Apple Has Four New HomePod Commercials: Equalizer, Distortion, Bass, and Beat

Apple finally released its HomePod on Friday after pushing back its planned December release. Customers can place an order for the HomePod directly from Apple's online store, or purchase it from any nearby Apple Store. The claims are extensive, and iTWire can report when hearing the three devices in one room there is truly no comparison. Before turning the stage over to Apple's marketing chief Phil Schiller, Cook said that the company had made a decision to "reinvent home music", a lofty goal indeed.

Recode: "HomePod has what can only be explained by the most balanced audio, not just of any smart speaker but of any speaker I now own, which includes a number of Sonos speakers and a Bose Home Theatre system", said Recode's Ben Bajarin. But it must be said that the Amazon device delivers the best AI capabilities.

HomePod is a new wireless speaker with built-in Siri controls by Apple. It retails for $349 and buyers can select from a white or space gray version.

Competition may be fiercer than ever in the voice-controlled speaker market but Amazon continues to reap the benefits of being the first to market and the far-reaching availability of Alexa skills.

Two key HomePod features aren't available initially and will be added in a pair of software updates this year, Apple said. Multiple studies, including one reported by The New York Times, demonstrate that listening to music can enhance focus, improve creativity, and boost productivity. Amazon and Google's options work with both Android and Apple.

The result is significantly more powerful audio performance from the HomePod compared to its two rivals. What about users who switch from Apple to Android? What do these home assistants think of each other? HomePod is also able to integrate with Apple's Home app for iOS, letting you control HomeKit accessories such as light switches and garage door openers. There isn't any reason to pay $200 extra for a device that doesn't entirely work, just yet. These controls allow you to play, pause, skip a song, or adjust the volume with a single tap, in addition to voice controls. Siri also pulls up whatever other information on businesses and such, including opening hours and how many stars it has on Yelp. It is capable of making calls, controlling smart home accessories, providing travel information, translating words into multiple languages, looking up recipes, offering nutrition guidance, answering trivia questions, looking up stocks, and telling jokes.

Users will also need to use AirPlay to play music with a service other than Apple Music.

A number of features have yet to arrive before HomePod feels feature-complete. You bring your iPhone or other iOS device near HomePod and are prompted on the phone screen to choose the room where you are placing the speaker, and that automatically transfers your existing iCloud, iTunes and Apple Music settings.

"The HomePod sounds great but on the surface, it's debatable whether it's great enough to justify the limitations of its smart features when compared purely on those merits and not as a component of the Apple ecosystem".

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