Do these work together with the old HomePod?
HomePod Mini
91–100 of 446 posts
Re: HomePod Mini
#92I think the killer feature is the Intercom
My initial reaction was the same — maybe we'd get one for our kid's room. But then I saw that Intercom supports all iOS devices, so probably we'd just put an old iPhone or iPad in there instead. But it's not 100% clear if when they say Intercom supports all iOS/WatchOS/MacOS devices, they mean you can communicate from one of those devices to a HomePod, or whether you can communicate amongst any of those devices (no H…
Most likely if the iOS device is new enough to have iOS14 and Intercom support, you can sell it for more than $99 and get the Homepod =)
Re: HomePod Mini
#93The coolest part to me is that they're using the S5 watch SoC to power it. Pretty cool that Apple's various hardware teams can just grab a part off the shelf to use in a completely different class of device. I'd love to see them reintroduce AirPort routers powered by an A-series chip.
Agreed. I wonder what the cost is on that chip.
Apple Watch S5 - Sensors + Speaker + Markup = $99
Re: HomePod Mini
#94Earlier quoted context omitted.
Google also doesn't retain audio recordings by default and hasn't for longer than Apple hasn't. https://www.blog.google/products/assistant/doing-more-protec... Apple is consistently worse on privacy than alternatives. Don't let them get away with it, or everybody will play Apple's game of just pretending that they care about privacy.
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 banking details with all that data collection if you want to develop apps for your own device.
That is not an honest commitment to privacy. The other two companies let you opt out of all data collection entirely on your devices.
You're absolutely right that it's not a close call.
To millstone because downvotes prevent me from replying: that is data that the users voluntarily gave Google (like their email and documents), and Google collects that data from its services on iOS as well. On Android, you don't have to give Google any of your data at all. It even makes it easy to not send data to Google by letting you choose a default maps application, browser, etc. Compare to Apple, where you must give your location data to Apple if you want to know where you are on iOS, and there is nothing you can do about it. One is clearly worse. Making light of not being able to develop apps for your own devices without handing over banking details is something I never thought I would see on a forum for technologists.
Re: HomePod Mini
#95I was tempted, but my partner has an Android and I'm pretty sure these can't even function as a basic Bluetooth speaker for non-Apple devices, so unfortunately it's a no-go. Apple got this right with AirPods: special integration with other Apple devices, but basic functionality with everything. Hopefully they will with these too one day.
You're right about not being able to pair as a Bluetooth speaker, but there are some advantages of Airplay (if you're using an Apple device). No pairing required (just shows up as an output device), no wrangling of Bluetooth connections to switch devices.
Surprisingly, it also supports peer to peer play if you don't have a wifi connection.
Re: HomePod Mini
#96HomePod 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.
Yeah, that'll be a differentiator for me. We have a few Echo Dots, which are pretty neat devices, but I'm not a huge fan of providing audio to Amazon and Google. Also, my neighbor was getting swatted and narrowed it down to his Echo Dots.
Re: HomePod Mini
#97Earlier quoted context omitted.
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)
According to Spotify, it’s Apple that’s making life hard for them [0].
And here is Apple’s rebuttal [1]
[0] https://www.timetoplayfair.com/timeline/
[1] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/03/addressing-spotifys-c...
Re: HomePod Mini
#98HomePod 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.
Yeah, that'll be a differentiator for me. We have a few Echo Dots, which are pretty neat devices, but I'm not a huge fan of providing audio to Amazon and Google. Also, my neighbor was getting swatted and narrowed it down to his Echo Dots.
What do you mean by the last part? Swatted, as in having a SWAT team called to his house? What role did the Echo play in that?
Re: HomePod Mini
#99Earlier quoted context omitted.
My initial reaction was the same — maybe we'd get one for our kid's room. But then I saw that Intercom supports all iOS devices, so probably we'd just put an old iPhone or iPad in there instead. But it's not 100% clear if when they say Intercom supports all iOS/WatchOS/MacOS devices, they mean you can communicate from one of those devices to a HomePod, or whether you can communicate amongst any of those devices (no H…
Most likely if the iOS device is new enough to have iOS14 and Intercom support, you can sell it for more than $99 and get the Homepod =)
We have a first-gen iPhone SE that runs iOS 14 fine but probably wouldn't fetch more than $99+tax, especially when the hassle factor is accounted for. Also, it's nice to have a backup phone around the house, in case something happens to one of our primary phones.
Re: HomePod Mini
#100I was tempted, but my partner has an Android and I'm pretty sure these can't even function as a basic Bluetooth speaker for non-Apple devices, so unfortunately it's a no-go. Apple got this right with AirPods: special integration with other Apple devices, but basic functionality with everything. Hopefully they will with these too one day.
You're right about not being able to pair as a Bluetooth speaker, but there are some advantages of Airplay (if you're using an Apple device). No pairing required (just shows up as an output device), no wrangling of Bluetooth connections to switch devices. Surprisingly, it also supports peer to peer play if you don't have a wifi connection.
Of course AirPlay is more streamlined, just like Google Cast is more streamlined. The point is to have a fallback, for the cases when you want to use your expensive device from outside of the golden path.