HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday • Hacker News Board

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#81

Post by bradbatt » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:32 PM UTC

Bhilai wrote: post #61

Amazon already has a better sounding Echo and so does Google so I am not seeing a value prop from HomePod. This round has been clearly won by Amazon with Google inching very close and based on reviews, Google assistant seems way better than other assistants in general. Since Siri uses Google search now, it may only be slightly better than Alexa. Too late and too little by Apple, they missed this boat. Cortana seems p…

Apple definitely missed the boat on this. Unless their speakers are leaps and bounds better in some way, I don't see many people switching.

Once someone has a couple of Amazon Echos, for example, why would they add a Google Home or Apple HomePod? I don't think anyone wants to have to configure several devices to have to do the same things (turn lights on/off, etc.)

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#82

Post by bradbatt » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:35 PM UTC

untog wrote: post #64

germinalphrase wrote: post #6

I feel exited about home assistants in the same way I am excited about home automation: the premise seems useful in a general way, but I struggle to think of use cases that have a meaningful effect on my lifestyle. Also - I can't shake the privacy concerns.

I have Google Homes in my house and I agree that after the initial feeling of huge usability it really doesn't achieve all that much. Chromecast integration is both wonderful and awful - I can say "OK Google, play on the living room TV" and it'll do exactly that... but if I want to pause it I have to talk over the show I'm currently watching. All that said, I wonder what it would offer an elderly person. If my Grandm…

I'd be interested to see how older people interacted with the device. I know someone who got their parent a device and they kept "Alexa" written on a post-it because they couldn't remember the device name.

It's a big shift in technology, but since it is voice interactive, rather than computer/smart phone, I think it does provide an ease of use for older people who might not be as technology savvy.

SNL did a great skit on this … https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvT_gqs5ETk

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#83

Post by bradbatt » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:37 PM UTC

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #38

dljsjr wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple has been pretty up-front from the start that they don't want to make the best possible home assistant, they want to make a really incredible speaker that has home assistant stuff built-in. Whether the "incredible speaker" part is true remains to be seen since the thing hasn't released yet but you can look at a lot of the features and they're very music-focused. It's more competing with a Sonos than it is with a…

> they want to make a really incredible speaker Incredible by what standards? It's not even stereo. Nowhere does it mention perhaps the most important metric for audio quality, namely RMS audio power output. The tiny size alone pretty much guarantees that the amplifier will suck. I'm very confident that e.g. a combination of Klipsch R-15M speakers, Yamaha R-S202 amplifier and a Chromecast Audio will knock its socks o…

You're not the target audience, obviously. Although you and I realize that what you're talking about is simple to do, for us ... it's not as simple for many other people.

So the idea of just having a single device that automatically integrates with your phone, etc. is appealing to many people.

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#84

Post by semi-extrinsic » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:46 PM UTC

alexashka wrote: post #77

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they want to make a really incredible speaker Incredible by what standards? It's not even stereo. Nowhere does it mention perhaps the most important metric for audio quality, namely RMS audio power output. The tiny size alone pretty much guarantees that the amplifier will suck. I'm very confident that e.g. a combination of Klipsch R-15M speakers, Yamaha R-S202 amplifier and a Chromecast Audio will knock its socks o…

I think you've answered your own question: who would know to buy 3 separate products, glue them together, make it work, as opposed to buying 1 product from apple, that works right out of the box?

Well, if you can't be arsed to do some research, follow instructions and combine N things to make something really good, and think it's better to buy ready-made things, you can stick to eating microwave meals while I'm having slow roast tenderloin with butternut squash and sweet potato mash. But don't try and tell me yours is better.

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#85

Post by semi-extrinsic » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:54 PM UTC

bradbatt wrote: post #83

semi-extrinsic wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> they want to make a really incredible speaker Incredible by what standards? It's not even stereo. Nowhere does it mention perhaps the most important metric for audio quality, namely RMS audio power output. The tiny size alone pretty much guarantees that the amplifier will suck. I'm very confident that e.g. a combination of Klipsch R-15M speakers, Yamaha R-S202 amplifier and a Chromecast Audio will knock its socks o…

You're not the target audience, obviously. Although you and I realize that what you're talking about is simple to do, for us ... it's not as simple for many other people. So the idea of just having a single device that automatically integrates with your phone, etc. is appealing to many people.

Sure, I get that convenience is a big seller. But then it's "a really convenient speaker", not "a really incredible speaker".

