Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-18 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Actually, you can use the HomePod to play Pandora, and I believe now Spotify.
Cheers,
Donna

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 17, 2021, at 6:31 PM, Mike Arrigo  wrote:
> 
> That's one major disadvantage of the home pods, if you want to play anything 
> other than something on Apple music, you have to use your phone to stream the 
> content and at that point, the home pod is basically functioning as an 
> external speaker for your phone. The Amazon echo devices and Google Home 
> devices support several radio streaming services directly. Unless Apple makes 
> more services available directly on the Home Pod, it will never compete with 
> the Echo or Google home devices.
> 
>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 6:23 PM, matthew dyer  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> I am referring to being able to tell the HomePod to play it directly without 
>> having to use your phone.  For example, on my android phone and probably.e 
>> on my iPhone 8+ though I have not tested this I should be able to tell Sirri 
>> to play a station on Sirius-xm.  I can tell my Samsung device to do this and 
>> google speakers can do this after you set it up.  You can not do this on 
>> apple speakers,  HTH.
>> 
>> Matthew
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:42 AM, kliph miller Sr  
>>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your 
>>> default music service in IOS14.5
>>> 
>>> Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the 
>>> options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound 
>>> good? Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
>>> audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
>>> Let’s master editing audio together!
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer 
>>>>  wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hi, 
>>>> 
>>>> My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as 
>>>> least not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that 
>>>> or an amazon speaker.
>>>> 
>>>> Matthew
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> -Original Message-
>>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com  On 
>>>> Behalf Of Mary Otten
>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
>>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>>> Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, 
>>>> HomePod Mini, USA Today
>>>> 
>>>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
>>>> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
>>>> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
>>>> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even 
>>>> on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time 
>>>> and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. 
>>>> So I totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all 
>>>> about me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that 
>>>> exists on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just 
>>>> screwed up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. 
>>>> The homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
>>>> Mary
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>>>>  wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, 
>>>>> at least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
>>>>> every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or 
>>>>> iHeart.  You might give that another try.
>>>>> 
>>>>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>>>>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some 
>>>>> of the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>>>>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>>>>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>>>>> 
>>>>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>>>>> issues. The al

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-17 Thread Mike Arrigo
That's one major disadvantage of the home pods, if you want to play anything 
other than something on Apple music, you have to use your phone to stream the 
content and at that point, the home pod is basically functioning as an external 
speaker for your phone. The Amazon echo devices and Google Home devices support 
several radio streaming services directly. Unless Apple makes more services 
available directly on the Home Pod, it will never compete with the Echo or 
Google home devices.

> On Mar 16, 2021, at 6:23 PM, matthew dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am referring to being able to tell the HomePod to play it directly without 
> having to use your phone.  For example, on my android phone and probably.e on 
> my iPhone 8+ though I have not tested this I should be able to tell Sirri to 
> play a station on Sirius-xm.  I can tell my Samsung device to do this and 
> google speakers can do this after you set it up.  You can not do this on 
> apple speakers,  HTH.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:42 AM, kliph miller Sr  
>> wrote:
>> 
>> Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your 
>> default music service in IOS14.5
>> 
>> Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the 
>> options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound 
>> good? Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
>> audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
>> Let’s master editing audio together!
>> 
>>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer 
>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, 
>>> 
>>> My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as 
>>> least not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that or 
>>> an amazon speaker.
>>> 
>>> Matthew
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-----
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com  On 
>>> Behalf Of Mary Otten
>>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>> Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod 
>>> Mini, USA Today
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
>>> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
>>> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
>>> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even 
>>> on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time 
>>> and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So 
>>> I totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all 
>>> about me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that 
>>> exists on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just 
>>> screwed up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. 
>>> The homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
>>> Mary
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>>>  wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
>>>> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
>>>> every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or 
>>>> iHeart.  You might give that another try.
>>>> 
>>>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>>>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
>>>> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>>>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>>>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>>>> 
>>>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>>>> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
>>>> mini.
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Donna
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi Donna,
>>>>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t 
>>>>> think Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and 
>>>>> never mind privacy issues. That is, pr

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-16 Thread lenron brown
Not bothered with the privacy thing. Amazon or google are not perfect
but I mean I am connected to the internet day in and day out, there is
only so much privacy I am getting at this point.

