HomePod

Bob24 · 07-02-2018 5:00pm

glideslope wrote: »

Spotify is not blocked - it will work fine through airplay. The missing feature is being able to use Spotify with Siri ie ask Siri to play a song on Spotify. The HomePod will come up in a list of available devices in your Spotify app.

Yes I think people either didn’t read the details or are being a bit dishonest when they talk abou this.

Any airplay compatible app (that is pretty much any music app) will be able to send audio to be HomePod via airplay.

Bob24 · 07-02-2018 5:13pm

murpho999 wrote: »

The starred items will not be available at launch, and therefore the product should not be launched in my opinion.

Blocking the likes of Spotify, is wrong in my opinion. I use Apple Music, so no issue for me but my wife uses Spotify and she would have to jump through hoops to get it to work.

Siri needs to be improved to work better. I would not use an iPhone if it could only work through Siri and that's how it is with the speaker.

Having to disable something is not right either. The security should be better.

All of the above are software issues, so by V2, I mean I would wait until the software is upgraded before buying.
I think it's a very poor product at launch especially when you look at the premium price they charge.

Honestly I don’t see the problem with stereo and multi room beeing available down the line. I doubt it will bother many people or make Apple lose many sales, but in any case if you want those just wait for them to arrive and judge the product as it is today. There is no issue with releasing it for people who don’t need it in the short term.

The Spotify complaint is futile IMO. It is hardly a surprise that Apple is only baking Apple Music into Siri and not Spotify. And it won’t change anytime soon as they always favour their own products in terms of deep integration.

Yeah Siri has room for improvement so people who are focused on that aspect might see it as a concern, sales number will tell.

The security aspect I can discuss and I don’t know how Google/Amazon are handling this. Do they have a reliable authentication to restrict some feature to certain users?

Overall it gives me a bit of an AirPod feel: a lot of negative noise at first based on theoretical issues which exist but don’t affect that many users, but once people try it they like it and it sells pretty well.

murpho999 · 07-02-2018 5:22pm

glideslope wrote: »

Spotify is not blocked - it will work fine through airplay. The missing feature is being able to use Spotify with Siri ie ask Siri to play a song on Spotify. The HomePod will come up in a list of available devices in your Spotify app.

Bob24 wrote: »

Yes I think people either didn’t read the details or are being a bit dishonest when they talk abou this.

Any airplay compatible app (that is pretty much any music app) will be able to send audio to be HomePod via airplay.

Fair enough but if you're paying top whack for a smart speaker then you should be able to use it smartly.

adox · 07-02-2018 7:04pm

Google Home and Amazon Echo both have Spotify integration despite both companies having and pushing their own music services so Apple are different there and not offering as much.

Saying you can airplay it is kind of missing the point of a smart speaker.

Look if you are happy with the limitations of it fair enough but it is incredibly limited no matte what way you look at it.

It’s disappointing because Apple are already a couple of years late and are serving this up.

Bob24 · 07-02-2018 7:27pm

adox wrote: »

Google Home and Amazon Echo both have Spotify integration despite both companies having and pushing their own music services so Apple are different there and not offering as much.

But again it is typical Apple behaviour to only deeply integrate its own service. I totally understand that some people don’t like it, but there is no point complaining about it as this is what they always do so it was to be expected and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. If if is a showstopper for someone not to have deep Spotify integration they should just move on and stop considering the HomePod. Waiting for that integration to be delivered would be misunderstanding Apple’s strategy (it is not about being late but about having a different strategy, they would have had the resources to easily and quickly implement Spotify integration if they wanted to).

And before someone says the pool of potential buyers is too small: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/4/16971436/apple-music-surpass-spotify-us-subscribers

Let’s be clear: an important goal for Apple is to drive even more subscriptions and bring even more people into their ecosystem in order to secure future hardware sales. Google and Amazon have a different business model / philosophy and will behave accordingly - and consumers can choose whatever suits them best (they all have advantages and drawbacks).

adox · 07-02-2018 8:14pm

Bob24 wrote: »

But again it is typical Apple behaviour to only deeply integrate its own service. I totally understand that some people don’t like it, but there is no point complaining about it as this is what they always do so it was to be expected and is unlikely to change in the foreseeable future. If if is a showstopper for someone not to have deep Spotify integration they should just move on and stop considering the HomePod. Waiting for that integration to be delivered would be misunderstanding Apple’s strategy (it is not about being late but about having a different strategy, they would have had the resources to easily and quickly implement Spotify integration if they wanted to).

