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There are Apple products I’ve been more excited to receive, but I can’t think of any that I’ve awaited with such impatience. The reason? Curiosity about that audio quality! I wrote last time that it was Home hub and voice control of HomeKit devices for my partner that really sold it to me, and I wasn’t expecting too much from it on the audio front. Sure, it was going to beat out other smart speakers, but I didn’t see it as serious competition to proper HiFi brands. But as the reviews came in , I started to wonder … When What HiFi gave it a 5-star review, and The Verge’s Nilay Patel – a self-described speaker nerd – said that it ‘sounds incredible,’ then it did start to look like Apple might be onto something. But let’s start with the design … Look & feel This is clearly a Jony Ive design. Apple’s design head said that his ambition for the iPhone was ‘a single slab of glass,’ and it’s clear that his vision here was similar: a single speaker grille. I … [Read more...] about HomePod Diary: Hands-on, and this thing is a Sonos Play 5 killer

Apple on Friday announced the discontinuation of the full-size HomePod , saying it plans to focus on production and development of the HomePod mini. Apple informed TechCrunch of the product's end of life in a statement today. HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99. We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care. The company plans to sell remaining HomePod units until stock is depleted, though Apple's online storefront is already sold out of Space Gray models. Support will also continue until the product is declared obsolete. Announced at WWDC 2017, HomePod was Apple's … [Read more...] about Apple discontinues full-size HomePod, to focus on HomePod mini

Feature AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. These affiliate partnerships do not influence our editorial content. The HomePod stands to be an audiophile's ideal speaker when it ships on Feb. 9, in no small part due to the considerable effort Apple has put into audio processing for the device. Audio expert Matt Hines of iZotope explains some of the technical hurdles Apple and other smart speaker producers have to overcome to provide a high-quality audio experience in a wide variety of environments. The first problem Apple and similar firms face when creating an intelligent speaker, like the HomePod , is to ensure there is an optimal audio experience for the user, regardless of where they are in the room. Hines, product manager of Spire by iZotope and guest on this week's AppleInsider Podcast , says the exact position of the user can dramatically affect … [Read more...] about A deep dive into HomePod’s adaptive audio, beamforming and why it needs an A8 processor

Apple has released a new HomePod and HomePod mini software update with a version number of 14.4 and a new Handoff experience for HomePod mini. The HomePod and HomePod mini run a specialized version of tvOS and receive updates sporadically when compared to Apple's other operating systems. Updates generally include bug fixes and improvements for features attached to the larger ecosystem. The last HomePod software update was for version 14.3 which was another bug fix update. HomePod Software Version 14.4 includes: Software version 14.4 includes bug fixes and the following new features with an Ultra Wideband (U1) equipped iPhone. Hand off music with visual, audible, and haptic effects from iPhone to HomePod mini Get personalized listening suggestions on iPhone when it is next to HomePod mini Media controls automatically appear without having to unlock iPhone when it is close to HomePod mini The last major update was for HomePod OS 14.1 which … [Read more...] about HomePod mini updated with new Handoff experience in OS version 14.4

Apple’s HomePod has faced two consistent criticisms right from the start. First, people said, it’s the dumbest of the smart speakers — that both Amazon Echo and Google Home speakers can do more. Second, it was said to be way too expensive. If you want a smart speaker, the thinking went, you could get an Amazon Echo Dot for $50, and sometimes as little as half that during promotions. Why pay Apple $349 then (and $299 now)? Hearing both criticisms repeated recently, I couldn’t let it pass… There is truth to the first claim, especially when you compare Siri to Alexa. However, as I discovered when trying the Echo Dot, there is a very large rider to that statement. Alexa is not inherently smarter; instead, it allows third-party developers to add “skills” to the platform. I noted then the two big drawbacks of this approach. First, because anyone can add a skill, there are lots of competing skills, many of which are worthless. And the required syntax means you can’t … [Read more...] about Comment: Two years on, the HomePod is still a widely misunderstood product

I’ve played around a bit with Alexa, and even considered buying an Echo Dot or two before the launch of HomePod , but in the end decided to wait it out. However, while Hunter Douglas is still promising HomeKit support for our Luxaflex Duette blinds , and was expecting to get there by now, certification has been delayed until later in the year. In the meantime, it’s gone ahead with the launch of the new bridge which brings voice control to the blinds – but so far only for Alexa and Google Home … Rather than wait for HomeKit, we decided to get an Amazon Echo Dot as an interim solution – which also provided an opportunity to pit Siri against Alexa in a real-life smart speaker test. Note that I say ‘Siri versus Alexa,’ not HomePod versus Echo Dot. As speakers, the two devices aren’t even in the same league. HomePod is a $349 device which gets into what I think of as semi-HiFi territory. It doesn’t compete with traditional HiFi brands, but is definitely into Sonos territory … [Read more...] about Smart Home Diary: An update to our blinds revealing that Alexa is no smarter than Siri

AT&T announced on Friday that it plans to launch a cheaper ad-supported version of HBO Max in June. The telecom giant has only released minimal detail on the plan. It hasn't yet announced pricing or an exact release date for the upcoming cheaper tier. AT&T expects the ad-supported HBO Max tier to combine with global expansion to drive subscriber and revenue growth in 2021. HBO Max will launch in 60 markets outside of the US in 2021. These will include 39 Latin America and the Caribbean territories in late June and 21 European territories in the second half of 2021. The company anticipates ending the year with between 67 and 70 million subscribers. The service had around 61 million subscribers at the end of 2020. The company expects its HBO unit to more than double its revenue in the next five years. "Zach Snyder's Justice League" is one of the high-profile HBO Max exclusives coming in 2021 In response to the pandemic, Warner Bros is … [Read more...] about Ad-supported HBO Max option coming in June

Investment bank Morgan Stanley calls recent reports of weaker iPhone demand "supply chain noise," and sees the AAPL pullback as a buying opportunity for investors. In a note to investors seen by AppleInsider , analyst Katy Huberty says she agrees with reports of iPhone 12 mini weakness, but adds that the overall demand environment remains positive for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro lineup. For one, she cites reports that Apple is cutting iPhone production to 75 million units in the first half of 2021. Although Huberty admits this has contributed to recent AAPL underperformance, she says the news is "noise rather than anything that impacts the fundamental outlook." A recent Morgan Stanley check indicated that there's between three million and five million units of total iPhone build upside risk for the first half of 2021. That's because the bank's research indicates that build orders for specific iPhone 12 and iPhone 11 models are being revised up, not … [Read more...] about iPhone demand weakness just ‘noise,’ outlook remains strong, analyst says