On 3/16/21, kliph miller Sr  wrote:
> Not yet, that’s all I will say for now
>
>
>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 6:23 PM, matthew dyer
>>  wrote:
>>
>> Hi,
>>
>> I am referring to being able to tell the HomePod to play it directly
>> without having to use your phone.  For example, on my android phone and
>> probably.e on my iPhone 8+ though I have not tested this I should be able
>> to tell Sirri to play a station on Sirius-xm.  I can tell my Samsung
>> device to do this and google speakers can do this after you set it up.
>> You can not do this on apple speakers,  HTH.
>>
>> Matthew
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:42 AM, kliph miller Sr >> <mailto:kliph.miller...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your
>>> default music service in IOS14.5
>>>
>>> Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all
>>> the options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files
>>> sound good? Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
>>> audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
>>>  <mailto:audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io>Let’s master editing audio
>>> together!
>>>
>>>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer
>>>> >>> <mailto:ilovecountrymusic...@outlook.com>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as
>>>> least not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that
>>>> or an amazon speaker.
>>>>
>>>> Matthew
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-
>>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>>> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>
>>>> >>> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> On Behalf Of Mary Otten
>>>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
>>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
>>>> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>
>>>> Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller,
>>>> HomePod Mini, USA Today
>>>>
>>>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding.
>>>> My problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language.
>>>> And the Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri
>>>> won’t. Why not? And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web
>>>> far too often. Even on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the
>>>> leading AI of its time and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging
>>>> into my privacy matters. So I totally agree with you there. But I don’t
>>>> think you have to know all about me in order to play a given radio
>>>> station in a foreign country that exists on a service with which Apple
>>>> supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. This is one area where
>>>> Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s are really nice
>>>> speakers in my opinion.
>>>> Mary
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>
>>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
>>>>> >>>> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better,
>>>>> at least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to
>>>>> play every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In,
>>>>> or iHeart.  You might give that another try.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue.
>>>>> I mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but
>>>>> some of the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved
>>>>> that by creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different
>>>>> name. But you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>>>>>
>>>>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix
>>>>> those issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-16 Thread kliph miller Sr
Not yet, that’s all I will say for now


> On Mar 16, 2021, at 6:23 PM, matthew dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am referring to being able to tell the HomePod to play it directly without 
> having to use your phone.  For example, on my android phone and probably.e on 
> my iPhone 8+ though I have not tested this I should be able to tell Sirri to 
> play a station on Sirius-xm.  I can tell my Samsung device to do this and 
> google speakers can do this after you set it up.  You can not do this on 
> apple speakers,  HTH.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
>> On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:42 AM, kliph miller Sr > <mailto:kliph.miller...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your 
>> default music service in IOS14.5
>> 
>> Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the 
>> options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound 
>> good? Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
>> audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
>>  <mailto:audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io>Let’s master editing audio 
>> together!
>> 
>>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer >> <mailto:ilovecountrymusic...@outlook.com>> wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, 
>>> 
>>> My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as 
>>> least not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that or 
>>> an amazon speaker.
>>> 
>>> Matthew
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -Original Message-
>>> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com 
>>> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> >> <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> On Behalf Of Mary Otten
>>> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
>>> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com <mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>
>>> Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod 
>>> Mini, USA Today
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
>>> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
>>> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
>>> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even 
>>> on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time 
>>> and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So 
>>> I totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all 
>>> about me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that 
>>> exists on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just 
>>> screwed up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. 
>>> The homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
>>> Mary
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>>> mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> 
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
>>>> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
>>>> every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or 
>>>> iHeart.  You might give that another try.
>>>> 
>>>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>>>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
>>>> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>>>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>>>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>>>> 
>>>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>>>> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
>>>> mini.
>>>> Cheers,
>>>> Donna
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten >>>> <mailto:motte...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hi Donna,
>>>>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t 
>>>>> think Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and 
>>>>> never mind privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-16 Thread matthew dyer
Hi,

I am referring to being able to tell the HomePod to play it directly without 
having to use your phone.  For example, on my android phone and probably.e on 
my iPhone 8+ though I have not tested this I should be able to tell Sirri to 
play a station on Sirius-xm.  I can tell my Samsung device to do this and 
google speakers can do this after you set it up.  You can not do this on apple 
speakers,  HTH.

Matthew



On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:42 AM, kliph miller Sr 
mailto:kliph.miller...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your default 
music service in IOS14.5

Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the 
options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound good? 
Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
<mailto:audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io>Let’s master editing audio 
together!

On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer 
mailto:ilovecountrymusic...@outlook.com>> 
wrote:

Hi,

My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as least 
not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that or an amazon 
speaker.

Matthew



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> 
mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> On 
Behalf Of Mary Otten
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com<mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod 
Mini, USA Today

Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? And 
even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on the 
watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and totally 
lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I totally agree 
with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about me in order to 
play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists on a service with 
which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. This is one area 
where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s are really nice 
speakers in my opinion.
Mary


Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> wrote:

Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every 
station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You 
might give that another try.

