Cut up/modify? Couldn’t bring myself to hurt it lol
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I understand that sentiment. Although my mind is running away with how it could work without cutting anything.
The inside parts you could do without damaging anything other than soldering a wire or two in for power.
As for getting that power to the cassette itself, you’d only need a small gap to get a couple of wires through for a MicroUSB plug which would likely have to be shaved back to nothing to get it to fit anyway… There is probably a gap already there somewhere you could use too if you cut up the USB cable and resolder on the other side…
How long does the battery last anyway?
(This is probably getting a little off topic… 
)
I haven’t been able to properly test it but I’ve tried it out in a Walkman, I think it’s around 6 hours maybe
Sorry, but for out household the HomePod is a swing and a miss. We do not (and will not) use Apple Music and we’re more interested in a having a ‘smart assistant’ that can actually give useful answers than an overpriced speaker. There is no way that the HomePod will go anywhere near matching our current home audio system and at least with it we are not tied to Apple Music which I find to be a horrible piece of software to use - it appears to have been designed by committee…
I’m sure that the HomePod will sell well to the Apple faithful and those already well entrenched in its eco system but even then I suspect that after time the sound quality will lack that certain something that all systems without mid-range speakers have - mid-range. Woofer and tweeter systems make me feel quite tired after listening to them for extended periods and I have listened to top end systems from Bose and B&O over the years that initially sound great but are certainly lacking in a full sound stage after an extended listening period.
Perhaps I’ll be impressed with it is I did listen to it (unlikely I think) but at the moment it appears to be rushed to market and incomplete with too many features “coming soon” that should have been there from the start.
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Most of the hands-on reviews rave about the homepod’s performance as a speaker, but dimiss Siri as a poor personal assistant compared to Alexa and the Google Assistant. However, some suggest Siri works well as a personal musical assistant provided you use Apple Music.
So, maybe the best solution at present is to use both Homepod and Google Home Mini. Use Siri for music and use Google for everything else. After all the Google Home Min is only $78.
It still amazes me how much Apple let Siri languish in the face of competition from Google and Amazon’s Alexa.
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Well, people should have the pre-orders delivered today - please post real-life reviews!
Mine was just delivered. Setup took less than 5 minutes. Plug it in, hold your phone next to it, answer a couple of questions and its done. Apple is getting very good at this.
Sound quality is very good, similar to Sonos One, but then my hearing is not that great anyway.
Microphone sensitivity is good. Picks up Hey Siri from another room.
HomeKit control works as it says in the adds.
I’m pleased with it , but will not be selling of my Sonos gear anytime soon
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Am I the only person on the forum who is using a HomePod?
Suprised there are no other comments
It is a little surprising but it’s also a speaker that costs half a grand, so I guess it’ll be a slow start
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Quite so.
I have been on a bit of a journey since this thread opened. First I dismissed the Homepod in favour of the Google Home Mini, because I wanted the best assistant.
Then, after reading Homepod reviews, the concept of computational audio got me in. We do have need for a better audio solution in the living room.
Finally, I decided to have the best of both worlds, Homepod and Google Home Mini. After all, I don’t rely on just one friend for all advice and assistance, so why assume just one digital device is sufficient in the living room?
I picked up the Homepod yesterday. Setup glitched. Had a blank screen. Reset Homepod and iPhone and tried again. Success.
My very preliminary thoughts are as follows:
- I am no audiophile, however the sound is excellent.
- I have to speak louder to Siri compared to Google
- Verbal selection of music is tricky. I need to know the proper pronunciation of artists, songs etc. this is particularly so for classical music. (I ended up just air playing from my iPhone just to avoid frustration)
I will post more thoughts in the next few days.
I’m in the same boat as you Snarl. Bought a Google Home Mini at Christmas with a Logitech Harmony Hub to control the TV. Wasn’t really interested in the Homepod. Popped into my local Apple Store yesterday and had a listen. The sound is excellent and I’m impressed with how small it is. Bought one and installed no problem.
To be honest I find the Google Home to be very hit and miss. 50% of the time it doesn’t understand what I said. It doesn’t understand my partner at all. He refuses to use it. He said it’s useless. So far Siri has worked well for both of us. If I can get the Harmony Hub to work with the Homepod I’ll ditch the Google Home altogether.
Homebridge should solve that for you, there’s a Harmony Hub plug-in.
Oh really? I’ll have to investigate. Thanks Faulty.
Interesting JDOZ. My very limited experience to date suggests that the Google Assistant understands me better than Siri. However, this is not based on any systematic AB testing. If I get a chance, I may try some more rigorous testing.
Significant variables in the comparison will include
- My accent and pronunciation
- Compatible grammar for each device
- Each device’s comprehension of coloquial expressions
I remember completing some elementary training during the Google Home setup, however there was no similar training for the Homepod. Perhaps it is imported from the iPhone. (Though I have not used Siri much on the iPhone)
Homepod and AppleTV (ATV4 or newer)
It is a great sound bar alternative. I understand you can even use Siri on the Homepod to control the AppleTV, though this is not well documented
You do need the AppleTV remote to be able to quickly select the Homepod for output. (We have used a Harmony remote previously because of the poor, fiddly design of the ATV remote.) You can quickly access this option by a long press on the PLAY button
As long as Apple TV is the only source device you ever use.
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If you have used another source (eg. Apple Music), you just need to select the Homepod as an output destination again on the AppleTV, via a long press of the PLAY button on that dodgy remote.
I meant more if you want to watch Free to Air TV, Foxtel, Bluray, or say a Playtation on the TV, it won’t work as the speakers for that. So not really a soundbar competitor in that sense.
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