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#86

Post by sbjustin » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 6:56 PM UTC

anilshanbhag wrote: post #34

HomePod costs $349. I know Apple products are pricy but 3.5x is insane. I have a (Google) Home mini and its fun - it isn't really that useful but ok for $30-50. While history has proof that Apple is able to extract higher prices, I feel this product will fail at this price point.

It's also different price models. Google plans to make more money on the things you do with your Home mini. Apple has to price total cost for product since they are less likely to make money after the purchase.

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#87

Post by knolan » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 7:01 PM UTC

lobster_johnson wrote: post #43

knolan wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can already AirPlay to multiple devices (including homebrew kodi boxes) from iTunes in MacOS. AirPlay 2 just brings this to iOS.

The changes in AirPlay 2 will be a little more than that. To make it work more like Sonos, it requires that the receiving device buffer a lot more of the audio to make it resilient from wi-fi instability, and it probably requires some changes to that devices are synced up at all times. And I sure hope they're doing something with latency. As I understand it, Sonos can do some of these things because their audio is tr…

My AirPlay experience is a lot better. From my Mac I can play music simultaneously in my living room and kitchen very reliably. From my phone I can play to either speaker, however the kitchen unit (Airstream S200) stutters when I move the phone into a known poor signal area at the back of the kitchen.

There’s about a 2-3 second buffer with current AirPlay. It warns you of this when use use the a GarageBand app.

Try enabling IGMP snooping on your router and see if that helps.

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#88

Post by drb91 » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 7:05 PM UTC

philfrasty wrote: post #60

vinceguidry wrote: post #42

Things I want from HomePod: 1) To work with only the tracks I have downloaded in my iTunes library. Currently I have to use a 3rd party music player because the stock music player won't respect my wishes in this regard. 2) To be able to turn Siri off 3) To sync with an existing audio system, so that I can play music through my home audio system in my living room, and HomePods in my bedroom and bathroom 4) To avoid th…

Not a big Siri fan myself but isn't the whole point of the Homepod to combine music + Siri? From Apple.com: „...It’s the ultimate music authority, bringing together Apple Music and Siri...“ so 1) (iTunes != Apple Music) + 2) don't really make sense

They don’t have to cripple the speakers as a music player to integrate siri; siri could just work with apple music for people who want to use it. Itunes certainly manages to mix and match just fine!

Plus so much good music never made it to itunes.

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#89

Post by mercer » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 7:35 PM UTC

slantyyz wrote: post #24

germinalphrase wrote: post #6

I feel exited about home assistants in the same way I am excited about home automation: the premise seems useful in a general way, but I struggle to think of use cases that have a meaningful effect on my lifestyle. Also - I can't shake the privacy concerns.

Putting aside the privacy concerns, the home automation + home assistant combo is actually pretty useful. It definitely beats fumbling through apps to do smart home stuff. Since getting an Echo, I notice my wife constantly changing the temperature on the Nest because, well, it's so easy to bark out a command when you don't want to get up or don't have your phone handy. Prior to getting an echo, I only used my Wemo sw…

> I'm surprised at how dependent I'm becoming on Alexa for otherwise mundane stuff.

It's interesting that I had a similar experience with the AirPods I got as a gift. I would never have bought them myself, but now that I have them I keep discovering ways in which they solve a 'problem', however trivial, that I had in the past with wired earbuds/headphones, or offer a new use-case. I often find myself having one of the earbuds in throughout the day, and I wasn't too much of a headphone-user to begin with.

If they'd break, I'd probably buy new ones immediately, despite the price.

(Well, I'd research the possibility of cheaper bluetooth earbuds first)

Re: HomePod arrives February 9, available to order this Friday

#90

Post by lazerpants » Tue, Jan 23, 2018, 7:40 PM UTC

BatFastard wrote: post #73

Too late to the game IMHO. A three year lead has let Alexa integrate itself into hundreds of products. And if you want a better speaker just buy the Sonos version.

Bloomberg - 2007

"The big competitors in the mobile-phone industry such as Nokia Oyj and Motorola Inc. won’t be whispering nervously into their clamshells over a new threat to their business….The iPhone is nothing more than a luxury bauble that will appeal to a few gadget freaks. In terms of its impact on the industry, the iPhone is less relevant."

Not that this speaker looks like a huge game changer, but coming out of the gate late is something Apple has proven adept at.