Wouldn't it be better, though not for Apple, if it was a blind test? Knowing which one was playing would tend to skew the results.
Not sure it would unless some of the listeners have a preconceived bias. Also, don't know how it would work out for Apple if at the end of an ABX test, they simply said "Congrats, you guys all prefer the HomePod...thanks for playing".
Just so you know, when I mentioned “the helpful lighting arrangement” I was being sorta sarcastic. Should have used the smilie!
I ordered a HomePod which arrives Friday. There have been far too many positive reviews on it to ignore, I subscribe to Apple Music and I spent a long, long time building my digital music library. Being able to experience it on the latest and greatest devices has always been part of the plan.
Yep, all of the reviews for SQ have been very positive. Lots of complaints about Siri not having multiple timers or "having trouble telling them the length of a blue whale" in some of the same reviews. As long as Siri works with Apple Music and HomeKit, I am happy. I plan to turn off the stuff that could affect my privacy...messages, notes, etc. One thing some of the reviews are glossing over or not mentioning at all is that the HomePod can be used as an Airplay speaker and Apple has a much higher value for their customers' privacy than its competition. It would be nice if more than one or two reviewers went into more detail on these "features" rather than telling us that it is of utmost importance that it may not be the best at answering questions like "why is the sky blue". The iMore review actually covers both features, but it is the only one I have run across that explains both. HomePod: Retina for your ears an excerpt: "I don't want an open Amazon or Google microphone in my house. Call me whatever names you feel you must, but the idea of companies that monetize my data and behavior being given my conversations and activities for free, and in so doing creating a second or multiple additional points for data breach or abuse, has always felt like a bad deal to me. (I can't use Google Assistant in general because, every time I decline to give it access to my web and app data, it declines to turn on — which feels coercive, given how much it could still do absent that data.) Apple, by virtue of its business model, has no interest in storing my personal data any longer than it absolutely has to, and no interest in monetizing my behavior. So not only does it keep Siri offline until it hits the trigger phrase, once it goes online it generates an anonymous token ID and transmits all data with end-to-end encryption. That way, never have to worry about entire meeting transcripts being stored in logs, employees violating my privacy and snooping on me, or my past data being exposed over due to some future bug, partnership, or request. That's not to say I don't want Apple using my data to provide me with better direct services. I just want my data to be used for my benefit, not for the company's bottom line. Not unless I start getting a share of the money they make off of it. (Which is way more valuable than any 'free" app or service offered as compensation to date.)"
iTunes Chief Eddy Cue Says Apple Will Share Details on its TV Plans in 'a Little Bit of Time' “According to Cue, the HomePod will use its built-in A8 chip and AI algorithms to automatically adjust the bass, treble, and other settings on a song-by-song basis, so there won't be a need for users to fuss with settings”
So its the best sound wise but apparently needs lots of Siri help Uh oh Apple’s HomePod Has Arrived. Don’t Rush to Buy It.
Which is a big problem. Cuz she's not real bright. Once I was schlepping around town on some errands in a cranky mood. Not wanting to take my eyes off the road, I commanded Siri to "Play Action Bronson" - several of whose hip-hop opuses are stored in the Music app on my phone. She asked "Which 'Bronson'? 'Bronson Lee, Champion' [a 70s chopsocky movie, apparently] or 'Bronson'?" Irritated by this failure to satisfactorily complete the simplest possible instruction, I said, "Siri... you suck." And she replied, "Well, I'm still here for you." True story.
SIRI would have bee perfected by now if Steve Jobs were still alive. He would have tortured his team to get it right!!. I think the eventually will but it is disappointing that it has taken so long. So unlike Apple. They are rarely first but usually best in the end IMHO.
An Apple-centric tech podcast has speculated that one reason they may be struggling is that Apple's notoriously strict confidentiality agreements are a deterrent to the brightest talent in the AI field, who rely on publishing their work in academic papers to advance their careers.
Not planning on buying it, although I do exclusively use Apple products in my personal life for computing. If anyone is on the fence, this is a fairly innovative review from WSJ:
What the? I have not heard that anywhere. This is an example of the reviews I was talking about. I didn't see any mention of Airplay or Privacy. Also, some of his ridiculous examples would not work with any assistant on the market. If you tell Alexa "no one likes XYZ", I doubt that the service will have any clue what you are talking about. Also, you can set any of them up to fail if you like by finding out about missing features (Uber) then asking it to work with Uber. Ask your Alexa to play a Playlist you saved on Apple Music or the Podcast app and it will look like an idiot. He didn't bother doing general examples that most people will use like the Cnet video that was posted yesterday. That being said, Siri will never have all of the skills that Alexa is capable of. The great thing is that an Assistant that can answer your 5 year old's questions and make fart noises on command can be had for $30. However, if you want a great sounding speaker that works with Apple Music and Airplay, that protects your data, the HomePod is in a different league. It seems that a lot of reviewers don't understand that Apple Music has 36 million subscribers and is growing at a faster rate than Spotify. WSJ had an article earlier in the week that predicted that Apple Music would pass Spotify in the US this summer. That is a big market. People that care about sound quality is a big market. The market for a speaker that must work with Uber...probably not so large.
But I can answer a 5 year old's questions and make fart noises for free. (Will Siri make a fart noise if I ask her to? I'm embarrassed to ask her.)
Exactly. Most will pick up their phone to get Uber, as well. I doubt it, but there is a skill on the Echo that will do it on demand. I have an Echo and have never installed the "skill", but I saw it in one of the reviews I saw of the Echo back in the day (I think it was Barnacles that really loved that skill, but I may be misremembering.).
For now. Lets not forget that Spotify was introduced in 2008 and Apple Music was introduced in 2015. A huge difference in time to build up a client base.
I can't imagine that because every tech companies require signed agreements like that. I even have to sign NDAs with ad agencies before I am even considered for a project. Granted I'm not one of the brightest talents. But still
Look I'm a big fan and think this thing is priced correctly for the quality but it does seem some of the very basic commands are screwing up upon release. Like Apple Maps in the beginning. It needs to understand ANY song request. I am sure the'll eventually get it right but it should have been been perfect upon release
That touches on the general "meh" factor I'm getting off of this. (Even those three Apple podcast guys, the hardest of the hardcore, couldn't work up enough interest to order the thing.) It just screams "placeholder". Note how incredibly little effort they put into publicizing this thing. They know it's not competitive in this form. But they can't afford to wait any longer - given how far behind they are already.
Like all assistants, they require the request in a form that they understand it. I have a feature on my Echo that will turn on my AppleTV. If I say “launch AppleTV” it has no clue what I am requesting. If I say “start AppleTV” it will switch to the AppleTV. I use Siri all the time for music and it isn’t perfect, but it is close enough....same with every other assistant on the market.
