Yesterday Apple had a lot of things to announce. So much so that it seemed like most everyone that took the stage was rushing a little bit, trying to get through what they had to get through as quickly as possible. tvOS 11, which is technically official, didn't even get more than a few seconds on stage before Apple moved right along. But iOS 11? That got plenty of attention, which shouldn't be too surprising.
One of Apples's newest market segments got some extra attention, too, even if potential buyers won't be able to spend any money on it until later this year. That would be the newest smart speaker: HomePod. Now, I've already made jokes about the name, but a day later I'm already used to it. Just like the iPad before it, it's something that seemed ridiculous at the time of the unveiling, but, given some time, it just boils down to "it is what it is" and we move on.
It's still a silly name, though.
In any event, Apple took some time to talk about the smart speaker and what they believe makes it so great. The standard stuff is here: Siri is on board so you've got a digital personal assistant to help you with things, set timers and the like, and give you information when you need or want it.
But it became obvious pretty quickly that while, yes, technically this is a smart speaker, it almost feels like it is just because it has to be. Amazon and Google have smart speakers, and other companies, like Microsoft, are bound to enter the market, too. Apple isn't a stranger to the push for a "smart home" filled with connected devices, and a speaker just makes sense.
But the main focus here is the speaker. Apple didn't waste any time getting into the specifics, breaking down all of the technical aspects of the upcoming device and why it would sound so great in your home. They even showed a demonstration there on stage, which, might have sounded great in the auditorium, it didn't really wow me watching through the live stream.
Which is why I was waiting to see the early impressions of the HomePod from those on the scene. For me, the HomePod's price is both not a surprise and the one aspect of the device that has to be justified right out of the box. It costs $340, which is about the price you'd pay for a worthwhile dedicated speaker, but quite a bit more than you'd pay for a smart speaker from the likes of Google or Amazon.
The only way to justify that price is with the performance of the speaker itself, which Apple made a point to say was great. And from what I've seen so far, they apparently did that. Specifically, the HomePod apparently sounds great, and, moreover, sounds much better than the likes of the Amazon Echo and even a Play 3 speaker from Sonos.
So, Apple made a great speaker that has some smarts to it. But will any of that matter when customers are in a store searching for a device and see the price tag? What do you think? Can Apple's HomePod take off in the smart speaker market with its price tag? Let me know!
from PhoneDog.com - Latest videos, reviews, articles, news and posts http://ift.tt/2r2Gt3t
No comments:
Post a Comment