And before someone says the pool of potential buyers is too small: https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/4/16971436/apple-music-surpass-spotify-us-subscribers

Let’s be clear: an important goal for Apple is to drive even more subscriptions and bring even more people into their ecosystem in order to secure future hardware sales. Google and Amazon have a different business model / philosophy and will behave accordingly - and consumers can choose whatever suits them best (they all have advantages and drawbacks).

All fair points and I never denied that it wasn’t typical Apple or that it would sell. My point was it is entering the smart speaker at a very late stage and isn’t in fact that smart, kind of the point of the product.
Also I was trying to point out that being already in the Apple eco system doesn’t mean you have to buy this product as a smart speaker or it would be a lot of hassle changing to a different smart speaker because it isn’t Apple.

Also I’m not really complaining about it, just pointing out and questioning its sever limitations as a product which is disappointing.

My personal opinion is that Apple are producing less and less exciting products over the last few years while inflating the prices greatly. This is com8ng from s9meone typing on an iPad, uses a iPhone(although had happily switched to Android in the past without issue)uses a Mac and has two different generations of Apple TV.

So I’ve been a fan of Apple products for years but am finding myself less and less inclined to but their products. The iPad is actually probably my favourite Apple product. Happened to be in NY when it was launched originally and got one and have had one ever since, which I use everyday. A new one will be my next Apple purchase and I wouldn’t be without one.

I’m just trying to give a bit of context to show that I’m not on here to bash the product or Apple products in general but that I find the HomePod hugely underwhelming and I can’t help but think that Apple are taking people for a bit of a ride with it in its current iteration. Maybe I’m putting it a bit strongly but I certainly feel like it’s an inferior product to what’s out there.

I’m sure it will sell by the bucket load as usual but I do think people will become more savvy about products eventually (especially the like of these smart speakers) ad may not be so quick to part with their cash without looking at alternatives.

Bob24 · 07-02-2018 8:40pm

adox wrote: »

My personal opinion is that Apple are producing less and less exciting products over the last few years while inflating the prices greatly. This is com8ng from s9meone typing on an iPad, uses a iPhone(although had happily switched to Android in the past without issue)uses a Mac and has two different generations of Apple TV.

Yep definitely agree with that. I would still say iPhones are the hardware I like best but the gap is not as big as it used to be and prices are getting seriously repulsive if you want that top hardware. Having said that it still is an no brainer for me because of the software and business model. I don't like Android compared to iOS and don't want to use hardware running on an OS distributed be a company whose main source of income is to mine user data to serve targeted advertisement. Plus Apple still has the best ecosystem integration IMO (as long as you mostly use their services which I don't mind but understand some people do).

And yes Apple hasn't really done an iPod or an iPhone for some time ... i.e a new product class which just blows away the rest of the industry.

But back on topic, I think the game is very open for the HomePod. I might be wrong but I personally think nice design, good integration in the Apple ecosystem, ease of use, and good sound quality with adaptation to the room could make it successful with Apple customers. I know I am a bit of a fanboy but since I already have Siri in my iPhone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch I really don't see the point of having it on a device sitting in my living room. Even other potential customers will have at least an iPhone as well. This is why I think the smart aspect is overhyped on the internet as it is basically just another microphone to access the virtual assistant we already have. It is clearly different for Amazon who hasn't put all these other devices in their customers hands. I think there is a good number potential customers who just want a good sounding speaker which is very easy to use with Apple devices. I could be wrong but it kind of reminds be the beginning of the EarPod which got trashed online: it turned out that just being a ok sounding, very easy to use with Apple devices, very comfortable pair of wireless earphone was enough to appeal to many Apple customers and initial complaints about other potential issues were just noise.

glideslope · 08-02-2018 1:16pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Fair enough but if you're paying top whack for a smart speaker then you should be able to use it smartly.

Yes agreed - that’s why I wouldn’t buy one with it’s current feature set.

