Apple HomePod - The "Bose Wave" for fanboys - The Something Awful Forums

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > Apple HomePod - The "Bose Wave" for fanboys

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Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Posting from homepod

# ? Feb 6, 2018 15:52

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# ? Apr 24, 2025 13:35

qirex: Feb 15, 2001

I don't think the use case of using this as your tv speaker is going to work too well, maybe they'll be able to do audio sync between an AppleTV and HomePod but if you're gaming there will be a noticeable amount of audio lag, especially once they get into stereo pairing.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 18:23

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

qirex posted:

I don't think the use case of using this as your tv speaker is going to work too well, maybe they'll be able to do audio sync between an AppleTV and HomePod but if you're gaming there will be a noticeable amount of audio lag, especially once they get into stereo pairing.

That's literally the only way you could game using it, and who the hell plays games on their AppleTV?

# ? Feb 6, 2018 18:29

MarcusSA: Sep 23, 2007

Endless Mike posted:

That's literally the only way you could game using it, and who the hell plays games on their AppleTV?

I might if you could mirror them from your phone. Playing my dumb match 3 game on the big screen could be fun.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 19:28

Animal: Apr 8, 2003

What are the chances they are gonna open this up? I want that good audio quality for the price, but yeah Siri sucks.

Although streaming whatever audio you want under Airplay doesn't seem as inhumane and unbearable as people make it out to be? It takes like two seconds to do...

# ? Feb 6, 2018 20:38

Three Olives: Apr 10, 2005; Not a single fucking olive in sight

Ewen Cluney posted:

One thing I'm wondering about is what the HomePod's Bluetooth 5.0 capability is actually supposed to be for. Apple put out a list of the things it can play audio from (AirPlay and your various Apple media library things basically), and Bluetooth isn't on it.

Doesn't it pair with a phone like a W2 device does? If so I wouldn't be surprised if it is using Bluetooth like you might use NFC pairing on a Android device.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 20:53

ChadSexington: Aug 12, 2004; I am so not competitive. In fact, I am the least non-competitive. So I win.

Animal posted:

What are the chances they are gonna open this up? I want that good audio quality for the price, but yeah Siri sucks.

Although streaming whatever audio you want under Airplay doesn't seem as inhumane and unbearable as people make it out to be? It takes like two seconds to do...

It's almost guaranteed that you'll be stuck with Siri as the assistant, and Apple Music as the only integrated music service. I wouldn't expect that to change any time soon, if ever.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 21:09

qirex: Feb 15, 2001

I know local files are totally for old folks, grandpa but I find it weird that none of the smart speakers on the market can search and play files from a computer on your network. The homepod can kind of do it with iTunes Match but it still seems weird, especially for Sonos.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 21:10

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Animal posted:

What are the chances they are gonna open this up?

Can you have less than zero percent?

# ? Feb 6, 2018 21:22

Pissflaps: Oct 20, 2002; by VideoGames

If HomePod 2 has line-in or even bluetooth-in i'll get one.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:42

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

It will have Airplay 2

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:50

buglord: Jul 31, 2010; Buglord

Pissflaps posted:

If HomePod 2 has line-in or even bluetooth-in i'll get one.

I know the answer to this but Homepod 1 doesnt have line-in, does it?

e: added some more cynicism.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:51

Pissflaps: Oct 20, 2002; by VideoGames

buglord posted:

I should know the answer to this but Homepod 1 doesnt have line-in, does it?

It does not and neither will the next one.

Don Lapre posted:

It will have Airplay 2

Can Amazon make an echo dot that supports this or is it proprietary?

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:52

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Pissflaps posted:

Can Amazon make an echo dot that supports this or is it proprietary?

I just invented it so ill get with them on it.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:55

buglord: Jul 31, 2010; Buglord

Good lord. This better be waterproof for these sacrifices (I know it isn't and wont be).

Whats the benefit of all these compromises again? I guess we'll have to wait for actual unbiased reviews to come out on Friday, but I cant think of anything really positive other than the apparently wonderful sound.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 22:55

MarcusSA: Sep 23, 2007

Why would it have a line in if none of the new phones even have a line out lol

# ? Feb 6, 2018 23:00

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Pissflaps posted:

Can Amazon make an echo dot that supports this or is it proprietary?