I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I mean, 
it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of the albums 
that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by creating  playlist 
with the album, and giving it a different name. But you're right, that 
shouldn't be necessary.

All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the mini.
Cheers,
Donna


On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten 
mailto:motte...@gmail.com>> wrote:

Hi Donna,
I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. Why, 
for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play reliably? 
Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among music 
providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google certainly, and 
I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean really. HomePod 
aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still sends you to the 
web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one of their big focuses 
for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my nice HomePods which may or 
may not ever see any more upgrades. The performance is not reliable. It’s not 
the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. Apple screwed up.


Sent from my iPhone

On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
mailto:macvisionaries@googlegroups.com>> wrote:

Hi, Mary,

I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. lol 
That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not that any 
company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling of privacy 
issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the Amazon devices 
I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.

I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that can 
al

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-16 Thread kliph miller Sr
Its been publicly announced that serious XM will be allowed to be your default 
music service in IOS14.5

Are you good at editing audio or want to learn how? Want to explore all the 
options on how to make your recordings for podcasts or other files sound good? 
Then audio editing101 is the group for you, join here
audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io
 <mailto:audio-editing101+subscr...@groups.io>Let’s master editing audio 
together!

> On Mar 15, 2021, at 5:28 PM, matthew dyer  
> wrote:
> 
> Hi, 
> 
> My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as 
> least not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that or 
> an amazon speaker.
> 
> Matthew
> 
> 
> 
> -Original Message-
> From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com  On 
> Behalf Of Mary Otten
> Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
> To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
> Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod 
> Mini, USA Today
> 
> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on 
> the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and 
> totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I 
> totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about me 
> in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists on a 
> service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. 
> This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s 
> are really nice speakers in my opinion.
> Mary
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
>> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every 
>> station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You 
>> might give that another try.
>> 
>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
>> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>> 
>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
>> mini.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> 
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi Donna,
>>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
>>> Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
>>> privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. 
>>> Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play 
>>> reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch 
>>> among music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google 
>>> certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean 
>>> really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and 
>>> still sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that 
>>> was one of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I 
>>> have my nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The 
>>> performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. 
>>> Apple screwed up.
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>>>>  wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> Hi, Mary,
>>>> 
>>>> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. 
>>>> lol That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not 
>>>> that any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling 
>>>> of privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of 
>>>> the Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
>>>> 
>>>> I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread Mike Arrigo
I'm not sure how much the Home Pod mini sells for, I've heard the larger home 
pod sounds really good, but it was more expensive than the echo or google home 
series, and it sounds like you are confirming what the reviews have said, the 
capabilities are lacking compared to the Echo and google home devices.

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with the 
> homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They really 
> have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no way I’m 
> interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods for the 
> sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good as 
> speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I guess 
> maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really screwed it up!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hello Everyone,
>>> 
>>> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
>>> but .
>>> 
>>> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
>>> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
>>> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
>>> Echo devices.
>>> 
>>> Mark
>>> 
>>> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
>>> Today
>>> 
>>> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
>>> HomePod mini
>>> 
>>> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first releasing
>>> the smart speaker.
>>> 
>>> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on its
>>> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
>>> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available
>>> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and
>>> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
>>> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
>>> 
>>> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
>>> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's website
>>> with the mini available for $99.
>>> 
>>> Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original
>>> HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker did
>>> little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo,
>>> the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the
>>> Google Home.
>>> 
>>> The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as
>>> calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the
>>> ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even
>>> AirPods.
>>> 
>>> The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning
>>> models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November,
>>> Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so
>>> music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod mini and trigger
>>> visual and haptic responses on the phone.
>>> 
>>> In January, Apple posted record revenue of $111.4 billion during its 2021
>>> fiscal first quarter, a 21% increase from the same period a year ago.
>>> 
>>> The company reported selling more iPhones and iPads, and hit a new revenue
>>> high from its services, such as Apple TV+, from October through December
>>> 2020, as consumers got new devices and used them more during the coronavirus
>>> pandemic. 
>>> 
>>> Contributing: Mike Snider, Brett Molina and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
>>> 
>>> Original Article at:
>>> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2021/03/13/homepod-discontinued-app
>>> le-focusing-efforts-homepod-mini/468041/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>>> Visionaries list.
>>> 
>>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners 
>>> or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>>> 
>>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at: 
>>>  mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at 
>>> caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>>> 
>>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
>>> --- 
>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>>> "MacVisionaries" group.
>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>>> 

RE: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread matthew dyer
Hi, 

My only complante with apple is þ they don't have access to Sirius XM as least 
not through the speaker.  I have considered a google home for that or an amazon 
speaker.

