I can almost guaranty that the HomePod will leave a Play 1 in the dust with respect to sound quality and wouldn't be surprised if it were more in the league of a Play 5 which is $499. I also love my Sonos gear, but fortunately most of my stuff predates the Play 1, Play 3 and Play 5 and I have 3 Connect Amp players hooked up to in-ceiling or in-wall speakers in the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. I could very well see those getting replaced by either a single or a pair of HomePods (a pair only in the bedroom where you might want the best possible quality). I fortunately could easily use my Connect Amp players at my retail store so they would be put to good use while I get the convenience and the features of the HomePod with SIRI and in my case if it only supports Apple Music that would be fine with me. It would of course be nice if ultimately they will open it up to developers and if you could play Audible books on it or Tune In stations, for all I know this thing runs iOS and you can install apps on it just as you would on an iPod, iPhone or iPad or maybe it will eventually get its own app store like the Apple TV or Apple Watch. I'm actually a bit surprised Audible isn't yet on the Apple TV, hopefully now that Amazon Video is coming to the Apple TV Audible may also have an app, then via the new Airplay transfer feature or whatever they call it I could probably send the stream from my Apple TV to the Airport Express which is connected to one of my Sonos players and feed into my Sonos system or if I want to listen in private at night I could simply connect to the Apple TV with a bluetooth headset or use another one of my old Airport Express devices near my bed and plug a wired headset in. I have a feeling that a year from now we have a bunch of choices on how to send audio throughout the house or to headsets. I also think Sonos will come up with something to tap into this Airplay stuff because otherwise they may really loose out to Apple since the HomepOd clearly is a direct compititor to Sonos and Apple is deliverately marketing it as a HiFi speaker which also happens to have SIRI. I'm sure the Echo and Google Home can do more for now, but I also am sure that Apple will change this as they tend to do. They have the eco system, the clientele and the money so if they set their mind to it they can do a lot and for anybody who listened to Jonathan Mosens latest Blind Side Podcast, you will find that Jonathan says the same about this, as a Sonos fan he instantly picked up on what Apple is doing with how they market this HomePod. He also said and I totally agree with it that this may only be the first of a series of speakers Apple will release, maybe a soundbar and a Sub is next and there could very well be a yet more expensive, larger speaker as well as a smaller one which may even be battery powered so you can take it with you around the house. In any case I think it's pretty exciting and given Apple's music background I'm sure they will get two things right, the sound quality and also the privacy. This is one thing where I trust Apple much more than Google or Amazon. Tim even made a point of this and said that until you say "Hey SIRI" which triggers the speaker to listen nothing whatsoever is sent to Apple and I do believe him there since Apple is probably the least interested in collecting and selling your information, this is not how they make their money.
Regards, Sieghard -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jesper Holten Sent: Tuesday, June 6, 2017 2:42 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: My thoughts on some of the announcements, was: Apple announces iOS 11 with new features and redesigned App Store Hi. The homepod speakers will be released in the US, UK and Australiean markets in December, the rest of the World will follow presumably during 2018. But will the new speakers only support Apple music? Probably though this was not addressed during the keynote. What is the case here with Amazon Echo and Google home can you use whatever music service you fancy or are you stuck with GooglPlay or whatever the Amazon Echo is asociated with? Regarding sound quality, I like my SOnos Play 1, but is not religious regarding changing to something else. BR. Jesper. On 6/6/17, Kelly Pierce <[email protected]> wrote: > I will be listening to the keynote in the next few days. From what I > read, it all sounded like a lot of me too. Other vendors are offering > person to person money transfers. the recipient will need to have > iMessage enabled and it will only