See Apple's HomePod take on the competition in our ultimate smart speaker sound comparison

AppleInsider puts HomePod's sound quality to the test against four smart speaker competitors, Sonos' One, Amazon's second-gen Echo, Google Home and Google's Home Max, in this comprehensive comparison. Find out which comes out on top.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 48

Reminder: Apple includes a tiny AirPlay toggle in iOS 11's Control Center for iPhone and iPad

Apple, in its "infinite wisdom," compacted the Control Center in iOS 11, and gave AirPlay even less of a starring role on it. With HomePod now available and able to have audio streamed via AirPlay, AppleInsider shows you where the AirPlay button is, and two slightly different ways to turn it on.

Mike Wuerthele 8 years ago 23

Exhaustive acoustical analysis demonstrates HomePod is '100 percent an audiophile-grade speaker'

The audiophile community now has their hands on the HomePod, and one Reddit user has thoroughly examined the device from an acoustical standpoint, calling it 'witchcraft" plus "100 percent an Audiophile grade Speaker."

Mike Wuerthele 8 years ago 127

HomePod review: Your mileage may vary, but crank it up for the ride

I love Apple's HomePod, and I want one in every room of my house. But I also kind of hate HomePod for its reliance on Siri. Like any messy relationship, it's complicated. If you can get over the personal assistant's numerous shortcomings, you'll find that HomePod is a fantastic sounding compact speaker, but also potentially the start of something much better.

Neil Hughes 8 years ago 109

Test finds HomePod's Siri 'at the bottom of the totem pole' in smartspeaker AI

While the Apple HomePod is the "best sounding" smartspeaker and has a "measurably better" user experience in many areas, its underlying AI assistant — Siri — failed dramatically in a query test versus Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Microsoft Cortana, according to Loup Ventures.

Roger Fingas 8 years ago 113

Apple updates YouTube Support channel with three HomePod how-to videos

Apple has posted a trio of "how to" videos for the HomePod, instructing users how to use Siri to play music, how the touch controls work, and how to adjust settings on the device.

Mike Wuerthele 8 years ago 7

Tune HomePod's sound using equalizers in iOS and macOS

From multi-array microphones for far-field listening to beamforming tweeters and dynamic audio processing powered by a beefy A8 processor, HomePod is a compact marvel of technology. Despite its smarts, users are unable to access audio output settings as they would a traditional speaker or even Bluetooth devices marketed by companies like Sonos.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 85

How to trigger Siri on your iPhone instead of HomePod

With HomePod, accessing Apple's Siri technology is more convenient than ever. But users might want trigger the virtual assistant on an iPhone rather than a speaker that blasts answers to anyone within earshot. Here's how to do it.

AppleInsider Staff 8 years ago 14

Despite being a HomeKit accessory, HomePod does not work within custom triggers or scenes

Though HomePod integrates with Apple's HomeKit, and even shows up as a smart home accessory within the iOS Home app, it cannot be used as a part of an automated trigger or custom scene.

Neil Hughes 8 years ago 17

Sonos greets Apple HomePod's arrival with joking Spotify playlist

Sonos on Friday shared a special Spotify playlist on Twitter, taking a friendly jab at the Apple HomePod, its new competition in the Wi-Fi speaker market.

Roger Fingas 8 years ago 60

First look: Apple's HomePod is loud, heavy and powerful

Friday marks the launch of Apple's foray into home audio, the HomePod, a compact yet booming smart speaker that will delight your ears and possibly annoy your neighbors. AppleInsider offers a closer look at the newly released hardware.

Neil Hughes 8 years ago 134

Analyst predicts new Apple Pencil, 'low-end' $200 HomePod this fall

Although early HomePod orders appear to be doing well, Apple could ship a "low-end" model this fall costing between $150 and $200 instead of the current model's $349, an analyst said Friday in an investor memo seen by AppleInsider.

Roger Fingas 8 years ago 59

HomePod AppleCare+ costs $39, accidental damage without incurs $279 fee for repair

Apple's AppleCare+ extended warranty and accidental damage repair program for the HomePod retails for $39, with a single out-of-warranty repair like accidental damage from a drop otherwise costing the user $279 uncovered, and $39 when under the program.

Mike Wuerthele 8 years ago 7

Podcast

AppleInsider podcast interviews Michal Jurewicz of Mytek, talks about HomePod and a 6.1 inch iPhone

Victor Marks 8 years ago 2

Stacking up Apple HomePod, Amazon Echo and Google Home

Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple all have voice assistants vying for attention, and all are moving the concept of computer-human voice interaction forward. AppleInsider offers an abbreviated history of how we got here and the capabilities of these assistants and their devices in anticipation of HomePod. What do these things do? What do people use them for? And what is Apple doing differently?

Victor Marks 8 years ago 37

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