The HomePod is much smaller than I remember. I hadn’t seen one since June, when Apple announced the speaker back at WWDC. Apple pushed back its projected December launch date because the company needed, “a little more time.” That time, it seems, has finally arrived, and I spent a bit more time with the smart speaker this week. Read More
Category: HomePod
Two Sonos One speakers now cost $349 – the same as one Apple HomePod
Sonos is offering a special limited deal for its new Sonos One smart speaker, which works with Amazon’s Alexa right now, and is gaining support for Google Assistant in a future update: You can buy two for $349, which is the same price as one of Apple’s HomePod Siri-enabled speakers. This is likely not a coincidence.
Individually, the Sonos One retails for $199, so you get a $50… Read More
Apple’s HomePod has a serious problem, and it’s not the delayed features
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Apple’s Siri-powered HomePod smart speaker is finally launching on Feb. 9.
There are a dozen reasons why you shouldn’t buy one — it’s kind of big, it’s expensive, it doesn’t support the ballyhooed multi-room audio at launch, Siri (lol) — but my biggest concern hinges on its key selling point: music.
Specifically: HomePod only works with Apple Music and that’s a huge non-starter for me and most people.
Now, I haven’t seen a HomePod in person, nor have I listened to one, so I can’t speak to how loud or clear it sounds. (It supposedly sounds better than a Sonos.) But I do listen to music — a lot of music — and none of it’s streaming through Apple Music. Read more…
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View More Apple’s HomePod has a serious problem, and it’s not the delayed featuresThe Apple HomePod ships February 9 for $349, available to order this Friday
Apple is finally shipping the HomePod. The device will ship on February 9, seven months after its announcement at WWDC 2017. It will cost $349 and limited at launch to the US, UK and Australian markets. The news come from Apple who is touting HomePod’s Siri integration, saying its voice assistant is able to “send a message, set a timer, play a podcast, check the news, sports,… Read More
Siri’s podcast-promoting ‘Give me the News’ feature is now out of beta
A few weeks back, Apple added “Give me the news” to Siri’s repertoire of tricks in the the latest beta version of iOS. The feature comes as the company is readying its smart assistant for the imminent arrival of the HomePod, the company’s first smart assistant-driven device.
The feature is now out of beta here in the States and the U.K. Asking Siri for the news will… Read More
Apple readies Siri for the HomePod by adding a podcast-powered news brief
The HomePod had a bit of a notable production setback, back in December, but Apple’s high-end smart speaker is still on-track for an “early 2018” release. As it preps for the release of its first Siri-focused device, the company is making some tweaks to its voice assistant. As 9to5Mac first noted, the latest beta version of iOS (11.2.5) sports a new news feature. “Hey… Read More
Apple delays HomePod release until 2018
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Looks like Apple lovers are going to have to wait a little longer for smart, room-filling sound.
Per a report from CNBC, Apple announced on Friday it will delay the release of the HomePod, a smart speaker set to directly compete with the Amazon Echo, until early 2018.
“We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers,” Apple wrote in an email to Mashable. “We’ll start shipping in the U.S., UK and Australia in early 2018.” Read more…
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Apple pushes HomePod release to early 2018
So much for the holiday rush. Apple announced this morning that its premium HomePod smart speaker won’t be making the company’s initial December ship date. According to a brief statement issued by the company, the production process needs “a little more time” to bake. A spokesperson told TechCrunch, “We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod,… Read More