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HomePod Mini

apple.com

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Re: HomePod Mini

#61

Post by sneak »

whycombagator wrote: post #45
llampx wrote: post #8

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

Related, but if you want a non spying speaker (i.e a network connected speaker with no mic) - Sonos make a mic free version of their entry level speaker: One SL. It supports Apple Airplay 2 and two One SLs can be paired for studio sound. However, it is more expensive than the HomePod mini, not wireless (needs to be plugged in), & although it integrates tightly with iOS it can’t be as smooth as HomePod probably is (I…

Sonos spies on your usage instead of your audio, and is nowhere near the Homepod in terms of sound quality.

Re: HomePod Mini

#63

Post by KMnO4 »

turtlebits wrote: post #40

I don’t get it. Siri is the absolute worst compared to Google assistant, the only compelling reason to buy the HomePod is for sound quality. So unless this has some other redeeming quality over “Siri in your living room”, I don’t think it will sell well. The original HomePod regularly went on sale for 33% off already.

That was my exact thought too. I'm an owner of both an Echo, and a few Echo Dots. The Dots aren't great for music, but the Echo is actually really decent.

The name is a big mistake (they should call it just "HomePod", and the larger one "HomePod Max / Studio". Right now they are forcing people to compare it to the $30 smart assistants by the other two. It's not evident from the name that the HomePod "Mini" isn't competing with the Google Home Mini or Amazon Echo Dot.

Google / Amazon / Apple

Low end: Home Mini / Echo Dot / None, but people will think HomePod Mini sits here

Mid: Home / Echo / HomePod Mini

High: Home Max / Echo Studio / HomePod

Re: HomePod Mini

#64

Post by [deleted] »

untog wrote: post #56
turtlebits wrote: post #40

I don’t get it. Siri is the absolute worst compared to Google assistant, the only compelling reason to buy the HomePod is for sound quality. So unless this has some other redeeming quality over “Siri in your living room”, I don’t think it will sell well. The original HomePod regularly went on sale for 33% off already.

I'm curious to know what 90% of people do with their home assistant devices. I have a Google Home. I know it can do a huge array of things, but almost all I do with it is play music, control lights, and set timers. Siri can do all of those things.

[deleted]

Re: HomePod Mini

#65

Post by accrual »

manmal wrote: post #52
thomasfl wrote: post #47

No Spotify support. Spotify’s market share is probably so large that Apple will sell fever of this speakers because of that.

They are a direct competitor with Spotify Connect.

I wish there could be a better partnership between Apple and Spotify. I consider Spotify to be best in field for my music needs and a tighter integration would be a win-win for me as a consumer.

Just the other day:

> "Hey Siri, favorite this song on Spotify."

> "Sorry, Spotify hasn't added support for that." (paraphrased)

Re: HomePod Mini

#66

Post by ValentineC »

It doesn't look like the HomePod Mini would support Bluetooth devices as an audio source [1] (the older HomePod has the same issue), even though it lists Bluetooth 5.0 as a connectivity option.

[1] https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/#specs:~:text=Audio...

[2] https://www.apple.com/homepod-mini/specs/#specs:~:text=Wirel...

Re: HomePod Mini

#67

Post by dblooman »

iwasakabukiman wrote: post #15
llampx wrote: post #8

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

The sound quality is way beyond anything Google or Amazon offer. If you have other Apple devices, it works just like Siri on your phone. I've got one in my kitchen and it can hear me anywhere in my 3 bedroom house. It's pretty impressive from an audio recognition standpoint. Amazon and Google both have much better home assistants built in.

Have you tried the echo studio, probably not. If you are streaming music, I wonder if you could tell the different between the echo studio and the homepod in terms of price. They don't sound the same, but the quality is very good for those not looking for an audiophile setup. The studio is a lot of speaker for the money and offers better voice assistant. Apple made a nice thing in the home pod, but it isn't any special...yet

Re: HomePod Mini

#68

Post by mullingitover »

ogre_codes wrote: post #22
mmastrac wrote: post #3

Curious how much market share this homepod line has. My gut feel is that Amazon has the lion's share, followed by Google and everyone else has crumbs at the bottom.

Siri lives in on your wrist, in your pocket, or even in your ears with AirPods. It's a pretty significant difference. When you can access Siri anywhere, you only need to put speakers out where you want music. Google and Amazon need to work harder to get presence so they push them out using aggressive pricing.

It's true, I have so many places that I can set timers.

Beyond that piece of functionality, Siri is still a very developmentally disabled assistant and has never proven useful in my experience.

Re: HomePod Mini

#69

Post by accrual »

threatofrain wrote: post #37
llampx wrote: post #8

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

IMO Google Assistant is still generally stronger in parsing my sentences, multi-command workflows (Siri doesn't have it), and not having all my devices wake up and respond at the same time.

> multi-command workflows

One thing I'm waiting for with Siri is the ability to set the colors and brightness of my Hue lights at the same time. I have to "Hey Siri" twice to do what should be a single command.

Re: HomePod Mini

#70

Post by ballenf »

AceJohnny2 wrote: post #11
llampx wrote: post #8

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

I haven't used Alexa, but Siri on HomePod is way behind Google Assistant in capabilities and recognition reliability. I use it moderately for setting timers, reminders, shopping list, controlling my HomeKit lights, and getting weather. I'd judge it to be 80% reliable in picking up commands (but the way human memory works, it's likely much higher than that but the times it fails are more memorable) But HomePod is a ph…

That's true, unless you have privacy options enabled in your Google account. In which case your Google Home becomes a doorstop.

At least that was my experience before I gave away a gifted Google Home because it refused to let me proceed through setup without disabling a bunch of privacy settings across my entire Google account.

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