Matthew



-Original Message-
From: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com  On 
Behalf Of Mary Otten
Sent: Sunday, March 14, 2021 11:38 PM
To: macvisionaries@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod 
Mini, USA Today

Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? And 
even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on the 
watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and totally 
lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I totally agree 
with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about me in order to 
play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists on a service with 
which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. This is one area 
where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s are really nice 
speakers in my opinion.
Mary


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every 
> station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You 
> might give that another try.
> 
> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But you're 
> right, that shouldn't be necessary.
> 
> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the mini.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Donna,
>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
>> Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
>> privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. 
>> Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play 
>> reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among 
>> music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google 
>> certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean 
>> really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still 
>> sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one 
>> of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my 
>> nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The 
>> performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. 
>> Apple screwed up.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>>>  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Mary,
>>> 
>>> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. 
>>> lol That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not 
>>> that any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling 
>>> of privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the 
>>> Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
>>> 
>>> I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that 
>>> can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the 
>>> exercise room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound 
>>> quality so it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main 
>>> living spaces of the house.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with 
>>>> the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They 
>>>> really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no 
>>>> way I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods 
>>>> for the sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good 
>>&g

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Thank you! I must have just overlooked it.
Cheers,
Donna


Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 15, 2021, at 8:24 AM, Jürgen Fleger  wrote:
> 
> Hi Donna,
> 
> oh good. Now I know I can use this saying. :-)
> 
> You can find the setting via the Home app. Open HomePod settings and scroll 
> down to Music & Podcast headline. Below you’ll find the setting. to adjust 
> the volume automatically. Should be the third setting.
> 
> All the best
> Jürgen
> 
> 
> 
>> Am 15.03.2021 um 13:59 schrieb 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>> :
>> 
>> Hi Jurgen,
>> 
>> We have the exact same expression in English, don’t bet on the wrong horse. 
>> So your translation was perfect. :)
>> 
>> I haven’t noticed volume problems on the Mini, but I don’t use it to listen 
>> to music nearly as often. I like having a music and Siri device in parts of 
>> the house where I wouldn’t spend the money on good speakers, but that’s as 
>> far as the mini goes, in my opinion.
>> 
>> Where is the setting to adjust volume automatically between songs? I didn’t 
>> know that was there, and I’d definitely check it.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> Sent from my iPad
>> 
 On Mar 15, 2021, at 2:37 AM, Jürgen Fleger  
 wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi,
>>> I totally agree with you both. It seems Apple continius a poorer device, 
>>> still good but poorer, which suffers from the same Siri issues like its 
>>> bigger brothers. Sounds worse but has the same issues. And even more of it 
>>> as I experience my HomePod Mini. 
>>> Additionally to the issues you mentioned I‘m not able to increase or 
>>> decrease Siris volume. Yes I can tell her to decrease volume but after one 
>>> or two requests the volume goes up automatically. I hear music very often 
>>> on volume 1 in my bedroom on a Mini. Often the second song is played in an 
>>> increased volume. Even though I checked the option to adjust volume 
>>> automatically between songs. 
>>> So I love my original HomePods because of their great sound and I hope 
>>> Apple doesn‘t bets on the wrong horse. I don‘t know if I can translate this 
>>> german saying literally but you might know what I mean.
>>> All the best
>>> Jürgen
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Von meinem iPad Pro gesendet
>>> 
 Am 15.03.2021 um 04:37 schrieb Mary Otten :
 
 Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
 problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
 Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
 And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even 
 on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time 
 and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. 
 So I totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all 
 about me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that 
 exists on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just 
 screwed up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. 
 The homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
 Mary
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, 
> at least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
> every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or 
> iHeart.  You might give that another try.
> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some 
> of the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
> mini.
> Cheers,
> Donna
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> Hi Donna,
>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t 
>> think Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and 
>> never mind privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in 
>> these cases. Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the 
>> world to play reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why 
>> can’t you switch among music providers? Apple made a really nice 
>> speaker, better than Google certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon 
>> studio, so I can’t compare. I mean really. HomePod aside, Siri still get 
>> an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still sends you to the web Waymore than 
>> it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one of their big focuses for this 
>> year? Well, 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread Jürgen Fleger
Hi Donna,

oh good. Now I know I can use this saying. :-)

You can find the setting via the Home app. Open HomePod settings and scroll 
down to Music & Podcast headline. Below you’ll find the setting. to adjust the 
volume automatically. Should be the third setting.

