HomePod: Apple's Home Speaker Adjusts Sound Based on Where It's Placed

By Jessica Ferrera, Christian Post Contributor Thursday, June 08, 2017

Apple just confirmed the release of their own home speaker, now called the HomePod, at its Worldwide Developers Conference 2017 on Monday. One of its selling points is its ability to automatically adjust sound delivery by sensing where it is placed in the house.

While many expected Apple to unveil a home smart assistant and speaker to tackle Amazon Echo and Google Home, the Cupertino-based technology firm actually took quite a different direction since its HomePod is primarily marketed as a wireless music listening device.

In a statement, Apple said the HomePod is "a breakthrough wireless speaker for the home that delivers amazing audio quality and uses spatial awareness to sense its location in a room and automatically adjust the audio."

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While HomePod is also equipped with the company's brand of artificial intelligence, Siri, the fact remains that its strongest point is its swift connection to Apple Music with the promise of playing songs from a library of up to 40 million titles. It is safe to say that HomePod is a modified and upgraded version of the iPod, which was mostly marketed to cater to the demand for portable music devices.

Note also that even Siri's function on HomePod is widely focused on music-related tasks, such as remembering what songs the user prefers by saying, "Hey Siri, I like this song." Siri on HomePod can also look for details such as who the music artists are behind a particular song on play.

As for its hardware, the HomePod sports an array of six microphones; a set-up that is expected to let Siri hear the user's instructions or messages even when the music is playing loudly or the person is situated at a distance from the home speaker. Meanwhile, an A8 chip runs Siri and the HomePod.

Without any unexpected delays, the HomePod will hit the market by December. However, the retail release will be initially limited to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. It will be priced at $349 with White and Space Grey color options.