Neil’s a smart guy and this is a fantastic read. A few tastes:
Apple is not overselling the device’s speaker capabilities. In a somewhat controlled environment resembling a typical living room, HomePod’s sound output clearly stood out from that of Amazon Echo and Sonos Play 3. In fact, it made the Amazon Echo sound like a cheap toy, and the Sonos Play 3 sounded so inferior, I wondered if something was wrong with the Sonos.
And:
HomePod’s value isn’t found in asking Siri for sports scores or controlling the kitchen lights. HomePod’s value is found in an A8 chip controlling a series of microphones and speakers.
HomePod is a computer capable of mapping a room and then adjusting its sound output accordingly. This is another way of saying that HomePod is able to capture its surroundings and then use that information to tailor a specific experience to the listener. It is easy to see how collecting data and then using that data to improve the experience will position HomePod as an augmented reality (or maybe we should say augmented hearing) device.
Augmented hearing, a very specific form of augmented reality. And this is key to the future of HomePod. More from Neil:
A few augmented reality examples include the HomePod recording and copying the sound from one location or room and then replicating that sound in another room. This would be game changing as it would be as though we were in a completely different room even though we hadn’t changed locations. An adult would be able to speak to a child in another room by simply talking out loud in a regular tone thanks to multiple HomePods.
The idea of speaking to someone in another room in a conversational voice is just one (albeit fantastic) capability that could be unlocked by HomePod. Being a great music delivery service is a bit of a trojan horse to get one in the door. But the HomePod (in your house) and AirPods (out and about) are much more than music delivery devices. They are extensions of the ecosystem.
The more reviews I read about this the more I want one to replace my Sonos speakers. I know it is suppose to be coming but I hate not being able to fully control my Sonos from my Alexa devices without jumping through hoops.
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blockquote>[HomePod and AirPods] are extensions of the ecosystem.
I agree. AirPods are the best product I’ve bought from Apple in years. They meaningfully enhance the ecosystem from both a software and hardware perspective.
AirPods connect me to content wirelessly, of course, but they also extend the battery life of my devices by allowing them to remain plugged in when it wouldn’t have been convenient previously.
Furthermore, Apple is providing me with one additional feature that others do not. Privacy and data security.
While it’s obvious that privacy is not a concern for all buyers of connected devices, Apple’s commitment to security and privacy will also set HomePod apart from the competition and will gain entry into many homes that would otherwise shun devices that are always looking and listening.
I’m not sure if this is a stated feature, but I would love for this to connect with my Apple TV so I can have a pair of speakers closer to where I sit. I currently use a pair of Sony bluetooth speakers and they are a very weak solution. I live in an apt and can’t/won’t run speaker wire all over the room. I looked at Sonos and yes, they are expensive, but they didn’t resolve the convenience of bluetooth for me. You have to buy another box that talks with the speakers and you never really achieve a great sync with the video.
My hope is these will be able to connect to an Apple TV, maybe be able to add 5 of them for surround sound, customize how they sound so I don’t blow out my neighbor , and work off WiFi so they are robust enough.
If Apple gets this right, they will be super useful, in addition to, presumably, super nice to listen to.
Take that, Bose.
All of the speakers listed put out something that can’t be called food sound. Sorry.
I assume you meant to type good sound. Though food sound does sound interesting.
Having traditional high-end speakers are great but they often can not overcome real world conditions if the room wasn’t acoustically designed for listening.
Sure, it’d be great if we could all sit in our listening room with B&W 800 series speakers and Classe amplifiers, but in the real world, people have rooms that serve for more practical purposes. Having speakers that can continually account for room shapes, materials, etc. has great potential to outshine much “better” traditional speakers. And this is only the beginning.
I’d bet that the HomePod sounds a lot better than you think it does. Maybe you have those “golden ears” people are talking about, but the proof of the pudding is in the tasting, or in this case listening. But until December the only proof we have is by those who have actually heard it. Until then, both your and my opinions are just speculation.
I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to AirPlay to it.
And since new tvOS will allow you to easily use your AirPods, I could see the same thing happens to HomePod soon.
Will the speakers account for different musical tastes? Reggaetón? Bollywood? Calypso? Krunk? Dance hall reggae?
For some things, you need a subwoofer.
I think the HomePod’s success or failure won’t hinge on “is it perfect for every known type of music”, though.
It at least needs to sound good enough in mono with the varied musical taste of my family to be of use.