Last week’s crushing news that Apple’s HomePod won’t be available for Christmas was a blow to some.
But I shrugged it off.
That’s because I made my own HomePod smart speaker. It cost me about $60 and sounds absolutely great.
Apple surprised investors with its best Q4 earnings report ever today. The outrageous numbers dispelled doubts about the iPhone-maker’s strategy — and pushed Apple closer to becoming the world’s first trillion-dollar company.
With the launch of the iPhone X just hours away, Apple CEO Tim Cook had a lot to be happy about during the earnings call with investors. Analysts quizzed Cook and Apple CFO Luca Maestri on everything from iPhone 8 sales to how Apple plans to monetize its augmented reality efforts.
Here’s what we found out:
Apple’s latest firmware for the unreleased HomePod revealed a new set of sounds that the smart speaker will use to indicate various user interactions.
The new tones for the Siri-powered speaker sound different from the ones leaked in a previous firmware build. They also serve different purposes. While the sounds are simple, they are quite lovely — and worthy of a $350 speaker.
Take a listen:
Apple is giving developers advance notice to get their apps ready for the HomePod experience.
Along with releasing new firmware for the unreleased HomePod smart speaker, Apple also notified developers that iOS 11.2 adds SiriKit for HomePod as a way to integrate voice-only experiences into the app.
Apple hasn’t even started to sell its new HomePod smart speaker yet, but it just came out with a new firmware update for people already testing the device.
SAN FRANCISCO — Ultimate Ears’ punchy portable speakers just got smart. The new Blast and Megablast speakers bring built-in support for Alexa, Amazon’s voice-operated smart assistant.
Bringing the always-listening, voice-operated helper to a battery-powered speaker proved “nontrivial,” said Benjamin Falk, principal software product manager at UE, during a demo of the new speakers.
Smart speakers like the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and forthcoming Apple HomePod could become the fastest consumer device in history to hit 50 percent adoption levels, claims Activate CEO Michael J. Wolf.
For those keeping track at home, that’s faster than smartphones, television, cars, the internet, and personal computers.
Google’s new Home Max smart speaker wants to hit Apple’s upcoming HomePod where it hurts: in the ears and in the brains.
Home Max promises high-end audio, thanks to “premium hardware” and Google’s perpetual strong suit — artificial intelligence.
Sonos’ new voice-activated Sonos One smart speaker will work with Amazon’s Alexa assistant when it ships later this month, and will add support for Apple’s new AirPlay 2 streaming protocol next year.
The new smart speaker, which will ship Oct. 24, places an emphasis on high-end audio. With its $199 price point and promised compatibility with multiple platforms, it should put pressure on Apple’s upcoming HomePod, which costs nearly twice as much.
Google’s popular Pixel smartphones turn 1 today. To celebrate the birthday, the company plans to unveil two new models that will compete with iPhone 8 and iPhone X.
The Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL will be confirmed during a special event that kicks off at 9 a.m. Pacific today. You can watch the whole thing live right here.
Apple’s HomePod smart speaker was nowhere to be found at Apple’s iPhone X event yesterday. While Apple lavished its attention on Apple TV 4K, the new Apple Watch, and, of course, its next-gen iPhones, the smart speaker it unveiled at WWDC didn’t even get a mention.
For anyone excited about Apple’s rival to Google Home and Amazon Echo, that’s either a very good thing or a very bad thing. Here’s why:
The biggest Apple keynote of 2017 is just a few short hours away. And according to the rumors, its going to be one of the most memorable tech events in years.
When Tim Cook and Co. take the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on September 12, we expect them to unveil not one, not two, but three new iPhones. A bunch of other new hardware and software is also on the docket, making this an Apple keynote not to be missed.
Here’s everything Apple will likely reveal.
This post has been updated to include the latest info from the massive iOS 11 golden master leak.
Apple looks leakier than the White House these days. The latest unauthorized dump of info about upcoming Apple products comes in the form of a leaked golden master version of iOS 11.
