My name is Pod: HomePod

It’s not about being the first but being the best. This is Tim Cook’s answer to Bloomberg’s question why Apple has made us so much accomplish a home speaker. A typical phrase for the company and that the current CEO has strengthened recalled the three best-known precedents, namely iPod, iPhone and iPad. They were not the first MP3 player, smartphone or tablet, but those who changed drastically how to use them and imagine them.

All this block of text, I could copy it and paste it into another article one day and probably have already written it in the past, perhaps with the same identical words. But after the iPad, it does not seem to me that the magic has again come true.

I would also have the AirPods on that list but I know that they will hardly get the same as they are concerned with a limited target due to the expense (which I find fit but that in the ” earbuds ” is actually far beyond Of what an average buyer considers justifiable). But the question I ask myself is whether this speaker will be so revolutionary that he deserves a place near the three names mentioned by Tim Cook.

The short answer is no, I do not think so, well … no. The wise answer should instead be ” perhaps “. Long resignation begins with that terrible name. Siri Home, I had called it because a competitor of Amazon Echo or Google Home was expected, a small body that would allow Siri to carve out a physical and concrete space within our homes.

The virtual assistant seemed to be the fulcrum, but instead would be an additional benefit to what Cook described as ” an incredible sound “. I’m sorry to be too self-referential at times but in the article before the presentation I wrote:

One might rightly think that Apple is not entering a new market without making any news – in fact, I would expect more than one in this, perhaps for the control system or for a particular construction – but if I must be honest, I believe, Which would suffice a good listening experience, native integration of AirPlay and the ability to interact with Siri as a bonus to start laying a foot in the right direction.

Remembering that HomePod has only one preview and that the actual presentation will unveil other details or operating modes, the part about the real news in the reference market seems rather vulnerable today.

From an audio point of view, there are many valid attitudes, but that have already been around for some time elsewhere with great effectiveness, so attention should be shifted to the method of fruition that has been termed ” Musicologist “. There is no Siri in the name, but the idea is that HomePod understands our tastes and lets us know what to listen in a punctual and transparent manner.

Even here nothing new, in theory, and perhaps for this, Tim Cook has focused a lot on the audio in the interview released at Bloomberg. I have no doubt that it will be of a good standard, but in the $349 range (which could turn us into something like $ 399) there are excellent alternatives for brands such as Sonos, Bose, Harman / Kardon, etc .. comparison.

The HomePod will have to say it by combining a good listening quality with Apple’s typical use experience … ah, and there is also Siri.

Beyond the efficiency races, it is one of the first and very few virtual worldwide-spread virtual assistants. And they count on the fingers of one hand. It is easy to think that the hardware part of the device is already ready to 99%, while I imagine that refinements from here to the end of the year will be mainly on the ” musicoloco ” that is inside.

If I wager, I would say that unlike the iPod, iPhone and iPad, HomePod will rage between Apple users and much less in those that normally use Android on smartphones and Windows on PCs. I mean, it is the perfect extension for those who are already with two feet in the Apple ecosystem and not a completely transversal device. That’s why I said I do not think I can represent a historical breakpoint like the other three.

Excluding portable speakers, I’m with a Sonos product, one of Bose and one of Harman / Kardon, and I would replace them with three HomePods before they even hear how it sounds. In other environments, where Apple products represent a piece of hardware or are completely absent, I do not think this is just as expected.

HomePod looks very good and I think it will not be as close to AirPods as initially, but the fourth disruptive element after iPod, iPhone and iPad probably have another name.