be available in the United States at > first. I noticed that people still like to receive physical paper > money than a check or a credit card. People like to get tipped in > cash. Wen I pay the owner of my gym my membership fee, he is happy to > receive $100 bills in his hand and save $10 in credit card fees. > > Kelly > > On 6/5/17, lenron brown <[email protected]> wrote: >> I am looking forward to watching amazon video on my Apple tv. Siri >> needs to improve in a major way though. >> >> On 6/5/17, Wayne Merritt <[email protected]> wrote: >>> Before the keynote, I heard a rumor that perhaps Handoff would be >>> enhanced with the Apple TV getting involved. Perhaps one could >>> handoff their Apple Music playlist from their iPhone to the Apple >>> TV. I found this very interesting, and hopefully it is included with >>> the forthcoming updates to iOS and TVOS. I listen to some playlists >>> on my Apple TV so I can see myself using a feature like this. I also >>> thought Apple was saying, "Me too," with respect to siri. A new >>> voice and language translation of key phrases? Really? What about >>> Siri correctly understanding syntax. For instance, I can ask Siri if >>> it is going to rain tonight and get a good answer. If I then ask, >>> "What about tomorrow?" Siri has no idea what I'm talking about. >>> Compare that with some of the range of results people are getting >>> with Google and Alexa, and Siri has a bit to catch up to. Hopefully >>> the fall update to the iPhone will give us more of a wow factor. >>> There were a few other things I heard today which were interesting >>> to me, but nothing huge, aside from that short bit about being able >>> to watch Amazon Video on the Appple TV. That's huge, and will make >>> my wife really happy since she watches a lot of shows and movies with >>> Amazon Video. >>> >>> Wayne >>> >>> On 6/5/17, Mary Otten <[email protected]> wrote: >>>> The new speaker does sound interesting. It's pricey, so it better >>>> sound a whole lot better than anything else you can get for a lot >>>> less. And for me, the Achilles' heel is still Siri. I know there's >>>> time between now and release, and they did talk about deep learning >>>> or whatever other geeky sounding term they come up with. So I >>>> suppose there is hope. But Google is clearly the leader here. Apple >>>> has a lot of catching up >>>> >>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>> >>>>> On Jun 5, 2017, at 1:46 PM, Sieghard Weitzel <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> They forgot to mention the new "HomePod" which is Apple's >>>>> competitor to the Amazon Echo and Google Home except that it >>>>> sounds like it will be a much higher quality audio experience, a >>>>> true HiFi speaker which can work as a stand-alone speaker or as a >>>>> pair and I think this will be the true competition for Sonos. I >>>>> think Sonos has made a mistake by not making all their speakers >>>>> and devices Airplay capable and as somebody who loves Sonos and >>>>> has invested a fair bit in Sonos this is a bit disappointing. I >>>>> don't necessarily see myself getting rid of my living room >>>>> Playbar, Sub and Play >>>>> 1 set as rear speakers, but since I bought a lot of my Sonos gear >>>>> before any of the stand-alone speakers like the Play 1, Play 3 and >>>>> Play 5 came out, I have 3 Connect Amp devices in the bedroom, >>>>> bathroom and kitchen and those are connected to in-wall or >>>>> in-ceiling speakers. I could easily see myself replacing them with >>>>> the HomePod (especially a set of them in the bedroom and a single >>>>> one in the kitchen and I would then use those two Sonos Connect >>>>> Amps at my retail business to drive the speakers I have >>>>> downstairs, upstairs and outside. Currently I use a single Connect >>>>> which is connected to my 22-year old Onkyo receiver and a 4-port >>>>> speaker switch, but if each set of speakers would have their own >>>>> Connect Amp that would make it even easier in terms of adjusting >>>>> the volume independently and even playing different things >>>>> upstairs and downstairs. >>>>> At $349 US the HomePod is even substantially less than a Sonos >>>>> Play 5 and from the description I would hazard a guess and say >>>>> that it may sound very good as well with its array of 7 tweeters >>>>> and a 4-inch wover. Of course the fact I can simply say "Hey SIRI" >>>>> followed by what I want to listen to is very tempting, we have an >>>>> Apple Music family subscription so the integration would be >>>>> awesome. One thing I am curious about and