Bob24 · 09-02-2018 12:24pm

The initial users feedback seems in line with the reviews: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/02/08/homepod-first-impressions-regular-users/

If people are OK with the various restrictions, it really does seem like Apple is delivering value for money in terms of audio quality.

whippet · 09-02-2018 5:52pm

mine is enroute to Parcel Motel at the moment so will hopefully have it this weekend and let you know how I find it.

prionnsias · 10-02-2018 12:53am

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

peteeeed · 10-02-2018 9:18am

prionnsias wrote: »

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

Nice one , I’m an Apple Music subscriber so I’m definitely getting one

faceman · 10-02-2018 1:55pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

Come back to me when Siri can sing a Christmas carol.

Tangent comment. Say the following to Siri: “i see a little silhouetto of a man”

whippet · 10-02-2018 7:21pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

Savage ...

murpho999 · 11-02-2018 2:36am

faceman wrote: »

Come back to me when Siri can sing a Christmas carol.

Tangent comment. Say the following to Siri: “i see a little silhouetto of a man”

"......I'm just a poor assistant....nobody loves me...."

AidenL · 11-02-2018 1:32pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

Thats great, just ordered one myself.

I'm deep in the Apple ecosystem so Echos and Spotify just make things slightly more awkward - I use Siri on CarPlay also.

kkapp · 11-02-2018 6:15pm

I'm running the beta of 11.3 on my Apple TV and Siri for tv is available in Ireland. So will be available on general release I'm sure once it comes through later in spring.

prionnsias · 11-02-2018 10:56pm

I think if Siri didn't work in this country on the homepod it would be a bit crap to be honest. Airplay works fine and the sound is amazing but the voice control features set it apart from a regular speaker

Bob24 · 11-02-2018 11:04pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I think if Siri didn't work in this country on the homepod it would be a bit crap to be honest. Airplay works fine and the sound is amazing but the voice control features set it apart from a regular speaker

Yes as opposed to Apple TV which is OK without Siri (to be honest I find Siri a bit useless on it and prefer the regular UI), the HomePod can't really launch in a country without Siri.

peteeeed · 12-02-2018 9:50am

so the homepod/siri gets 52% of questions correct

https://9to5mac.com/2018/02/11/homepod-siri-functionality-test/

Vudgie · 12-02-2018 12:05pm

Does anyone have an educated guess as to when we can expect it on the Irish store?

peteeeed · 12-02-2018 12:07pm

Vudgie wrote: »

Does anyone have an educated guess as to when we can expect it on the Irish store?

might be a while , see how the yanks and the Brits get on first

Bob24 · 12-02-2018 12:10pm

Vudgie wrote: »

Does anyone have an educated guess as to when we can expect it on the Irish store?

Hard to put a date on it ... but as soon as Apple feels Siri is ready to answer enough Ireland specific queries.

Creamy Goodness · 12-02-2018 12:27pm

peteeeed wrote: »

so the homepod/siri gets 52% of questions correct

https://9to5mac.com/2018/02/11/homepod-siri-functionality-test/

odd, I would have thought Alexa would have been better at 64%.

I didn't get a chance to watch the video but do they say what the figure for understanding the commands are for Alexa/Assistant. Siri is quite good at 99.4 percent.

Bob24 · 12-02-2018 1:15pm

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

odd, I would have thought Alexa would have been better at 64%.

I didn't get a chance to watch the video but do they say what the figure for understanding the commands are for Alexa/Assistant. Siri is quite good at 99.4 percent.

Yes my understanding is that if you go into the details the percentage doesn’f necessarily reflect the accurracy of each product to process cammands it supports, but has a lot to do with how wide that range of commands is.

For exemple a product which supports navigation and lights control but only gets those right 50% of the time will get the same overall score as a product whic only supports lights controls but gets it right 100% of the time.

glideslope · 12-02-2018 1:44pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I just unboxed my new homepod. First impressions are excellent and I can confirm Siri works perfectly in Ireland using an Irish apple id.

Thanks for posting that info. When you say it works perfectly do you mean Siri can set timers, create reminders, play specific songs from Apple music with an Irish Apple music sub etc. you know the same as on iPhone. Just concerned it is restricted in some way in Ireland.

Vudgie · 12-02-2018 4:09pm

glideslope wrote: »

Thanks for posting that info. When you say it works perfectly do you mean Siri can set timers, create reminders, play specific songs from Apple music with an Irish Apple music sub etc. you know the same as on iPhone. Just concerned it is restricted in some way in Ireland.

I have the same query, will it be as simple as changing the country when it launches here or will you be locked to using UK Siri etc?

