Electronics

[Mz iMac]

"The HomePod is Apple’s smart speaker — the answer to Google Home and Amazon’s Echo line. The speaker will respond to voice commands using Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, and is closely integrated with Apple’s Music services. The speaker will also be able to sense the size of the room using acoustics.  It will also work with Apple services such as Messages and its smart home appliance platform, HomeKit. And just like its competitors, the HomePod will provide information on news, general knowledge, weather and sports scores.

While its features appear very similar to what's available on the Echo or Google Home, Apple said that its distinguishing feature is sound quality.

The HomePod is designed with privacy in mind, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide marketing. All communications are encrypted.

The HomePod will cost $349  — more expensive than Google's and Amazon’s smart speakers — and will start shipping in December."

FULL ARTICLE LINK

FWIW...

You can go to Apple's website to get the complete and/or not so complete info on the HomePod especially its tech specs & system requirements.

[gabstoomuch]

I watched the Apple conference today. I love to watch live on one screen, and pull up the live techie bloggers on a second screen. (split screen).

The techie bloggers are hysterical with their comments (all the while doing their job of live blogging for those that follow them). They seriously have the funniest, driest sense of humor.

Anyway, Apple had their conference to reveal iOS11, which is coming out in the fall. Tim Cook went through all the different things that are changing. Looks like a great update, lots of new changes coming.

After that they went into the new speaker. It is a really good speaker. Of course, no one would expect less from Apple. The sound is incredible. It also has verbal cue, "Siri, turn it up", "turn it down", "play a song from 1983", same as the Echo and Google Home.

The engineering inside is amazing.

One sounds good, but to really have stereo you really need two (if you are in the generation of loud, house filling music) so that would be $700.

It will sell well I believe. People who are "all things Apple" are very devoted, and the prices do not seem to bother them.

The speaker is called "Home Pod", a cousin to the "ear pod".

[Mz iMac]

The new OS is called High Sierra.  From a techie bogger site....

"The speaker is called "Home Pod"

According to Apple's website...HomePod

[Jordan2]

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@Mz iMac wrote:

"The HomePod is Apple’s smart speaker — the answer to Google Home and Amazon’s Echo line. The speaker will respond to voice commands using Apple’s voice assistant, Siri, and is closely integrated with Apple’s Music services. The speaker will also be able to sense the size of the room using acoustics.  It will also work with Apple services such as Messages and its smart home appliance platform, HomeKit. And just like its competitors, the HomePod will provide information on news, general knowledge, weather and sports scores.

While its features appear very similar to what's available on the Echo or Google Home, Apple said that its distinguishing feature is sound quality.

The HomePod is designed with privacy in mind, said Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of worldwide marketing. All communications are encrypted.

The HomePod will cost $349  — more expensive than Google's and Amazon’s smart speakers — and will start shipping in December."

FULL ARTICLE LINK

FWIW...

You can go to Apple's website to get the complete and/or not so complete info on the HomePod especially its tech specs & system requirements.

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@Mz iMac, that's a little too pricey for me. I have the Amazon Echo and am interested in the Echo Show, although I'm going to wait to see if it goes down in price.

[Nuttmeg]

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@gabstoomuch wrote:

I watched the Apple conference today. I love to watch live on one screen, and pull up the live techie bloggers on a second screen. (split screen).

The techie bloggers are hysterical with their comments (all the while doing their job of live blogging for those that follow them). They seriously have the funniest, driest sense of humor.

Anyway, Apple had their conference to reveal iOS11, which is coming out in the fall. Tim Cook went through all the different things that are changing. Looks like a great update, lots of new changes coming.

After that they went into the new speaker. It is a really good speaker. Of course, no one would expect less from Apple. The sound is incredible. It also has verbal cue, "Siri, turn it up", "turn it down", "play a song from 1983", same as the Echo and Google Home.

The engineering inside is amazing.

One sounds good, but to really have stereo you really need two (if you are in the generation of loud, house filling music) so that would be $700.

It will sell well I believe. People who are "all things Apple" are very devoted, and the prices do not seem to bother them.

The speaker is called "Home Pod", a cousin to the "ear pod".

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What is Apple going to do with the Beats products?

[Lilysmom]

@Nuttmeg, I recently bought a beats x Bluetooth earphones.  I had a $200 Apple credit.  I am not crazy about the sound but they are ok.  Not as much bass.  I was going to buy the apple ear pods but I was sure I would lose one.  The problem about Bluetooth I found was that $100 Bluetooth earphones would drop the signal every 30 seconds.  Sorry to go OT.

Thanks to OP for posting about the Home Pod.  LM

[lizethkemny]

Learn how to use the touch controls on HomePod and what the different status lights on the top of HomePod mean: https://www.howtoisolve.com/homepod-touch-gestures/