All the best
Jürgen



> Am 15.03.2021 um 13:59 schrieb 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
> :
> 
> Hi Jurgen,
> 
> We have the exact same expression in English, don’t bet on the wrong horse. 
> So your translation was perfect. :)
> 
> I haven’t noticed volume problems on the Mini, but I don’t use it to listen 
> to music nearly as often. I like having a music and Siri device in parts of 
> the house where I wouldn’t spend the money on good speakers, but that’s as 
> far as the mini goes, in my opinion.
> 
> Where is the setting to adjust volume automatically between songs? I didn’t 
> know that was there, and I’d definitely check it.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>> On Mar 15, 2021, at 2:37 AM, Jürgen Fleger  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> I totally agree with you both. It seems Apple continius a poorer device, 
>> still good but poorer, which suffers from the same Siri issues like its 
>> bigger brothers. Sounds worse but has the same issues. And even more of it 
>> as I experience my HomePod Mini. 
>> Additionally to the issues you mentioned I‘m not able to increase or 
>> decrease Siris volume. Yes I can tell her to decrease volume but after one 
>> or two requests the volume goes up automatically. I hear music very often on 
>> volume 1 in my bedroom on a Mini. Often the second song is played in an 
>> increased volume. Even though I checked the option to adjust volume 
>> automatically between songs. 
>> So I love my original HomePods because of their great sound and I hope Apple 
>> doesn‘t bets on the wrong horse. I don‘t know if I can translate this german 
>> saying literally but you might know what I mean.
>> All the best
>> Jürgen
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Von meinem iPad Pro gesendet
>> 
>>> Am 15.03.2021 um 04:37 schrieb Mary Otten :
>>> 
>>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
>>> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
>>> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
>>> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even 
>>> on the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time 
>>> and totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So 
>>> I totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all 
>>> about me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that 
>>> exists on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just 
>>> screwed up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. 
>>> The homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
>>> Mary
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
 Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
 least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
 every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or 
 iHeart.  You might give that another try.
 I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
 mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
 the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
 creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
 you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
 All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
 issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
 mini.
 Cheers,
 Donna
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> Hi Donna,
> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t 
> think Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and 
> never mind privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in 
> these cases. Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the 
> world to play reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t 
> you switch among music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, 
> better than Google certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I 
> can’t compare. I mean really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot 
> of stuff wrong, and still sends you to the web Waymore than it should. 
> Didn’t Apple say that was one of their big focuses for this year? Well, 
> they blew it. So now, I have my nice HomePods which may or may not ever 
> see any more upgrades. The performance is not reliable. It’s not the 
> speaker. It’s the infrastructure. Apple screwed up.
> Sent from my iPhone
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Hi Jurgen,

We have the exact same expression in English, don’t bet on the wrong horse. So 
your translation was perfect. :)

I haven’t noticed volume problems on the Mini, but I don’t use it to listen to 
music nearly as often. I like having a music and Siri device in parts of the 
house where I wouldn’t spend the money on good speakers, but that’s as far as 
the mini goes, in my opinion.

Where is the setting to adjust volume automatically between songs? I didn’t 
know that was there, and I’d definitely check it.
Cheers,
Donna

