The HomePod was an incredible speaker at an unbeatably low cost. It sounded better than any smart speaker I’ve ever owned and was one of the worddocx first to utilize Dolby Atmos, Apple’s spatial audio standard. Additionally, its three-dimensional soundstage made for great live music performances.
Apple’s initial HomePod model struggled to make a mark in an industry dominated by Amazon and Google at the time, but with the new model it has finally begun to catch up. Its smart home capabilities have significantly advanced hdxwallpaper over recent years, making it an impressive addition to any household.
Setting up is much simpler than you might think. All that needs to be done is update your iOS device and then use the Home app to telesup connect it with HomeKit. From there, you can control playback with Siri, ask questions, or execute commands like turning on/off your thermostat from afar.
But the most crucial feature of a smart speaker is its integration with other smart devices, and the HomePod offers plenty here too. It supports both HomeKit, an open-source standard for smart homes, as well as Matter protocol which enables devices to communicate without needing proprietary protocols. Plus, coming this spring it will have a smart recognition feature which will alert users to alarms from smoke or carbon monoxide detectors.
HomePod also boasts an interesting intercom happn feature, similar to Alexa’s “announce,” that lets you send messages between speakers or devices. This could be particularly handy when setting up groups of friends who share a home.
Apple’s HomePod is an integral part of their audio and home product strategy, so it’s no shock to see some of their acoustics research incorporated roobytalk into this speaker. It can detect surfaces in your room and adjust its sound accordingly – creating smooth, even audio that doesn’t sound muddy or harsh.
It’s also better sounding than its predecessor, boasting a more balanced audio profile that resists clipping or distortion. The new model has fewer tweeters but they are smaller and pointed upward from the chassis – this allows it to create an expansive soundstage and deliver an immersive listening experience by using beamforming technology for enhanced bass response and surround sound effects.
However, the Homepod still has some limitations. For one thing, it doesn’t support Spotify yet – which can be a major inconvenience for those who enjoy listening to that service through their speaker. Furthermore, playback from an iOS device is sometimes slow when using the Homepod as its source.
Siri can still control Spotify playback from the HomePod, though it works slightly slower than expected and doesn’t automatically start songs or playlists. This could simply be an issue with older HomePod models; however, I hope Apple resolves this soon.