Obtained late Friday by tech publications, the prematurely released final version of Apple’s mobile operating system reveals details about everything from the upcoming iPhones’ model names to dazzling new iOS wallpapers and details about the next Apple Watch.
Spoiler alert: If you want any surprises at all during next Tuesday’s Apple event, stop reading now.
The HomePod won’t ship until later this year, but two posts on social media show that people working on the device are already testing them in their homes.
One Twitter user has shared an image taken in Menlo Park, CA, depicting a Control Center screen, complete with HomePod icon. Another user, this time on Instagram, posted a black and white photo of a HomePod in what looks like his or her kitchen in Shanghai, China.
Apple’s HomePod smart speaker will pair with other devices by generating a special tone that can be detected by your iPhone or iPad.
The tidbit was discovered by developer Guilherme Rambo over the weekend, hidden in Apple’s latest iOS 11 beta release.
The smart speaker market is suddenly starting to look a lot more crowded.
Sonos has been making some of our favorite wireless speakers for years but it appears that the company is planning to challenge Apple, Amazon, Google and Samsung with its own smart speaker that will also be powered via voice.
Surprise, surprise; the rumors were true. Samsung will compete with Apple’s hottest new gadget.
In a new interview following the launch of the Galaxy Note 8 on Tuesday, Samsung mobile president DJ Koh confirmed the company is developing a smart speaker that will take on HomePod and Amazon Alexa. He also hinted that it will be announced “soon.”
The latest iOS 11 beta just revealed what it will be like to set up a HomePod, Apple’s new smart speaker coming later this year.
Pairing HomePod with your iPhone will be quite similar to the AirPods setup routine, based on leaked screenshots of the process. If the leak is accurate, you’ll only be able to set up the speaker using an iPhone or iPad.
References to a new Apple TV device have been discovered in the latest beta for tvOS 11, which could indicate that the new set top box is close to a possible launch.
Developers have been combing through the files in tvOS 11 beta 7 after Apple released it this morning it alongside new iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra betas. While the beta doesn’t come with any major new features, one developer discovered it contains some hints about the long-rumored 4K Apple TV.
Apple HomePod manufacturer Inventec Appliances warns that the device will be in limited supply when it launches this December.
Analysts expect the company to ship just 500,000 units by the end of 2017. However, supplies are anticipated to improve in 2018, when Foxconn will help with manufacturing duties.
Bidding goodbye to the iPhone’s physical Home button won’t be easy, but there are some advantages to going virtual for iPhone 8.
Not only will it allow for a larger edge-to-edge display, but it also means you’ll be able customize the virtual button. Apple code suggests we’ll have the option to resize it and hide it away if we don’t want it to be displayed on screen at all times.
The iPhone 8 might use its 3D facial recognition sensor to silence notifications when you’re looking at the device.
Developer Guilherme Rambo discovered the possible UI element buried inside code accidentally released as part of Apple’s HomePod firmware. Coders digging into the software discovered numerous other details about upcoming Apple devices.
The next generation Apple TV could be unveiled later this year, based on the latest leak from Apple’s unreleased HomePod.
Code for Apple’s leaky smart speaker reveals that the new Apple TV might finally gain 4K support and it will support two of the biggest formats for super high def video.
HomePod software appears to reference an unannounced “SmartCamera” feature built into iOS 11 or the yet-to-be-released 2017 iPhone. And it could totally change the way we snap photos.
In this week’s issue of Cult of Mac Magazine, you’ll find that story and more. Get more juicy details on iPhone 8. And check out one of our favorite custom-fit bands for Apple Watch now available in seven new leather colors. Get your free subscription to Cult of Mac Magazine from iTunes. Or read on for this week’s top stories.
This week on The CultCast: Apple accidentally leaked major details about the iPhone 8 and HomePod — we’ll tell you everything we’ve learned. Plus: Leaked audio files show off the HomePod’s cool UI sounds; we reveal exclusive new audio of the HomePod’s boot-up noise; and we wrap with our reviews of the best internet-connected security cameras and the hawt new flagship Olympus OM-D EM-1 mirrorless camera in an all-new Under Review.
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