Bob24 · 12-02-2018 5:53pm

Looks like the audio part gives Hi-Fi brand a run for their money: https://www.macrumors.com/2018/02/12/homepod-audiophile-review-standing-ovation/

prionnsias · 12-02-2018 7:13pm

glideslope wrote: »

Thanks for posting that info. When you say it works perfectly do you mean Siri can set timers, create reminders, play specific songs from Apple music with an Irish Apple music sub etc. you know the same as on iPhone. Just concerned it is restricted in some way in Ireland.

I found it works fine for music playback, reminders, timers most things really. The only things that I have found that doesn't work is if you ask it the news or if you ask it to play music from a particular decade. Basically whatever way Siri works on your phone now It'll work the same on the homepod, the same regional restrictions will apply.

murpho999 · 12-02-2018 9:00pm

glideslope wrote: »

Thanks for posting that info. When you say it works perfectly do you mean Siri can set timers, create reminders, play specific songs from Apple music with an Irish Apple music sub etc. you know the same as on iPhone. Just concerned it is restricted in some way in Ireland.

Amn't I right in saying that there is no such thing as this? You just have an Apple Music sub that is paid with an Irish bank card? Service is no different to an American sub?

I don't see how it would be restricted for geo-locations when it's Siri capabilities on the Homepd are quite limited anyway

Creamy Goodness · 12-02-2018 9:02pm

murpho999 wrote: »

Amn't I right in saying that there is no such thing as this? You just have an Apple Music sub that is paid with an Irish bank card? Service is no different to an American sub?

I don't see how it would be restricted for geo-locations when it's Siri capabilities on the Homepd are quite limited anyway

Isn’t it the Apple Music sub is tied to the Apple ID which is restricted to the country in which it was initially set up? There are some albums that aren’t available or get delayed coming to he Irish subs.

Bob24 · 12-02-2018 10:17pm

murpho999 wrote: »

glideslope wrote: »

Amn't I right in saying that there is no such thing as this? You just have an Apple Music sub that is paid with an Irish bank card? Service is no different to an American sub?

I don't see how it would be restricted for geo-locations when it's Siri capabilities on the Homepd are quite limited anyway

Th music selection will be different depending one which iTunes Store you got your subscription from (which has to be the store matching the billing address if your debit/credit card). So yes an Irish subscription and a US one will provide a slightly different service.

I believe on top of that there can be restrictions depending on where you are using the service from (i.e. not all the content from the Irish service might be available if you are using it from Spain, but the affected content is fairly limited).

I am not sur how this could affect the way the HomePod leverages though.

bluemachaveli · 12-02-2018 10:39pm

kkapp wrote: »

I'm running the beta of 11.3 on my Apple TV and Siri for tv is available in Ireland. So will be available on general release I'm sure once it comes through later in spring.

Any thing you did to get this working? I'm on the latest 11.3 beta and it's still grayed out in the settings

flashf1 · 13-02-2018 2:05pm

bluemachaveli wrote: »

Any thing you did to get this working? I'm on the latest 11.3 beta and it's still grayed out in the settings

Yeah, same query here, how'd you get it working??

whippet · 13-02-2018 4:49pm

prionnsias wrote: »

I found it works fine for music playback, reminders, timers most things really. The only things that I have found that doesn't work is if you ask it the news or if you ask it to play music from a particular decade. Basically whatever way Siri works on your phone now It'll work the same on the homepod, the same regional restrictions will apply.

I got my hands on it this morning .. only had a few minutes to play around with it .. for some reason I can't get it to access my calendar or notes .. it keeps saying that the language needs to be the same as the device.
I've set the language on both the HomePod and iPhone to UK English but to no avail !! .. any suggestions?

Creamy Goodness · 13-02-2018 4:57pm

Don’t know about notes, but calendar doesn’t work with HomePod. I assume it’ll silently get updated in future to do that cause it’s a glaring omission.

Bob24 · 13-02-2018 5:57pm

whippet wrote: »

I got my hands on it this morning .. only had a few minutes to play around with it .. for some reason I can't get it to access my calendar or notes .. it keeps saying that the language needs to be the same as the device.
I've set the language on both the HomePod and iPhone to UK English but to no avail !! .. any suggestions?