I'm sure we'll find out >>>>> is how it would work for different users, e.g. my wife of course >>>>> has her own music and listens to a lot of filipino music whereas >>>>> my library and recommendations are much different. Hopefully Apple >>>>> will have something that allows the HomePod to switch from one >>>>> user to another. >>>>> Of course I won't have to worry about this because based on what >>>>> Apple has announced the HomePod will only be available in the US, >>>>> UK and Australia at launch in December this year and then it will >>>>> come to a bunch of other countries in 2018, hopefully Canada will >>>>> get it some time in the first part of 2018, at least I have time >>>>> to save up for it and who knows what Sonos will come up with by >>>>> then, but it is of course unlikely Apple will give third party >>>>> manufacturers the same access to SIRI and all that for a while >>>>> since it would mean less HomePod sales for them. I am also curious >>>>> whether the HomePod has bluetooth so one could connect to it >>>>> directly with a good quality bluetooth headset. >>>>> >>>>> As for the big App Store announcement I was somewhat disappointed >>>>> that they didn't mention a trial period for apps and a rating >>>>> system which gives an indication about an app's level of accessibility. >>>>> >>>>> As for the SIRI announcement I was also disappointed as it does >>>>> not sound like a leap forward and break-through upgrade, so they >>>>> have better sounding voices which might be nice since I assume >>>>> these voices will also be available to be used as Voiceover >>>>> voices, but it sounds as if SIRI continues to remain stupid >>>>> compared to Google. I guess we'll have to see how these upgrades >>>>> translate into real-world knowledge and how well it will be able >>>>> to answer a variety of questions. >>>>> >>>>> The Apple Maps update sounds promising especially if the new >>>>> indoor maps of malls and airports will be combined with iBeacons >>>>> to provide accurate directions for indoor navigation. >>>>> >>>>> Hopefully the person-to-person payment option for Apple Pay will >>>>> be available anywhere Apple Pay is available as that would be a >>>>> nice and easy way to send somebody some money. It is interesting >>>>> that they mentioned how they expect Apple Pay to be available at >>>>> 50% of retailers by the end of this year in the US. Here in Canada >>>>> we got Apple Pay much later, but because of our banking and credit >>>>> card infrastructure, Apple Pay is available anywhere contactless >>>>> payments are accepted which by now is almost everywhere. I don't >>>>> know any hard numbers, but I would guess it is well over 90% of >>>>> places that accept credit cards. Even small retailers like my >>>>> store or the little german butcher shop down the street have >>>>> contactless payment terminals hence I can use Apple Pay. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Regards, >>>>> Sieghard >>>>> >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] >>>>> On Behalf Of Gary Bowers >>>>> Sent: Monday, June 5, 2017 12:21 PM >>>>> To: [email protected] >>>>> Subject: Apple announces iOS 11 with new features and redesigned >>>>> App Store >>>>> >>>>> theverge.com >>>>> Apple announces iOS 11 with new features and redesigned App Store >>>>> Chris Welch Apple CEO Tim Cook just officially announced iOS 11 >>>>> onstage at WWDC 2017. >>>>> The next major update to the operating system running on millions >>>>> of iPhones and iPads will improve on the "core technologies" that >>>>> power the OS and also introduce numerous new features. >>>>> The first among those demo'd by Craig Federighi was synchronized >>>>> messages across iOS and macOS. If you erase a message on your >>>>> iPhone or iPad, that will now be reflected on your Mac as well. >>>>> Apple Pay is also expanding to include person-to-person payments, >>>>> positioning Apple to take on Venmo and Square Cash. iOS 11 will >>>>> introduce a Apple Pay Cash Card, where users will store their >>>>> received funds from peer-to-peer transactions. This money can be >>>>> transferred to your personal bank account. >>>>> Siri >>>>> Apple has made improvements to Siri that make the assistant's >>>>> voice sound more natural when responding to users. Additionally, >>>>> Siri will now be able to perform translations in various languages >>>>> including English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Spanish. >>>>> A new "intelligence" feature allows Siri to make suggestions that >>>>> you might find interesting - like a