Apple & # 39; s HomePod has been turning for two years. February 9, but in 2018, the first units reach consumers and smart speaker shops for the bitten apple. The device, unlike others in the company, At first only a small number of countries arrived, all who speak English: United States, Australia and the United Kingdom. A "plan" to remind you of the amazing launch of the first generation iPhone.
However, in these two years the item has been used to drop in many countries such as Canada, France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Japan, Taiwan and China. In addition, Apple intends to continue taking it to more countries, and to be one of the next India. Siri has already adapted to the English of this region and also offers vocabulary.
The HomePod is different from all other competitors in the voice field, compared to other expensive sound equipment. And that with the lightweight format (17.2 cm high, 14.2 cm wide and 2.5 kg thick) we get low speaker, seven large beast intervals, six Siri-enabled microphones and an internal microphone to measure low frequencies. All of this allows for precise and natural sound with amicable technology and powerful audio performance with studio quality.
While Apple's smart speaker is wearing audiographs and music lovers, Its presence in this market is far from that of other competitors such as Amazon Echo or Google Home
HomePod and its competitor
HomePod's big analysis has one thing to be clear: its good audio quality is undeniable. And when you look at the price of the HomePod and what it costs for high-end audio equipment it is clear that Apple has done a good job with it. So far, apart from finding alternatives to Sonicos (many of which already include Alexa as a voice assistant), no smart speaker would rub him, but Amazon Echo Studio came along and planted their face.
We are being used by Jeff Bezos & # 39; s company to update its sound systems from time to time, which is very powerful by Echo Plus. But you're introducing Amazon Echo Studio, taking the top spot to compete with other emerging teams in the industry, such as the HomePod.
It is larger (20.6 cm long and 17.5 cm thick, and weighs 3.5 kg). It has 5 speakers (3 midrange, tweeter (treble) and woofer (bass)), and a chance to analyze the acoustics of the room and adjust the audio filter continuously during playback to voice the sound regardless of where the device is located, and the HomePod, which is also compatible. It includes Zigbee controller, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth address.
Amazon Echo Studio has a few capabilities. On the other hand we have good integration with streaming music services and third-party platforms. You may use our Amazon Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and TuneIn accounts to play music. Their strength increases thanks to skills, which are skills that can be added thanks to the Alexa app for smartphones with iOS and Android.
On the other hand we have a price. While HomePod has a suggested retail price of 329,00 euros, Echo Studio is available on Amazon for 199.99 euros
The cheapest HomePod or the most powerful HomePod?
The HomePod has never been the same price. At its launch, Spain officially costs 349,00 euros. However, just a few months after arriving on the peninsula, Apple has dropped the world, and costs 329,00 euros now. Permanently lowering a product without introducing a new generation is a departure from the company.
While this price reduction helped boost sales (in the United States it went from $ 349 to $ 299, and that step from three had a powerful psychological impact on consumers), many still find it a costly product. This is why the miniPod mini may be rumored for a while to be launched in 2020. This model would have been cheaper, though its benefits would also be cut.
The new HomePod could be an opportunity for Apple to bring down the current model and offer a price closer to the Amazon Echo Studio
But what if Apple introduced a new powerful HomePod? The smart speaker for Californians already offers good audio quality, but can always be improved. Or it can be paired with another unit and provide stereo audio, for example, lacks Dolby Atmos support
If Apple announced an upgraded version of the HomePod at the same price as the existing one (329.00 euros), it wouldn't have to introduce a smaller model, but rather you can take advantage of your current speaker to cover that part, and would only have to lower its price to close to 199,00 euros for Amazon Echo Studio.
Siri should upgrade (and other HomeKit compatible devices)
Apple's personal voice assistant pioneered while debating alongside the iPhone 4s in 2011, but over the years given a layer because there are options that offer better performance, especially Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The latter are able to answer a variety of questions and provide more detail on the proposal integrated into the apples of the bitten apple.
Mostly Siri should improve in languages other than English, where he best defended himself against his opponents. In August, at Applesfera we talked about an intelligence test among key voice assistants, where Siri was better placed than Alexa, but behind Google Assistant. This experiment was performed in the language of Shakespeare. Apple's acquisition of Xnor.ai could be an upgrade for Siri.
Another use of HomePod is to use it as a hardware hub compatible with HomeKit. This is a home automation program developed by Apple to make our home smarter. A key resource is required, and with this you can use Apple TV, iPad or HomePod. Make sure the bulbs, plugs, LED strings and other metals are designed to work with Apple's speaker. Although there is more and more, the Alexa and Google Assistant options are huge. And also cheap as a general rule. Apple should encourage manufacturers to do more HomeKit, and at CES 2020 in Las Vegas we saw more suggestions.
