Apple HomePod is a wireless music speaker and smart hub for the home that lets you create automations, check the weather, control lighting, set alarms and more with Siri.
Apple HomePod has a gorgeous, iconic design and delivers next-level acoustics with advanced computational audio. A custom-engineered high-excursion woofer, built-in bass-EQ microphone and beamforming array of tweeters work together to deliver rich, deep bass and stunning high frequencies. It also offers a new acoustic engine that combines an S7 chip with software and system-sensing technology for a breakthrough listening experience.
The HomePod can sense the acoustic signature of surfaces in its room and compensate for them with advanced echo cancellation, so you’ll hear audio that is more natural and immersive than ever before. The HomePod can even play Spatial Audio tracks, letting you create an immersive listening experience that feels like you’re in the room with the music.
It also supports AirPlay 2, which allows you to connect a HomePod with other AirPlay 2 speakers around the house for multiroom audio and to pair with Apple’s HomeKit smart accessories so you can turn on the lights or make the room cooler or warmer, using just your voice.
If you want to hear the same music from all your HomePods, you can use Handoff to seamlessly transfer songs and podcasts between devices in a hands-free way. It works with most other devices, including non-Apple ones.
As well as Handoff, both the HomePod and the smaller HomePod mini feature de-facto accessibility features like intercom and the ability to transcribe messages into text form for those who are hard of hearing or otherwise have difficulties using their hands.
Despite some complaints that Apple’s straitjacket boundaries prevent the HomePod from being used to play non-Apple music, it has been widely praised for its sound quality and its ability to control Apple Music via voice commands to Siri. That said, the company’s smart assistant Siri isn’t as intelligent as Amazon’s Alexa or Google’s Home, which has created frustrations for many reviewers.
Siri can respond to a variety of queries, from asking about upcoming concerts and restaurant recommendations to asking to create a playlist from a specific genre or telling it what the next song should be. It can also set alarms, send iMessages and WhatsApp texts, and read out news headlines.
When you activate Siri on the HomePod, a visible waveform displays to let you know she is listening. She can also play a confirmation tone to tell you she heard your request and acted on it.
She can also help you make and track appointments with Apple’s Calendar app, which you can use to schedule events or set reminders for yourself. She can also play music from a selection of Apple’s own albums and playlists.
The HomePod is available to order online and in the Apple Store starting today. Its price is $299. It will ship out to customers beginning February 3. A new $99 HomePod mini is also available.
