Apple HomePod

[MichelleCraig]

Wondering if anyone here's got one? I picked one up a couple of hours ago and I'm loving it... I do think Apple is limiting the appeal by locking you into their ecosystem, but if you're already there, this is about the finest sounding smart speaker there is. Unfortunately, Siri does need to catch up to Alexa and Google Assistant.

As for not being compatible with Spotify and other music services...if it's on your iPhone, iPad or Mac, you're able to play it on the HomePod with Airplay; you just can't request Spotify, etc. through Siri.

Interested to hear what others think... 

[qolbinau]

The buzz seems to be that it is by far the best 'smart' speaker you can buy in terms of audio quality, so I'm glad Apple was able to pull that off. But given it apparently doesn't seem that 'smart' I wonder (except for a niche market of tech heads) who will buy this? What kind of proper stereo speaker system can you buy for $349? This project reminds me a little bit of the iPod HiFi (a stand-alone speaker Apple sold around 2006 for $349). Also had great quality audio, but there didn't appear to be a market for it. 

[dramamama611]

I was just reading an few articles saying it was no where near as good as either the Amazon's echo or the Google Home.  (Meaning in functionality, not speaker quality)

 

I love my echo...and I know I woefully under-utilize it.

[RippedMan]

I honestly don't understand the appeal of any of them? I have a Bose Soundlink, and I love it. Can carry it around and put it anywhere in my apartment, and just play music through my phone, or use it when I'm watching shows on my laptop. I don't really need to "speak" to it or anything. 

[MichelleCraig]

I’ve got that Bose Soundlink, too. I like it a lot. I’m not speaking to my HomePod very much... I love the sound it produces, but Siri’s not too bright.