Amazon could license it from Apple. They won't.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 23:12

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

buglord posted:

Good lord. This better be waterproof for these sacrifices (I know it isn't and wont be).

Whats the benefit of all these compromises again? I guess we'll have to wait for actual unbiased reviews to come out on Friday, but I cant think of anything really positive other than the apparently wonderful sound.

The only benefit of buying a homepod (over a google home or amazon thingy) is apple music (and siri lol)

# ? Feb 6, 2018 23:17

Ewen Cluney: May 8, 2012; Ask me about
Japanese elfgames!

Animal posted:

What are the chances they are gonna open this up? I want that good audio quality for the price, but yeah Siri sucks.

Although streaming whatever audio you want under Airplay doesn't seem as inhumane and unbearable as people make it out to be? It takes like two seconds to do...

I think it depends a lot on what you mean by "open this up." Apple usually starts letting devs have access to hardware features a while after they've been on the market, and for iPhone they have let devs get into Siri integration (albeit with a lot of restrictions, resulting in relatively few apps using it). HomePod has powerful enough hardware that it has plenty of room to grow its capabilities with software updates, but apart from announcing their intention to add the stereo pairing feature, they've given zero indications about what they're planning to do with that.

My experience with AirPlay is that it's a lot faster and more reliable than Bluetooth, but non-Apple devices that support it are pretty rare. It's apparently possible to get AirPlay going on Windows or even a Raspberry Pi with the right software, which opens up some interesting possibilities, but it sounds like I'll be sticking with my Samsung sound bar thing for most stuff that isn't Apple TV or Apple Music.

# ? Feb 6, 2018 23:33

Animal: Apr 8, 2003

Ewen Cluney posted:

I think it depends a lot on what you mean by "open this up." Apple usually starts letting devs have access to hardware features a while after they've been on the market, and for iPhone they have let devs get into Siri integration (albeit with a lot of restrictions, resulting in relatively few apps using it). HomePod has powerful enough hardware that it has plenty of room to grow its capabilities with software updates, but apart from announcing their intention to add the stereo pairing feature, they've given zero indications about what they're planning to do with that.

My experience with AirPlay is that it's a lot faster and more reliable than Bluetooth, but non-Apple devices that support it are pretty rare. It's apparently possible to get AirPlay going on Windows or even a Raspberry Pi with the right software, which opens up some interesting possibilities, but it sounds like I'll be sticking with my Samsung sound bar thing for most stuff that isn't Apple TV or Apple Music.

By "open up" I meant allowing devs (say, Spotify) to have direct access through Siri.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 00:23

Ewen Cluney: May 8, 2012; Ask me about
Japanese elfgames!

Animal posted:

By "open up" I meant allowing devs (say, Spotify) to have direct access through Siri.

It's reasonable to expect third-party HomePod apps to become a thing at some point, but Apple has of course said nothing at all on the subject. Spotify in particular isn't happy with Apple's fee structure (hence they haven't made a tvOS app), so even if Apple does allow third-party HomePod apps, they might not go for it.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 01:08

Three Olives: Apr 10, 2005; Not a single fucking olive in sight

Ewen Cluney posted:

I think it depends a lot on what you mean by "open this up." Apple usually starts letting devs have access to hardware features a while after they've been on the market, and for iPhone they have let devs get into Siri integration (albeit with a lot of restrictions, resulting in relatively few apps using it). HomePod has powerful enough hardware that it has plenty of room to grow its capabilities with software updates, but apart from announcing their intention to add the stereo pairing feature, they've given zero indications about what they're planning to do with that.

I think it comes down to very fundamental architecture decisions Amazon/Google and Apple have made. Apple will at least claim they are philosophical about data privacy and that very well may be appealing and true but Amazon and Google are heavily invested in cloud computing and AI. On the other Apple has made a point about wanting as much of it to stay device level as possible while they also don't have nearly the cloud computing platform to leverage so we are going to see limitations on it for awhile.

