The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
TELL me what you want, what you really, really want. If you said you want the Spice Girls to do a world tour then you’re in luck. But will they come Down...
The tech giant's compact speaker so clearly excels in the audio department, it decimates the muddier, sometimes distorted efforts of its Google and Amazon rivals.
But, in a world in which smart speakers promise to do everything from washing our clothes to deciding what's for dinner, does HomePod do enough to catch up?
We secured the speaker early, plugged it in, linked it to everything from lights to temperature sensors, and peppered it with questions to find out before it launches on February 9.
Apple’s first smart speaker is smaller than a football, though heavier at 2.5kg. .
SOUND BASIS
Apple has made no secret that its first smart speaker will be a speaker first, smart second.
The company has thrown considerable resources at its audio development, including foam-filled anechoic chambers, acoustic engineers, and vibration specialists, as well as mechanical, design, and software specialists.
The result is as slick as you would expect.
HomePod is a solid and compact unit with no feet to stick out, no gaudy branding, and no ugly buttons - just a touch-sensitive panel and light atop the device.
Setting up Apple's speaker is just as simple, involving a power source and instructions that appear on your Apple iPhone, iPod, or iPad.
It's no accident one of its first suggestions is to request music: this is a device created to get Apple Music subscribers streaming tunes throughout their homes, and it works whether you ask for a song, artist, or a musical genre or mood.
What is surprising is just how much volume, clarity, and bass comes from its modestly sized body.
At full volume, you'll wake, annoy, or win over your neighbours … and perhaps their neighbours too.
Apple developed the HomePod in its audio labs in Cupertino, California.
We tested its loudest volume in two locations, filled a room with enough sound to qualify as an amateur nightclub, and attracted plenty of attention from distant, shocked listeners.
The HomePod achieves this using seven tweeters pointed in all directions and, most tellingly, a high-excursion woofer, which means it moves a lot of air around to create deep bass sounds.
This powerful addition is seriously effective, and could shape your initial song requests. You can feel every boom in the bassline of this year's Triple J Hottest 100 winner, Humble, even though you don't lose detail in the instrumentation or the enunciation of Kendrick Lamar's every word.
Ending misheard song lyrics is no exaggeration, either. Apparently I've been singing the wrong lyrics to the Foo Fighters' Everlong for 21 years, and a veteran drummer, since listening to the track on the HomePod, has changed the way he plays it. Every snare hit can be heard from this device, he attests, as well as notes from individual toms.
Apple's rival smart speakers, Google Home and Amazon Echo Plus, deliver reasonable sound but neither come close to matching audio from the HomePod.
One reason is the addition of spatial awareness to this speaker. It's equipped with an accelerometer to recognise movement and, in under a minute, will assess its surroundings to customise music delivery.
Apple first unveiled its smart speaker at WWDC in June last year. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
It uses its six-microphone array to do this, identifying how sound reflects off nearby objects.
Place this speaker against a wall, for example, and it will bounce background vocals off the flat surface and deliver the vocal track directly out front.
In your home, this means a fuller soundscape and, even if you get up close to the speaker, you can hear crisp audio from every available angle.
It's also worth noting the HomePod produces very minimal distortion, even at ear-watering volumes.
SIRI INSIDE A SPEAKER
Apple's smart assistant is six years old, the most popular artificial intelligence assistant in the world, and she's learned a lot more about music before making her speaker debut.
You can quiz Siri about a track's title, its artist, or its album while a song is playing and she'll read you reviews or biographical details from Wikipedia and other sources.
You can also command Siri to play the news from sources including the ABC and SBS, ask her about cricket or soccer, find the nearest sushi restaurant, locate movies screening near you, convert dollars into euros, or set alarms, appointments, or reminders.
If you enable "personal requests" you can also send text messages and missives from this speaker using services such as Skype and WhatsApp … just as long as your phone is connected to the same wi-fi network.
Apple’s smart speaker, HomePod, features no buttons and black or white mesh. Picture: AFP PHOTO / Josh Edelson
You can also use this speaker to control smart home products, like Philips Hue lights, and this is mercifully simple. If you've set up a smart home product using Apple's HomeKit system, this speaker will automatically recognise it and let you control it with your voice.
But Siri falls short of matching the artificial intelligence skills of Alexa or the Google Assistant.
She doesn't know rugby union teams and she confuses the Brisbane Broncos with the Denver Broncos.
She can translate phrases into French, German, Italian, Mandarin, and Spanish, but not Japanese, Portuguese, Cantonese, or others.
She doesn't feature "skills" that allow you to order a pizza, hail an Uber ride, check your bank account, or find a tradie like Amazon's Alexa.
She doesn't recognise individual users or support multiple Apple accounts (though you can decouple HomePod selections from your Apple Music account to prevent errant song suggestions).
And Siri can't play songs from YouTube like Google Home.
HOMEPOD DRAWBACKS
While HomePod excels in audio, it also demands some compromises.
You must use an Apple device to set it up, for example, and Google Android users will only be able to send songs to the speaker using Airplay.
HomePod also only streams songs directly from Apple Music rather than the wider choices offered by Amazon and Google.
The HomePod is Apple’s first artificially intelligent speaker. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
By default, Apple has also turned off the audio cue that indicates it's listening to your conversation, though you can turn this back on in settings.
Users must also wait a little longer before two HomePods can be linked to deliver stereo sound or send songs to other connected speakers with Airplay 2, though both are due this year.
And despite its best efforts, the Apple HomePod cannot hear your commands when playing music loudly and certainly not at full volume. It's easier to tap the volume control than yell wildly at your shiny new device (trust us).
HOMEPOD VERDICT
Apple might be late to this smart speaker game but HomePod delivers something fresh.
The advanced audio hardware packed into an area smaller than a football should not be underestimated as it takes a significant leap over its smart speaker rivals, and at least matches, if not improves upon, its high-end audio peers.
Given its volume, this speaker could easily replace an old-school, outdated stereo system, cassette decks and all, and would deliver better sound.
HomePod is also simple to use, rarely misunderstands users, and provides enough artificially intelligent additions to prove a useful household member.
Apple's first smart speaker is yet to match the skills and features of those devices that landed before it, though, and buyers looking for an assistant to deliver food, transport, and a full complement of sports scores might consider backing a different team for now.
The Apple HomePod will go head-to-head with speakers from Google and Amazon. Picture: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/AFP
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