Sent from my iPad

> On Mar 15, 2021, at 2:37 AM, Jürgen Fleger  wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> I totally agree with you both. It seems Apple continius a poorer device, 
> still good but poorer, which suffers from the same Siri issues like its 
> bigger brothers. Sounds worse but has the same issues. And even more of it as 
> I experience my HomePod Mini. 
> Additionally to the issues you mentioned I‘m not able to increase or decrease 
> Siris volume. Yes I can tell her to decrease volume but after one or two 
> requests the volume goes up automatically. I hear music very often on volume 
> 1 in my bedroom on a Mini. Often the second song is played in an increased 
> volume. Even though I checked the option to adjust volume automatically 
> between songs. 
> So I love my original HomePods because of their great sound and I hope Apple 
> doesn‘t bets on the wrong horse. I don‘t know if I can translate this german 
> saying literally but you might know what I mean.
> All the best
> Jürgen
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Von meinem iPad Pro gesendet
> 
>> Am 15.03.2021 um 04:37 schrieb Mary Otten :
>> 
>> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
>> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
>> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
>> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on 
>> the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and 
>> totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I 
>> totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about 
>> me in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists 
>> on a service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed 
>> up. This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The 
>> homePod‘s are really nice speakers in my opinion.
>> Mary
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
  wrote:
>>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
>>> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play 
>>> every station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart. 
>>>  You might give that another try.
>>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
>>> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>>> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
>>> mini.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
 Hi Donna,
 I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
 Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never 
 mind privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these 
 cases. Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to 
 play reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you 
 switch among music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better 
 than Google certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t 
 compare. I mean really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of 
 stuff wrong, and still sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t 
 Apple say that was one of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew 
 it. So now, I have my nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more 
 upgrades. The performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the 
 infrastructure. Apple screwed up.
 Sent from my iPhone
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
> Hi, Mary,
> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. 
> lol That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. 
> Not that any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's 
> handling of privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, 
> none of the Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod 
> 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-15 Thread Jürgen Fleger
Hi,
I totally agree with you both. It seems Apple continius a poorer device, still 
good but poorer, which suffers from the same Siri issues like its bigger 
brothers. Sounds worse but has the same issues. And even more of it as I 
experience my HomePod Mini. 
Additionally to the issues you mentioned I‘m not able to increase or decrease 
Siris volume. Yes I can tell her to decrease volume but after one or two 
requests the volume goes up automatically. I hear music very often on volume 1 
in my bedroom on a Mini. Often the second song is played in an increased 
volume. Even though I checked the option to adjust volume automatically between 
songs. 
So I love my original HomePods because of their great sound and I hope Apple 
doesn‘t bets on the wrong horse. I don‘t know if I can translate this german 
saying literally but you might know what I mean.
All the best
Jürgen






Von meinem iPad Pro gesendet

> Am 15.03.2021 um 04:37 schrieb Mary Otten :
> 
> Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
> problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
> Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? 
> And even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on 
> the watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and 
> totally lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I 
> totally agree with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about me 
> in order to play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists on a 
> service with which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. 
> This is one area where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s 
> are really nice speakers in my opinion.
> Mary
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
>> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
>> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every 
>> station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You 
>> might give that another try.
>> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
>> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
>> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
>> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But 
>> you're right, that shouldn't be necessary.
>> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
>> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the 
>> mini.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> Hi Donna,
>>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
>>> Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
>>> privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. 
>>> Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play 
>>> reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch 
>>> among music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google 
>>> certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean 
>>> really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and 
>>> still sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that 
>>> was one of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I 
>>> have my nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The 
>>> performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. 
>>> Apple screwed up.
>>> Sent from my iPhone
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
 Hi, Mary,
 I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. 
 lol That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not 
 that any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling 
 of privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of 
 the Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
 I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that 
 can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the 
 exercise room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound 
 quality so it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main 
 living spaces of the house.
 Cheers,
 Donna
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with 
> the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They 
> really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no 
> way I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread Mary Otten
Thanks for the link you sent in another message, I will be responding. My 
problem is that a lot of the stations I want our foreign language. And the 
Amazon devices and the Google devices will play them. Siri won’t. Why not? And 
even HomePod aside, Siri just sends me to the web far too often. Even on the 
watch. That’s ridiculous. Apple bought the leading AI of its time and totally 
lost it. I don’t want apple digging into my privacy matters. So I totally agree 
with you there. But I don’t think you have to know all about me in order to 
play a given radio station in a foreign country that exists on a service with 
which Apple supposedly has connections. It’s just screwed up. This is one area 
where Apple totally lost it. And it’s so sad. The homePod‘s are really nice 
speakers in my opinion.
Mary


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 8:11 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at 
> least with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every 
> station I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You 
> might give that another try.
> 
> I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I 
> mean, it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of 
> the albums that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by 
> creating  playlist with the album, and giving it a different name. But you're 
> right, that shouldn't be necessary.
> 
> All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
> issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the mini.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi Donna,
>> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
>> Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
>> privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. 
>> Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play 
>> reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among 
>> music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google 
>> certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean 
>> really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still 
>> sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one 
>> of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my 
>> nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The 
>> performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. 
>> Apple screwed up.
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hi, Mary,
>>> 
>>> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. 
>>> lol That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not 
>>> that any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling 
>>> of privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the 
>>> Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
>>> 
>>> I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that 
>>> can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the 
>>> exercise room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound 
>>> quality so it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main 
>>> living spaces of the house.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
 
 I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with 
 the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They 
 really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no 
 way I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods 
 for the sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good 
 as speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I 
 guess maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really 
 screwed it up!
 
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
> 
> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the 
> mini.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
>> 
>> Hello Everyone,
>> 
>> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so 
>> soon
>> but .
>> 
>> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
>> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
>> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Well, far be it from me to defend Siri, but she's gotten a lot better, at least 
with regard to playing radio stations. I can now get her to play every station 
I want to hear, either from public radio, Tune-In, or iHeart.  You might give 
that another try.

