While I posted the article for informational purposes, I have to agree with
everyone else who has commented on this. My Amazon Echo units are more than
capable in providing the sound and entertainment that I need. Not only can't I
justify spending over $300 on a HomePod but I find that Siri is the most
problematic of all of the voice assistants and is behind all of the others in
what it can do and in its overall responsiveness. Apple would have to offer
major improvements to Siri, a lower price tag and unique functionality that I
don't already have in order to even tempt me to consider moving to a Home Pod.
Of course, they're not even trying to offer a lower priced version as we see
with Amazon and Google. This is just, sadly, one more instance of how Apple is,
in my opinion, losing its way and is failing to innovate.
David Goldfield, Assistive Technology Specialist
WWW.David-Goldfield.Com<http://WWW.David-Goldfield.Com>
On 1/21/2018 7:23 PM, Kimberly Starrett wrote:
I got my Echo Dots for 29 dollars last Xmas, so I really can't see how any
speaker that sells for 350 dollars can beat that.
Sent from Kimber's iPhone
The happy ending still beckons, and it is in the hope of grasping it that we go
on.—Annie Proulx
On Jan 21, 2018, at 5:23 PM, David Goldfield
<david.goldfield@xxxxxxxxxxx<mailto:david.goldfield@xxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:
Amazon echo - Google News - Saturday, January 20, 2018 at 3:37 PM
Get your wallet ready because Apple's HomePod is almost here
Apple's HomePod missed its 2017 launch.
Image: mashable
By Raymond
Wong<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2Fauthor%2Fraymond-wong%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=dy6t8aB6imyvwp5S1IDxJ1BFv0gtPebltOsuTwvdNs8%3D&reserved=0>2018-01-20
20:32:16 UTC
Apple's answer to the Amazon
Echo<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2015%2F02%2F10%2Famazon-echo-review%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=%2FV2xf2n1HvD9CcDTQHCysbVhSwBSR%2FULnA0asPzeBaM%3D&reserved=0>
and Google
Home<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2016%2F11%2F03%2Fgoogle-home-review%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=%2Bo678yP6ekMBFbl0Fy9ogjhzl9DT4oUMzg%2FE%2B06peRs%3D&reserved=0>
smart speakers, the
HomePod<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2017%2F06%2F05%2Fapple-homepod-hands-on-sound%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=0w6jj3dT66neV5svg4lMo7%2BPhYYe5YwMdd7QuRzn6iU%3D&reserved=0>,
is almost ready for launch.
After missing its release last year, the $350 smart speaker has now been
approved<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffccid.io%2Fdocument.php%3Fid%3D3719077&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=xLa6huRLP6AS0UxSZDyfFw1WQXJaEq50mPYoGRgRnOw%3D&reserved=0>
for sale by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which means Apple
will probably start selling it very soon.
Following its delayed launch, Apple said it "needed a little more time" to get
HomePod ready for customers.
Apple said HomePod would start shipping the U.S., UK, and Australia "in early
2018". Well, it's early 2018, and everyone's still waiting for the Siri-powered
speaker to show up.
While the FCC approval doesn't reveal anything new about HomePod, we know we're
in the home stretch before release. Inventec, one of the two suppliers
assembling the smart speaker, says it's already made 1 million of them,
according<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.taipeitimes.com%2FNews%2Fbiz%2Farchives%2F2018%2F01%2F16%2F2003685829&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=0Sfi36jFyU2upr6Hbc%2Bet1w8UoHOjytgbjFU05ZNIBg%3D&reserved=0>
to the Taipei Times.
Inventec and Foxconn, the other HomePod manufacturer, are expecting to ship
10-12 million speakers in total by the end of the year.
[embedded content]
When HomePod finally does launch, it'll face stiff competition from Amazon and
Google. Apple's entering a new space that Amazon's been leading for years.
Amazon says it
sold<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fphx.corporate-ir.net%2Fphoenix.zhtml%3Fc%3D176060%26p%3DRssLanding%26cat%3Dnews%26id%3D2318860&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=nfJHbi5amW3emHh5%2B1KGAAeYyT5gmyRIY86%2B%2FcFEEL4%3D&reserved=0>
"tens of millions" of Alexa-powered devices this past holiday season.
Google's also moved a good amount of Assistant-powered Home speakers. The
company says it
sold<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blog.google%2Fproducts%2Fassistant%2Fhow-google-home-and-google-assistant-helped-you-get-more-done-in-2017%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=PWatirLwdn2X2YJDVBzFNh2p1AkWtNd7Qzw86vrPM0w%3D&reserved=0>
"more than one Google Home device every second since Google Home Mini started
shipping in October," which works out to more than 6 million devices. And
that's not even counting all of the Home speakers sold since the original
launched in 2016.
At first glance, it may seem like Apple has no chance of catching up — it's
already well behind Amazon and Google, but this is still anyone's game. As we
saw at CES
2018<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2018%2F01%2F08%2Fgoogle-amazon-artificial-intelligence-ces-2018%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=7y289ifF5jgzCiOi5jw2hgE1JbMcVX3t1Oz67zOIEnY%3D&reserved=0>,
third-party device makers are just starting to incorporate Alexa and Google
Assistant into their devices, so we've still got a ways to go before anyone's
declared a winner.
And while there weren't as many new products with HomeKit compatibility as
there were with Alexa and Assistant at CES, vendors are warming up to Apple's
smart home platform. Belkin's even made a cool bridge
adapter<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.belkin.com%2Fus%2Fp%2FP-F7C074%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=nwWFs9HE%2FowoPyQrDzfP%2F1NrKYUmgeqCqJkfoWtordk%3D&reserved=0>
that automatically makes all WeMo smart home devices compatible with HomeKit.
Ultimately, HomePod's success will depend on a number of factors:
* Price: At $350, HomePod costs way more than a $50 Echo Dot or Google Home
Mini, and still more than a $100 Echo, or $150 Echo Plus, or $130 Google Home.
* Siri: Apple's digital assistant is nowhere near as robust as Alexa or the
Assistant. How well Siri handles questions, controls, and more will be
important.
* Sound quality: HomePod looks to have the best sound quality out of all
the speakers (although we'll have to see how it compares to the very loud and
very good-sounding Google Home Max), but again, will people be willing to pay
for it? An Echo or Home provides good-enough sound.
If you've been waiting for HomePod, just know this: It's almost here. Be
patient. We're so close.
http://mashable.com/2018/01/20/apple-homepod-coming-soon-fcc-approval/<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmashable.com%2F2018%2F01%2F20%2Fapple-homepod-coming-soon-fcc-approval%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=BZEbIRXwYV2MGlG7MH0hda%2Fxrni988q2xJ0taLon5jw%3D&reserved=0>
David Goldfield
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.info<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2FWWW.DavidGoldfield.info&data=02%7C01%7C%7C9f9c963518544776eb3308d5612e5699%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636521773998145478&sdata=nwer89A4Hqi7qj7IVizi73xnh1BbPFXg%2Fn%2By9PS9m%2F8%3D&reserved=0>