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HomePod Mini

apple.com

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Re: HomePod Mini

#121

Post by toomuchtodo »

jagger27 wrote: post #111
gnicholas wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'd love to see them put AirPort tech inside their smart speakers. That's one great way to differentiate from Alexa devices. We're still running AirPorts at my house, though I know eventually they'll die and we'll have to find something else. In the meantime, they're super convenient for having my Time Capsule back up my Mac, and for piping audio via an Airport Express to the speakers I use with my projector setup.

Oh yes that would be nice. A bunch of PoE HomePod minis with WiFi 6 would work great in my house to replace my 802.11ac UniFi setup. I'm really dreaming big now, but some sort of AirPort central base station with SFP+ for my FTTH connection and 4xPoE to power and feed a bunch of HomePods would be brilliant.

Not so sure on PoE (great for technically inclined folks, not the general public, and if you're really set on PoE you could use a reverse injector to take power off the ethernet and break power/data out at the device) but it would be smashing if HomePods had WiFi mesh support (802.11k/v/r) and Apple used them to challenge Google Next Wifi and Amazon's Eero offerings (because the UX on Nest Wifi and Eero is so good, but I'd rather give my money to Apple).

Re: HomePod Mini

#122

Post by Doctor_Fegg »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #94
Bud wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is consistently better on privacy, actually, than competitors. Not sure which competitors you are talking about or which issues/products, but you're way, way off-base. And for obvious reasons: Amazon and Google need to gather user data to survive because they don't make any profitable hardware. Apple doesn't need your data, plus, they have a real and honest commitment to privacy. It's not even a close call, rea…

> Apple is consistently better on privacy, actually, than competitors. Among Apple, Amazon, and Google; only Apple's phones and tablets send your location to Apple every time you use GPS (even if you're not using an Apple app like Apple Maps!). Among those three companies, only Apple requires you to tell Apple every app you install. Among those three companies, only Apple requires you to further associate your bankin…

> only Apple's phones and tablets send your location to Apple every time you use GPS

Impressed they can do that when I’m using offline mapping in an area with no mobile signal.

Re: HomePod Mini

#123

Post by jagger27 »

TedDoesntTalk wrote: post #46
wtmt wrote: post #5

I was expecting a refresh of the HomePod too, though rumors mentioned only the HomePod mini. I also thought that a price of $79 would’ve been quite attractive compared to the $99 price. Just have to wait for holiday sales, I guess. I can’t wait for reviews and comparisons on the sound of HomePod vs. HomePod mini.

> I also thought that a price of $79 would’ve been quite attractive compared to the $99 How did you arrive at that? Is $20 really the deciding factor for you?

Probably not relevant to what GP is trying to argue, but it would likely mean they’d price it at CAD $99 instead of CAD $129. Fairy significant psychological difference there.

Re: HomePod Mini

#124

Post by nojito »

INTPenis wrote: post #103
athenot wrote: post #7

HomePod mini works with your iPhone for requests like hearing your messages or notes, so they are completed on device without revealing that information to Apple. This is the big differentiating feature, along with the seamless integration within the rest of Apple's product line. EDIT: HomePod does this too but it was not at a price point nor size that competed with other assistants.

How is it different though? Doesn't Siri on your phone send your recording to its backend to figure out what you need anyways? So it's just an extra step?

It's opt in and only for idevices.

Re: HomePod Mini

#125

Post by halfnormalform »

llampx wrote: post #8

Can anyone with a Homepod comment on the usability compared to the Google and Amazon spy systems... err speakers?

Homekit might limit you as far as hardware goes, but if you’re handy you can run a Home Assistant instance and connect Siri to just about anything: Z-wave sensors, Logitech Harmony Hub, non-HomeKit light bulbs, etc.

Re: HomePod Mini

#126

Post by TYPE_FASTER »

corytheboyd wrote: post #113
TYPE_FASTER wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, the police showed up at his door a couple times saying somebody called 911. He disconnected everything from his network, no more visits from the police. He plugged devices back in one at a time, leaving a day or so between devices. Within an hour of plugging in the Echo devices, the police were back. He unplugged the Echo devices, no issues since.

I meeeaaannn come on, I feel like this person is withholding some important details about why the police show up at their door. This is just too ridiculous to be real.

The devices can make calls. There have been vulnerabilities that allow people to gain access and send commands: https://voicebot.ai/2020/08/13/amazon-patched-an-alexa-hacki...

Re: HomePod Mini

#127

Post by bookofjoe »

crooked-v wrote: post #74
threatofrain wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Has Google ever abandoned consumer hardware, or their obligations to Nest customers?

Well, sure. Look at the Pixel phones: the Pixel 1 was released Oct 2016 and support ended Dec 2019, and the Pixel 2 was released Oct 2017 and they'll be dropping support this year after updating to Android 11. Even with Nest specifically they dropped Works With Nest support last year, effectively killing off the many integrations that had been built since 2014 in favor of their newer Works with Google Assistant progr…

Then there's my beloved 2013 Google Glass Explorer Edition, which still works perfectly but which Google stopped supporting February 25, 2020.

https://mashable.com/article/google-glass-explorer-edition-f...

Re: HomePod Mini

#128

Post by gnicholas »

gonehome wrote: post #120
gnicholas wrote: post #78

Wish I could get 4 or 5 of these and use as a home theater setup. It'd be significantly cheaper than a Sonos Arc, and presumably offer better surround (though worse low-frequency response).

You'd be limited to only getting audio through the content of your Apple TV right? You wouldn't be able to get the audio from an Xbox for example?

Good point, this is a limitation for some. We have a projector setup that we plug iPhones/iPads/MacBooks into, so we can AirPlay the audio from those to the speakers at the front of the room. Currently we AirPlay to an Airport Express (c. 2009?) that sends sound out to speakers. This works around the challenge of having video going out at the back of the room (to the projector) and needing audio to come out at the front of the room.

This system doesn't work when we're playing Nintendo Switch, in which case the audio just comes out of the projector. For our purposes, that's fine; but I could see how someone playing Xbox would want that to be hooked into their audio system. I wonder if there would be some way to pipe audio through an old Mac mini to accomplish this. At that point it's probably worth just paying the Sonos tax.

Re: HomePod Mini

#129

Post by lozaning »

gonehome wrote: post #120
gnicholas wrote: post #78

Wish I could get 4 or 5 of these and use as a home theater setup. It'd be significantly cheaper than a Sonos Arc, and presumably offer better surround (though worse low-frequency response).

You'd be limited to only getting audio through the content of your Apple TV right? You wouldn't be able to get the audio from an Xbox for example?

I think it could withy something like HDMI ARC.

Re: HomePod Mini

#130

Post by zepto »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #94
Bud wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple is consistently better on privacy, actually, than competitors. Not sure which competitors you are talking about or which issues/products, but you're way, way off-base. And for obvious reasons: Amazon and Google need to gather user data to survive because they don't make any profitable hardware. Apple doesn't need your data, plus, they have a real and honest commitment to privacy. It's not even a close call, rea…

> Apple is consistently better on privacy, actually, than competitors. Among Apple, Amazon, and Google; only Apple's phones and tablets send your location to Apple every time you use GPS (even if you're not using an Apple app like Apple Maps!). Among those three companies, only Apple requires you to tell Apple every app you install. Among those three companies, only Apple requires you to further associate your bankin…

“Among Apple, Amazon, and Google; only Apple's phones and tablets send your location to Apple every time you use GPS.“

This is a false statement that you continue to repeat.

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