I don't get why some music just won't play, and that's still an issue. I mean, 
it would make sense if they had foreign language titles, but some of the albums 
that give the most trouble don't. I've just solved that by creating  playlist 
with the album, and giving it a different name. But you're right, that 
shouldn't be necessary.

All this said, I don't see how focusing on the Mini is going to fix those 
issues. The albums that won't play on my HomePod, also won't play on the mini.
Cheers,
Donna


> On Mar 14, 2021, at 10:03 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> Hi Donna,
> I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
> Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
> privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. Why, 
> for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play reliably? 
> Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among music 
> providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google certainly, 
> and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean really. 
> HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still sends 
> you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one of their 
> big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my nice 
> HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The performance is 
> not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. Apple screwed up.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Hi, Mary,
>> 
>> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. lol 
>> That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not that 
>> any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling of 
>> privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the 
>> Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
>> 
>> I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that 
>> can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the exercise 
>> room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound quality so 
>> it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main living spaces of 
>> the house.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>>> 
>>> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with 
>>> the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They 
>>> really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no 
>>> way I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods 
>>> for the sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good 
>>> as speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I 
>>> guess maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really 
>>> screwed it up!
>>> 
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
 
 Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the 
 mini.
 Cheers,
 Donna
 
 Sent from my iPhone
 
> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
> 
> Hello Everyone,
> 
> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
> but .
> 
> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
> Echo devices.
> 
> Mark
> 
> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
> Today
> 
> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
> HomePod mini
> 
> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first 
> releasing
> the smart speaker.
> 
> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on 
> its
> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be 
> available
> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores 
> and
> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
> 
> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's 
> 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread Mary Otten
Hi Donna,
I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think 
Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind 
privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. Why, 
for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play reliably? 
Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among music 
providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google certainly, and 
I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean really. HomePod 
aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still sends you to the 
web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one of their big focuses 
for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my nice HomePods which may or 
may not ever see any more upgrades. The performance is not reliable. It’s not 
the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. Apple screwed up.


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Hi, Mary,
> 
> I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. lol 
> That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not that 
> any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling of 
> privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the 
> Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.
> 
> I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that 
> can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the exercise 
> room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound quality so 
> it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main living spaces of 
> the house.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
>> 
>> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with 
>> the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They 
>> really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no way 
>> I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods for the 
>> sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good as 
>> speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I guess 
>> maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really screwed it up!
>> 
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini.
>>> Cheers,
>>> Donna
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
 On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
 
 Hello Everyone,
 
 Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
 but .
 
 Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
 add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
 sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
 Echo devices.
 
 Mark
 
 Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
 Today
 
 Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
 HomePod mini
 
 Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first 
 releasing
 the smart speaker.
 
 The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on 
 its
 new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
 "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be 
 available
 while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and
 Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
 TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
 
 Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
 comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's 
 website
 with the mini available for $99.
 
 Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original
 HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker 
 did
 little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo,
 the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the
 Google Home.
 
 The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as
 calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the
 ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even
 AirPods.
 
 The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning
 models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November,
 Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so
 music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Hi, Mary,

I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. lol 
That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not that any 
company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling of privacy 
issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the Amazon devices 
I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does.

I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite  Siris that can 
also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the exercise room. 
Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound quality so it's fine. 
But I would never want a Mini in one of the main living spaces of the house.
Cheers,
Donna

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten  wrote:
> 
> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with the 
> homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They really 
> have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no way I’m 
> interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods for the 
> sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good as 
> speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I guess 
> maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really screwed it up!
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>>  wrote:
>> 
>> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini.
>> Cheers,
>> Donna
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
>>> 
>>> Hello Everyone,
>>> 
>>> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
>>> but .
>>> 
>>> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
>>> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
>>> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
>>> Echo devices.
>>> 
>>> Mark
>>> 
>>> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
>>> Today
>>> 
>>> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
>>> HomePod mini
>>> 
>>> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first releasing
>>> the smart speaker.
>>> 
>>> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on its
>>> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
>>> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available
>>> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and
>>> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
>>> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
>>> 
>>> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
>>> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's website
>>> with the mini available for $99.
>>> 
>>> Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original
>>> HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker did
>>> little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo,
>>> the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the
>>> Google Home.
>>> 
>>> The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as
>>> calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the
>>> ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even
>>> AirPods.
>>> 
>>> The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning
>>> models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November,
>>> Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so
>>> music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod mini and trigger
>>> visual and haptic responses on the phone.
>>> 
>>> In January, Apple posted record revenue of $111.4 billion during its 2021
>>> fiscal first quarter, a 21% increase from the same period a year ago.
>>> 
>>> The company reported selling more iPhones and iPads, and hit a new revenue
>>> high from its services, such as Apple TV+, from October through December
>>> 2020, as consumers got new devices and used them more during the coronavirus
>>> pandemic. 
>>> 
>>> Contributing: Mike Snider, Brett Molina and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
>>> 
>>> Original Article at:
>>> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2021/03/13/homepod-discontinued-app
>>> le-focusing-efforts-homepod-mini/468041/
>>> 
>>> 
>>> -- 
>>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>>> Visionaries list.
>>> 
>>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners 
>>> or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>>> 
>>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at: 
>>>  mk...@ucla.edu 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread Mary Otten
I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with the 
homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They really have 
not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no way I’m interested 
in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods for the sound, and it’s 
very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good as speakers I paid more for 
in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I guess maybe it won’t get more 
updates? What a rip! Apple, you really screwed it up!


Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries 
>  wrote:
> 
> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini.
> Cheers,
> Donna
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> 
>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
>> 
>> Hello Everyone,
>> 
>> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
>> but .
>> 
>> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
>> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
>> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
>> Echo devices.
>> 
>> Mark
>> 
>> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
>> Today
>> 
>> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
>> HomePod mini
>> 
>> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first releasing
>> the smart speaker.
>> 
>> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on its
>> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
>> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available
>> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and
>> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
>> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
>> 
>> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
>> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's website
>> with the mini available for $99.
>> 
>> Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original
>> HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker did
>> little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo,
>> the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the
>> Google Home.
>> 
>> The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as
>> calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the
>> ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even
>> AirPods.
>> 
>> The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning
>> models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November,
>> Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so
>> music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod mini and trigger
>> visual and haptic responses on the phone.
>> 
>> In January, Apple posted record revenue of $111.4 billion during its 2021
>> fiscal first quarter, a 21% increase from the same period a year ago.
>> 
>> The company reported selling more iPhones and iPads, and hit a new revenue
>> high from its services, such as Apple TV+, from October through December
>> 2020, as consumers got new devices and used them more during the coronavirus
>> pandemic. 
>> 
>> Contributing: Mike Snider, Brett Molina and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
>> 
>> Original Article at:
>> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2021/03/13/homepod-discontinued-app
>> le-focusing-efforts-homepod-mini/468041/
>> 
>> 
>> -- 
>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac 
>> Visionaries list.
>> 
>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
>> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
>> 
>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at:  
>> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at 
>> caraqu...@caraquinn.com
>> 
>> The archives for this list can be searched at:
>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
>> --- 
>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
>> "MacVisionaries" group.
>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an 
>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com.
>> To view this discussion on the web visit 
>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/000301d71935%2469744e70%243c5ceb50%24%40edu.
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly 

Re: Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA Today

2021-03-14 Thread 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries
Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini.
Cheers,
Donna

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor  wrote:
> 
> Hello Everyone,
> 
> Well, I knew this day would come.  I did not think it would happen so soon
> but .
> 
> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to
> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the
> sounds balance.  This feature has long since been available on the Amazon
> Echo devices.
> 
> Mark
> 
> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA
> Today
> 
> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on
> HomePod mini
> 
> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first releasing
> the smart speaker.
> 
> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on its
> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99.
> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available
> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and
> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by
> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini."
> 
> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for
> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's website
> with the mini available for $99.
> 
> Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original
> HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker did
> little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo,
> the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the
> Google Home.
> 
> The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as
> calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the
> ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even
> AirPods.
> 
> The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning
> models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November,
> Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so
> music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod mini and trigger
> visual and haptic responses on the phone.
> 
> In January, Apple posted record revenue of $111.4 billion during its 2021
> fiscal first quarter, a 21% increase from the same period a year ago.
> 
> The company reported selling more iPhones and iPads, and hit a new revenue
> high from its services, such as Apple TV+, from October through December
> 2020, as consumers got new devices and used them more during the coronavirus
> pandemic. 
> 
> Contributing: Mike Snider, Brett Molina and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY
> 
> Original Article at:
> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2021/03/13/homepod-discontinued-app
> le-focusing-efforts-homepod-mini/468041/
> 
> 
> -- 
> The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries 
> list.
> 
> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if 
> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or 
> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself.
> 
> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor.  You can reach mark at:  
> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at 
> caraqu...@caraquinn.com
> 
> The archives for this list can be searched at:
> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/
> --- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups 
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