“iPhone, Apple TV, iPad, Apple Watch — all of them were super interesting new products that, inevitably, were followed up with even better second-generation versions. iPhone got 3G and GPS and went international. Apple TV switched to iOS and streaming. iPad got significantly lighter and faster. Apple Watch got brighter, longer-lasting, GPS, and became swim-proof,” Rene Ritchie writes for iMore. “HomePod is a super interesting new product as well — but if past is prologue, the next version will be even more interesting.”
“In this case, though, I don’t think it’ll take full-on, next-generation hardware to get it there,” Ritchie writes. “Apple can do a lot to improve the first gen HomePod simply through software updates.”
“The moment HomePod was announced, many of us Apple TV owners immediately imagined pairing the two together,” Ritchie writes. “The dream was, HomePod would pair was automagically with Apple TV as AirPods do with iPhone and, once you paired them, they’d go into TV priority mode and just work for all your home theater needs. Alas, no such specialized pairing exists at present.”
Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: One major update has already been announced by Apple: Multi-Room Audio and Stereo. Coming this year in a free software update, users will be able to play music throughout the house with multi-room audio. If HomePod is in the kitchen, users can ask Siri to play jazz in the dining room, or play the same song in each room — perfectly in sync. If there’s more than one HomePod set up in the same room, the speakers can be set up as a stereo pair for an even more immersive sound experience.
SEE ALSO:
Apple may have over-estimated HomePod demand; $349 smart speaker still available for February 9th delivery – January 29, 2018
Apple debuts four commercials for HomePod’s debut – January 27, 2018
Apple’s HomePod is actually a steal at $349 – January 26, 2018
Digital Trends previews Apple’s HomePod: Impressive sound coupled with strong privacy – January 26, 2018
Hands on with Apple’s HomePod: Attractive, ultra-high-quality speaker, an excellent Siri ambassador – January 26, 2018
Apple’s HomePod, the iPod for your home – January 25, 2018
One hour with Apple’s new HomePod smart speaker – January 25, 2018
Apple’s iOS 11.3 beta delivers AirPlay 2 with multi-room playback – January 25, 2018
How Apple is positioning the HomePod and why – January 24, 2018
How I got talked into buying an Apple HomePod despite my reservations – January 24, 2018
Tim Cook says audio quality puts HomePod ahead of ‘squeaky-sounding’ competition – January 24, 2018
Apple’s HomePod arrives February 9th, available to order this Friday, January 26th – January 23, 2018
How about support for spotify and deezer.
No sale until – apple music is garbage
Competitors should die off not be helped…
What – a speaker should be limited in the music it plays? So if a friend comes round and wants to play something on the speaker, they shouldn’t be able to?
As one who creates original recordings, being unable to play my own recordings would be a deal breaker. I’m somewhat unclear about exactly what can be played on HomePod at the moment because there are contradictory reports. I originally assumed that any audio I could play on my Mac would be sent through HomePod, but I’m not so sure now.
I agree with the article that instant pairing directly with Apple TV is something which should be a standard feature from day one and am surprised to read suggestions that it doesn’t appear to be so.
When used with Apple TV, it’s quite common these days for videos to reach the user out of sync. Sometimes the issue is with the users, but more often it’s because of an error with the editing or transmission of that video. Apple TV should allow users to restore sync by slightly delaying the audio or video so that they become perfectly aligned again.
In these days of A.I. I’d like to think that somebody is working on a way of automatically analysing streamed images to see how the lips are moving and then intelligently tweaking the sync to maintain perfect synchronisation.
I would want additional sensors to power more smart home functions in each room without having to buy separate hardware: temperature, pressure, humidity, light/motion, air quality/particulates.
Also a HomePod plus that costs $500/each but has 2x the output (depending on how they actually sound, there may not be much room for improvement though)
Looking forward to the year 2025.
No one has HomePod 1 why the hell is anybody talking about HomePod 2 and, speculating what’s going to be in it! Crazy
I think the fact that this article is being released now is a good indication that I am not alone in my opinion that HomePod is 1/2 baked. There is not a good story for who would need or want this thing as it is today. I have a house full of Apple stuff (watch, AppleTV, numerous iPads, iPhones and Macs) but I don’t see why I would add this to the mix. Could be wrong but can’t come up with a decent reason to spend $349 on this.
My Bose QC 35s pair much more regularly to my iPhone X and Mac than my Airpods do. I’m not seeing the supposed benefits of Apple’s tight hardware software integration here. I use my Airpods with my iPhone 99% of the time and at least 1 in 4 times I’ll put the Airpods in my ears, hear the connection sound and hit play on Audible or a Podcast on my X and it’ll start playing through the iPhone. I have to manually select AirPods in control center to get it to work.
Absolutely agree with your first comment God forbid you try to pair your AirPods with a Mac as well as your iPhone and the damn things never connect. It’s a constant forget device Read device W1 chip not worth a hill of beans.
“MacDailyNews Take: One major update has already been announced by Apple: Multi-Room Audio and Stereo.”
Which only shows Apple’s head up their backside considering they’re taking pre-orders for the HomePod in Jan for a shipping date in Feb 2018 – while the update will be later still. Apple should never have released this thing when it’s not ready.
Considering the Homewood has been in development for 4 to 5 years, we should be expecting at least a HomePod 3 by now.
I want the HomePod to be able to connect to the TV so I do not have to buy a sound bar. Also a camera included would be nice so it would be a security camera as well.
Yes..if not TV..at least a standard audio input to connect to something..
Of course HomePod isn’t “ready” at launch. Can you name one Apple product that was “ready” at launch? Here… let me get the list started: Sport Band and 2 meter Lightning Cable. (Pretty tough for Apple to update/ upgrade those AFTER launch).
iMac, Macbook Air, Macbook Pro, AirPods…
If I were you I try again wrong
The HomeBots Are Here
Wireless SmartSpeakers are cute and all. But they’re last year’s technology, despite Apple’s superior sound quality.
2018 is about SmartRobots@Home. Get busy Apple.
When I read HomeBot, it brought to mind a cross between a Roomba and the HomePod that would follow you around the house and keep you enclosed in sound. LOL
Lately, I’ve been looking into the HomeBot market, or attempts there at, and it’s very VERY weird. There is a wide variety of gadgets that follow one around the house, doing this that or the other thing. One of them even hovers around in the air, essentially a smart house drone. Echoes of ‘Dune’. I’ll be giving a talk on these strange things later this year at a local user group.
Once we crack anti-gravity propulsion we can expect eyeball drones that follow us around silently attending to our need for selfies. 😛
I should send you my list of URLs to marketing promotions of cycloptic HomeBots. There are three so far. They freak me out. Add on the drone fans and you’ll already get your wish. Looking it up….
You’ll enjoy this video. At about 4:25 is the section about the “Aire” HomeDrone. Be very afraid:
8 NEW Drone Inventions That Will Blow Your Mind
Great vid. Thanks for embedding it.
All that the Aire needs now is a display so your family and friends can see you at the same time you see them.
The last drone, Aerones, is impressive but aside from the weight of the water I’m wondering how it handles updrafts created by large fires. Maybe the weight will help keep it steady.
Yeah, the Aerones is still a skunk works experiment with limited practicality. We need that anti-gravity field you mentioned.
How about being able to stream audio from Apps on my iPhone like, Pandora, Spotify, Tunein Radio, Etc etc etc….
SO disappointed that Pipeline Tim MISSED ANOTHER CHRISTMAS QUARTER…..
Won’t it be funny if Apple releases Homepod 2 before the Mac Pro? Then we will know where they REALLY stand.