Apple HomePod Early Impressions: Too Pricey for Sound Quality?
The Apple HomePod is set to launch early next month, and the company has already given out specs and price details for their first line of smart home speakers. A few industry watchers have gained access to some hands-on time with the new device, as well, and were impressed if a bit put off by the price.
Apple has announced the HomePod last week ahead of its launch on Feb. 9, and it has been available for pre-orders since Friday, Jan. 26. The Siri-powered smart appliance starts at $349, and several media outlets have brought out their first impressions on the device.
With Apple positioning the HomePod as their entry into the market that's been dominated by Amazon and Google home speakers, comparisons are unavoidable. Apple has touted the acoustic signal processing and beamforming features of the HomePod, giving it the ability to adjust its audio depending on where it has been placed inside a home, as Wired's Jeremy White reviewed.
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How Siri stacks up to Google's AI and Amazon's Alexa has been established for some time now, and even with the new iOS updates that came out on Thursday, Jan. 25, Siri is still hard-pressed to keep up with the rival voice assistants. Siri, however, does very well in answering questions about the music track the HomePod is currently playing, provided that the user has an Apple Music account linked to the device.
Sound quality is good, but for a device worth $349, it could be better, as CNet's David Carnoy noted. The speaker, as small as it is at just over 7 inches tall, puts out loud volume for its size. Bass volumes were good, as well, but one HomePod will not be enough to deliver satisfying stereo music, as Carnoy noted.
The Apple HomePod is now available for pre-orders on Apple's website, ahead of its Feb. 9 launch.
