“HomePod and I were going through a rough patch,” Leif Johnson writes for Macworld. “It wasn’t a great relationship to begin with, admittedly, but in the beginning there was at least that thrill of attraction; that admiration for the way it could fill a room with ravishing sound.”
“We didn’t do much else together, though, and so we drifted apart. She was kinda messy,” Johnson writes. “For months, we didn’t even talk. But that was until iOS 12 came along and reignited the flame to burn brighter than it had before.”
“I realize this is a (small) exaggeration), but at the start the HomePod was mainly good for playing music, listening to news reports, and setting the occasional timer. And that’s it,” Johnson writes. “Just one week after the latest iOS update, though, it’s becoming an essential part of my morning and evening routines.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Like Johnson, we’re also quite “convinced Apple did irreparable harm by keeping these features sidelined for so many months, as Apple of all companies should know the importance of first impressions.”
See: Newton and Maps for two prominent examples.
That said, as with Apple TV, the company plods along adding stuff, mostly good, that helps to make the product more compelling.
Remember: Two HomePods are better than one!
MacDailyNews Note: By default, HomePod automatically installs new software updates, but you can manually check for updates in the Home app on your iOS device or Mac.
On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch
1. Make sure that your iOS device is updated to the latest version of iOS.
2. On your iOS device, open the Home app and tap Home Settings in the upper-left corner.
3. Tap Software Update.
4. If there’s a new update, tap Install. This will install the update on all of your HomePod speakers you have set up in your home.On your Mac
1. Make sure that your Mac is updated to macOS Mojave (coming soon).
2. Open the Home app. In the menu bar, click Edit > Edit Home.
3. Click Software Update.
4. If there’s a new update, click Install. This will install the update on all of your HomePod speakers you have set up in your home.A white spinning light appears on the top of HomePod while it’s updating. The update might take some time. Don’t unplug HomePod until the update is complete.
SEE ALSO:
Just 2% of Apple customers have a HomePod – September 18, 2018
iMore reviews Apple’s HomePod: Retina for your ears – June 18, 2018
Can a pair of Apple’s HomePods take on a surround sound theater system? – June 18, 2018
David Pogue reviews Apple HomePod with stereo and multi-room capabilities: ‘Ooh, man’ – June 13, 2018
HomePod stereo pairing took a frustratingly long time to arrive, but it was worth the wait – May 30, 2018
Strategy Analytics: Apple shipped 600,000 HomePods in Q1 for 6% share of smart speaker market – May 17, 2018
The Inquirer reviews Apple’s HomePod: ‘Looks great, sounds fantastic; Siri needs work’ – April 6, 2018
I want another Apple HomePod for sure, maybe two more – March 20, 2018
Sound quality shootout: Apple HomePod vs. two Sonos Ones – March 16, 2018
Apple HomePod: The audiophile perspective plus 8 1/2 hours of measurements; HomePod is 100% an audiophile-grade speaker – February 12, 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
Judging by all the massive amount of comments in this and other HomePod articles at MDN, we can see that HomePod is another smashing Pipeline success story!!!
It would be AWESOME if the HomePod can set up separate accounts, such as my wife, son and I into a single family account (home group?). That it can be trained to recognize each voice so we execute commands that are particular to our accounts. Example would be I can ask Siri to tell me what’s on my calendar today and it gives my info, later my son can ask the same question and he gets his info, etc. with my wife. If voice recognition is too difficult at this time then I suggest a “bridge” until it does become available. Example, a simple command such as “Hey Siri, please tell me what’s on Top’s calendar today” and I get my info, same with my wife, ditto w/son. Of course there is a lot of trust between my wife, son and I so privacy in our close family setting is not an issue. However, I still would suggest a setting on our phones that requires each of us to “opt in” if we choose to be a part of the HomePod’s Family Group Network.