Just guessing but maybe or is also a matter region settings and you also need to set the region to UK on both devices.

flexcon · 13-02-2018 6:14pm

whippet wrote: »

I got my hands on it this morning .. only had a few minutes to play around with it .. for some reason I can't get it to access my calendar or notes .. it keeps saying that the language needs to be the same as the device.
I've set the language on both the HomePod and iPhone to UK English but to no avail !! .. any suggestions?

No current Support for Notes or calendars.

whippet · 13-02-2018 10:13pm

flexcon wrote: »

No current Support for Notes or calendars.

I managed to get the messages and notes working .. very easy .. with a shared note - shopping list - it’s a god send !!! Either myself or the missus can add to it as we think of things and it shows on both our phones !

murpho999 · 14-02-2018 10:01am

Bob24 wrote: »

Just guessing but maybe or is also a matter region settings and you also need to set the region to UK on both devices.

I really don't think that Siri cares about your region.

The issue is that the Homepod is an incomplete product at launch.

€350 then having to wait for hopeful future updates is wrong in my opinion.

adox · 14-02-2018 10:59am

Yeah have to agree. It nearly seems like a beta product that was launched.

Seem to have been rushed a little or at least released before it was fully ready.

Bob24 · 14-02-2018 11:48am

murpho999 wrote: »

I really don't think that Siri cares about your region.

The issue is that the Homepod is an incomplete product at launch.

€350 then having to wait for hopeful future updates is wrong in my opinion.

I am pretty sure the region settings do make a difference for Siri on the Apple TV.

It wouldn’t but surprising if it was the same for the HomePod.

whippet · 14-02-2018 12:55pm

I've started to play around with the homepod a little now over the last day or so and first impressions are quite good.

I'll start by saying that I am a bit of an Apple fan boy .. so understandably anything I say should be taken with a pinch of salt.

First and foremost I bought it as a wireless speaker for music, podcasts and radio streaming - this is something I have been using my iOS devices and various other speakers for before. The sound quality is better than anything I've had before for this and in quite a large living room it fills the room very well.

I have been using SIRI for a while - on the phone, watch and in the car (carplay) ... once you get in to the habit of using SIRI it becomes less and less of a drag.
SIRI for music works very well .. it reacts much quicker than on the iOS device and it will work with anyone's voice .. my kids and wife were playing with it last night and once they get the hang of how to phrase questions the experience is the same.

Notes is a biggie for me ... and the fact that notes can be shared even better.
Airplay from other devices and other people's device is simple.
It looks great .. feels very solid.

Homekit - It works flawlessly with the Philips Hue lights .. again not a game changer but as I add more bulbs around the house it becomes better and better. I will probably get some more homekit stuff like CCTV and Thermostats.

Its primary function is as a speaker and so far it is doing that job brilliantly.

I am unfortunately a sucker for getting gen1 products, iPhone, iPad, watch etc so will always just jump straight in.

Effects · 14-02-2018 1:17pm

whippet wrote: »

First and foremost I bought it as a wireless speaker for music, podcasts and radio streaming - this is something I have been using my iOS devices and various other speakers for before.
Its primary function is as a speaker and so far it is doing that job brilliantly.

Is it true it doesn't connect for bluetooth audio or have an aux in?

whippet · 14-02-2018 1:22pm

Effects wrote: »

Is it true it doesn't connect for bluetooth audio or have an aux in?

Just airplay ... pain in the arse for anyone who wants to stream from elsewhere but I have no need for either as it’s all coming from iOS or MacOS with me

peteeeed · 14-02-2018 1:48pm

mine is at the parcel motel

Effects · 14-02-2018 1:54pm

So can you use spotify?
I gave up using itunes a while back as it just seems like a mess these days.
I used to use an apple airplay express to stream from my computer to stereo a few years back but it's been a while.
The audio seems to be great from the HomePod but I don't like the restrictions.

whippet · 14-02-2018 1:57pm

Just select the HomePod in Spotify for airplay ... no issue .. just won’t work with Siri

Effects · 14-02-2018 2:04pm

I find Siri a pain to work with anyway. When I ask "Siri, play spotify" on my iPhone it just plays from Apple music app.

davo2001 · 14-02-2018 2:07pm

whippet wrote: »

Just select the HomePod in Spotify for airplay ... no issue .. just won’t work with Siri

So if i want to use Spotify i can't use Siri to select a song?

HomePod

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