First HomePod orders arrive as Apple publishes User Guide

HomePod is now on sale at Apple retail locations in Australia, New Zealand and other areas where the clock turned Friday, and customers who recently took receipt of the new smart speaker are posting photos of the device to social media outlets.

As seen in the photo above, shared to Twitter by user "JJJing," HomePod sales have kicked off in Australia and other parts of the world. Apple currently has in-store supply on hand to serve walk-in customers, as well as stock for preorder pickups.

Those who purchased the device when it went up for sale last month are also seeing their orders arrive. Excited owners are currently posting pictures and video of their latest acquisitions to social media outlets including Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and more.

For example, Ross Hill in Australia took to Twitter to post a short clip of the speaker's setup process, seen below.

Customers in the UK are also posting photos of the device both in Apple stores and at home, though sales are not due to kick off for another 9 hours.

In conjunction with a start to sales, Apple published its official HomePod User Guide to its website, covering basic setup to more advanced features like HomeKit control and accessibility options.

The guide's landing page offers three helpful tips to get HomePod users started, including instructions on how to ask Siri to play music, set a timer and configure an alarm. With the latter, Apple note users who configured HomeKit scenes can tell the speaker, "Hey Siri, goodnight," to turn off lights, lock doors and lower thermostat temperatures.

Early reviews of Apple's first smart speaker entry were largely positive, with most critics lauding the device's premium audio quality. Reviewers were less impressed by Siri, however, saying the virtual assistant lacks key integrations found in competing technology offered by Amazon and Google.

A lack of support for third-party apps was seen as a negative, as Apple is currently limiting HomePod to Apple Music, iTunes and podcasts. Users can play music from other services over AirPlay, but the speaker lacks built-in integration present in competing devices like Amazon's Echo.

Initial HomePod supply is currently sold out on Apple's online storefront, with orders placed today due to arrive by Feb. 13. Customers still have a chance to pick one up on launch day by visiting their nearest Apple store.