to be just one more thing that Apple tries to catch on….
Siri is horrible. Tried to use this weekend and just gave up.
Apple’s compatible device list for the Homepod doesn’t include Macs…
“…the sound is supposed to be way better than an Amazon Echo, but is marginally better sound really worth the extra money?” You contradicted yourself within the same sentence. You used the worn out bs about siri, contradicted yourself again regarding spotify and have done no testing. Let’s wait and see if it’s any good before we pump out any more weak articles
Agree!! Way too expensive. I’d expect the price to be around $100… maybe $150 because it’s Apple. And Siri sucks indeed.
What a terrible article. Completely based on speculation and misinformation as its not out.
$350 is not a lot for a decent speaker. The Google Max is actually $50 more.
Using A mavic Drone as an example to spend your money instead on is also pointless as that’s 2-3 times the price! I am not buying a Fridge I’d rather spend my money on a Tesla X.
Oh and not even the same product category… have fun listening to music on your Mavic Air Buzzing round your living room.
Well Mr. Buster Hein, aren’t you a Cassandra.
Oh yeah… and another thing… from the outset this is placed as a SONOS range speaker NOT a Home assistant like Echo.
And just to prove you wrong…I’ll be ordering 3, if they let me.
As people become increasingly inclined to salivate over name tech company products, having been completely brainwashed in this regard, I vouch that your words will be proven wrong.
I hope I am wrong, but I totally agree with you. 1) Siri is weak at best, 2) Integration with third party products is poor, 3) Sound quality would have to be amazing to differentiate the product, so convince me on that. On top of that, its not even stereo, so its hardly a replacement for anything I’ve got, and my Echo is working just great, Apple.
Lets see, you haven’t yet played with the HomePod, nor do you have one. Yet, you know exactly how well, or not, the product will perform and integrate.
Gosh, a clairvoyant!
I want to control my music with apps, not voice. This means Bluetooth for everything. But Bluetooth audio stinks since it broadcasts everything. This leaves Sonos (not many apps support this) or AirPlay. I’ve been waiting for an all in one AirPlay speaker for years. Sold.
To sell me a multi-hundred dollar home integration interface, my home has to actually integrate with it. To get my home to integrate with it, I’d have to spend ten thousand dollars to replace all my appliances with “smart” appliances. If Apple actually wants to sell this speaker to people (who aren’t just going to throw their electronics away, like Apple has catered to since the iPhone was launched), they HAVE TO MAKE THE FRAMEWORKS FOR INTEGRATION CHEAPER. Otherwise there’s no point and IT WILL BOMB.
To me personally sound quality is my number one requirement for a smart speaker. I was thinking of buying two for a stereo pair. I won’t be pre-ordering but if the sound is as promised I will give it a shot.
I am concerned about the low level of security of Google Home and Amazon Echo speakers. My understanding of this new Apple product is that it is very secure and would be nearly impossible to hack into.
Sure, like the billion people who said i would ever pay $600 for a phone, GUARANTEED, in 6 months, you’ll have 4 in your house. It’s like poo-pooing the Apple watch – now, #1 – taking down fitbit already and taking a knee to the swiss watch industry in THREE YEARS … while the speaker industry is not a nichelike watches – Amazon& Google have NEVER made a dent in hardware they compete in – Apple wins EVERYTIME and makes the indstry … yea, Siri is not 100% great but comapred to Aexa and Google’s thing – it’s still the best.
No audiophile worth their salt would be caught dead with a Home Pod.
I will not be buying the Apple Home Pod because I have to much money invested in the Amazon Echo,Dot,Alexa,Bluetooth speaker and Amazon Prime.As I use Amazon Music to play all my music as I like my music without the DJ chatter & advertising.I have an Apple iPad (12.9 Pro),watch (series 1),iMac(mid 2011) & I phone 7 Plus which I keep updated with the all the latest Apple operating system and other updates IE security,bugs and other items.Will continue with them until Apple stop updating them or supporting them and then I will consider upgrading them.I will take the same attitude with my Amazon devices.
“The sound is supposed to be WAY better than an Amazon Echo, but is MARGINALLY better sound really worth the extra money?” Brilliant writing right there. That’s where I stopped reading.
No Spotify support in a device that costs 350$ ? No thanks. I’d rather get 2 Sonos 1 speakers for that price
Already ordered it!!!!
“Is marginally better sound worth the extra money?” That depends on the buyer. Obviously, to Buster it doesn’t but to many people it does. If it really sounds that good, like really good, then $350 is nothing! This is a device you may use hours a day for the next 20 years, so whats $350? I hate when people get cheap on certain items that are really important like beds, TV’s etc.
Of course, there are people who think a $15 am/fm radio is good enough, but many people are willing to spend for some quality. If it sounds as good as I hope it does, I am buying 2 for my living room, one for my garage and another for my office. Being able to control all these devices separately with an iPhone/ipad/Mac is fantastic (Airplay). Seriously, for those of you who don’t have multiple speakers throughout the house, I advise you try it. Just because the author here is a cheap-ass, doesn’t mean everybody is. Also Buster, when you hear it, you may change your mind. Personally, I don’t even care if it has Siri or not.
Apple is running out of ideas…being “trapped” is not good
Homepod…tied to apple music and airplay “hello” what is that?
Touchbar…just do touchscreen and be done
Watch..tied to iPhone
Seriously cut bait people nothing good ahead save money and improve yourselves