Home LivingSmart HomeNew Apple HomePod: 3 key upgrades I want to seeThe original HomePod was brilliant, but it and the HomePod mini have plenty of room for improvementWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Home LivingSmart HomeNew Apple HomePod: 3 key upgrades I want to seeThe original HomePod was brilliant, but it and the HomePod mini have plenty of room for improvementWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
The original HomePod was brilliant, but it and the HomePod mini have plenty of room for improvement
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Apple)
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple’s originalHomePodis one of thebest smart speakersI’ve owned, delivering truly exceptional sound from Apple Music. I’ve got two, and I’ve also put someHomePod minisaround the flat in rooms where I don’t need such a big sound. But as much as I love both generations of HomePod, the news that Apple is bringing the original back – or at least adding a larger speaker to the range, which currently consists of just the mini – reminds me of the things that could make it seriously better. Here are three upgrades I’d like to see.
1. A swifter Siri
Siri just isn’t as good as rival voice assistants. It’s nice to have different voices to choose from – my Siri is a cheerful Irish woman – but it’d be nicer still if there wasn’t such a long pause between me saying something and Siri responding. It’d be nice if Siri could hear better, too: I’ll say something like “Hey Siri, turn the reading light on” and she’ll reply “I’m sorry Carrie, the bedroom is not responding”. I don’t have a noisy flat or a thick accent, and other voice assistants don’t have this problem:Alexa, for example, responds instantly and mostly accurately.
2. Real surround sound
And while we’re at it, if Apple could make it easier to send music to multiple HomePods that’d be brilliant. It’s rather clunky right now.
3. A sensible price
The original HomePods bombed because while they were great speakers, they were far too expensive for most of us: a HomePod was $349/£319. I bought mine for £100 less, and at that price I didn’t feel I was paying an Apple Tax even though it’s still more than theAmazon Echo, which is the bestAmazonsmart speaker you can buy right now. I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d be willing to pay around $200/£200 for a bigger, better HomePod compared to the £90 HomePod mini, but as Apple discovered first time around, £300+ seriously limits the number of people who’ll buy your smart speakers. And with those devices acting as the gateway for smart home tech generally, that means fewer people embracing HomeKit. A better HomePod with a more sensible price makes sense as part of a wider smart home strategy.
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