Three Olives fucked around with this message at 06:24 on Feb 7, 2018

# ? Feb 7, 2018 06:20

MrBond: Feb 19, 2004; FYI, Cheese NIPS are not the same as Cheez ITS

Don Lapre posted:

The only benefit of buying a homepod (over a google home or amazon thingy) is apple music (and siri lol)

Apparently the sound quality is quite good, but if you're the sort to connect an echo dot to a receiver and home theater speakers then you probably consider yourself covered.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 06:54

Over There: Jun 28, 2013; by Azathoth

Employees at our Apple store have been told to not be afraid to bring up competition when discussing the HomePod with customers. They bring up history.google.com and that freaks a lot of people out.

I remember finding it one day when I still had my Android and I was able to see every movement I had made on a map, up to bootie calls at 2 AM. It was strange.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 13:50

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

MrBond posted:

Apparently the sound quality is quite good, but if you're the sort to connect an echo dot to a receiver and home theater speakers then you probably consider yourself covered.

This isn't really the same, though, since you have to leave your receiver on and on the correct input for it to work like you want it to. If you have the Dot with an output, it won't use its own speaker at all, so it's a pretty crappy experience all around.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 13:57

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

Over There posted:

Employees at our Apple store have been told to not be afraid to bring up competition when discussing the HomePod with customers. They bring up history.google.com and that freaks a lot of people out.

I remember finding it one day when I still had my Android and I was able to see every movement I had made on a map, up to bootie calls at 2 AM. It was strange.

History.google.com is the best poo poo ever

# ? Feb 7, 2018 14:59

Ewen Cluney: May 8, 2012; Ask me about
Japanese elfgames!

The Verge put out a HomePod review video that's the first I've seen that's really critical. The reviewer was really impressed with the sound quality, but spent a lot of time talking about the limitations of it, and also pointed out that unlike the iOS Siri, HomePod Siri doesn't distinguish voices, so if your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your HomePod, anyone who can talk to your HomePod can use it to send and receive messages. You can disable the feature entirely in the settings app, but depending on your situation it may be a pretty glaring concern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQF5Q3773uk

# ? Feb 7, 2018 15:39

Over There: Jun 28, 2013; by Azathoth

Ewen Cluney posted:

The Verge put out a HomePod review video that's the first I've seen that's really critical. The reviewer was really impressed with the sound quality, but spent a lot of time talking about the limitations of it, and also pointed out that unlike the iOS Siri, HomePod Siri doesn't distinguish voices, so if your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your HomePod, anyone who can talk to your HomePod can use it to send and receive messages. You can disable the feature entirely in the settings app, but depending on your situation it may be a pretty glaring concern.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQF5Q3773uk

the Verge has been nothing but clickbait concern sensationalism, I would take anything they say with a grain of salt and just wait to see what the public says.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 15:42

Matt Zerella: Oct 7, 2002; in the garden. straight up "Borgen It"

Over There posted:

the Verge has been nothing but clickbait concern sensationalism, I would take anything they say with a grain of salt and just wait to see what the public says.

As much as I can't stand Nilay, he brings up some good points.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 16:12

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Yeah but Nilay is someone whose opinions are so bad that his girlfriend wrote an article about how bad they were.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 16:16

Over There: Jun 28, 2013; by Azathoth

Like this article that came out yesterday that has the most misleading title every for clicks.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/2/6/16979288/iphone-8-x-hardware-improvements-battery-throttling

The title of the article posted:

Apple says iPhone 8 and X have �hardware updates� that address battery issues

What they actually mean posted:

iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X models include hardware updates that allow a more advanced performance management system that more precisely allows iOS to anticipate and avoid an unexpected shutdown.

The Verge sucks.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 16:26

Don Lapre: Mar 28, 2001; If you're having problems you're either holding the phone wrong or you have tiny girl hands.

ijustines glowing review is all you really need since it fits your confirmation bias requirement

# ? Feb 7, 2018 17:12

Over There: Jun 28, 2013; by Azathoth

Don Lapre posted:

ijustines glowing review is all you really need since it fits your confirmation bias requirement

What? I literally just said to wait till we hear what the public has to say about it rather than a website known for throwing around controversy for clicks. Quit strawmanning you idiot.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 17:16

Matt Zerella: Oct 7, 2002; in the garden. straight up "Borgen It"

My point was, for all the Verge/Nilays bullshit he brings up good points and that doesn't mean I'm endorsing him/the verge.

The only real problem I had with the review is him calling HomeKit "fiddly" which isn't my experience at all.

# ? Feb 7, 2018 17:28