news article - and be more >>>>> predictive about what you want to do next. Siri accomplishes this >>>>> through what Federighi described as "on-device learning." >>>>> On-device learning is synced across your other Apple devices but >>>>> "kept completely private, readable only by you and your devices." >>>>> Control Center >>>>> In iOS 11, Apple has completely redesigned Control Center, which >>>>> is the panel that users can swipe up to access frequent and >>>>> important settings or change songs when listening to music. >>>>> Indoor maps for shopping malls and airports Apple Maps is >>>>> introducing indoor maps for airports and shopping centers in select >>>>> cities. >>>>> Mall layouts will be available for the following cities: Boston, >>>>> Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, >>>>> San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo, and Washington DC. >>>>> Apple has indoor maps for well over 20 major airports as well, >>>>> including both US and international locations. >>>>> Speed limits, lane guidance, and Do Not Disturb While Driving iOS >>>>> 11 also adds new improvements to Maps when you're behind the wheel >>>>> of a car. >>>>> Lane >>>>> guidance and speed limits should help you navigate unfamiliar >>>>> highways, and a new Do Not Disturb While Driving will get rid of >>>>> potential distractions when your eyes should be focused on the >>>>> road. Text messages won't be shown by default, though senders have >>>>> the option of replying with "urgent" in cases when you really need >>>>> to see something. >>>>> Apple Music, AirPlay 2, HomeKit 2, and multi-room audio Sonos has >>>>> some huge competition on the way. Apple's Craig Federighi said on >>>>> stage that iOS 11 will introduce support for multi-room audio >>>>> between iPhones, iPads, and a slew of third-party speakers. >>>>> Plus, Apple Music is adding a much needed social element, which >>>>> will show you what friends are currently listening to on the >>>>> service. Like Spotify, you've got the option of listening >>>>> privately if you don't want to let others in on your guilty >>>>> pleasures. >>>>> A redesigned App Store >>>>> >>>>> The App Store is getting its biggest makeover ever in iOS 11. >>>>> There's a new "Today" tab that will surface notable releases, and >>>>> Apple is finally giving the games section its own dedicated tab. >>>>> There's a much bigger editorial aspect to the store now, too, as >>>>> users will find how-tos and other content that pertains to select >>>>> apps. Other refinements include the ability for developers to >>>>> directly list in-app purchases in the App Store >>>>> - rather than making users hunt for them in the app. >>>>> ARKit >>>>> Apple is building augmented reality directly into the core of iOS, >>>>> giving developers the tools they need to convincingly blend >>>>> digital entertainment with the real world. >>>>> Other >>>>> Here's the fun slide of other features coming to iOS 11 that >>>>> didn't get stage time. Standouts include screen recording, a >>>>> one-handed keyboard, FaceTime Live Photos, password autofill in >>>>> apps, and more. >>>>> iOS 10, unveiled at last year's WWDC, focused on a major update to >>>>> the Messages app, and also included redesigned Maps, Photos, Apple >>>>> Music, and News apps. A new Home app for controlling >>>>> HomeKit-compatible smart home gadgets was introduced, and Apple >>>>> began its work to open Siri to software developers as part of iOS >>>>> 10, as well. >>>>> Developing. Check out our WWDC live blog for the latest updates! >>>>> >>>>> end of article >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> The following information is important for all members of the V >>>>> iPhone 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 V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: >>>>> [email protected]. Your list owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach >>>>> Cara at [email protected] >>>>> >>>>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ >>>>> --- >>>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>>> Groups "VIPhone" group. >>>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, >>>>> send an email to [email protected]. >>>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. >>>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> The following information is important for all members of the V >>>>> iPhone 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 V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. 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