Pretty disappointing that Canada isn't included in the initial release. By the time Apple finally gets around to this many will have already adopted the Alexa or Google Assistant platform. I'm sure Apple fans will buy this speaker, but especially now with Google having released their version of a self-tuning, higher-end Google Home speaker this will make the Apple Homepod less attractive. What might work even more against it is the new Sonos 1 speaker which currently supports Alexa and which by early 2018 (maybe even before the HomePod is released) will also support Google Assistant. Of course it integrates seamlessly with the Sonos system a lot of people already have, people who own Sonos products will know that it sounds great and I'm pretty sure it's only the beginning of more Sonos smartspeakers. The Sonos 1 is basically a Play 1 as smartspeaker which means most likely there will be a Sonos 3 and Sonos 5 coming. I called Sonos with some questions and was told that it is their goal to support all digital assistants out there. This means Cortana will most certainly be added as well and while Apple may not give them access to SIRI for years to come, I could see how in 4 or 5 years SIRI will be made available to them and I think third-party speakers which support all the major digital assistants are the way of the future. Also consider that a Sonos 1 is $199 in the States and $249 in Canada which is a very competitive price.
Has somebody who is a frequent user of Alexa bought one? I'd love to hear some feedback how it works compared to the various Amazon Echo products. Best regards, Sieghard -----Original Message----- From: viphone@googlegroups.com [mailto:viphone@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of M. Taylor Sent: Friday, November 17, 2017 12:09 PM To: viphone@googlegroups.com Subject: Apple delays HomePod to 2018 - CNET Apple delays HomePod to 2018 Apple's smart speaker isn't making it this year after all. November 17, 2017 8:40 AM PST HomePod is now a 2018 product. James Martin/CNET Expected to launch in December, Apple's HomePod is being pushed back to 2018, the company announced Friday. "We can't wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple's breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it's ready for our customers," an Apple spokesperson said. "We'll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018." The HomePod is Apple's entry into the smart speaker market: a $349 or £349 device that promises standout audio and some smart Siri-enabled tools. The HomePod was demoed to CNET earlier this year, but only as an audio device. Its smart functions have largely been under wraps. Meanwhile, many well-priced smart speakers with Amazon's Alexa, Google Assistant and even Microsoft's Cortana have taken over the market this year. The HomePod hooks into Siri for its smart functions, and will work with Apple's smart home platform HomeKit and Apple Music. But it's unclear how many other apps will work with it. 16 Say hello to Apple's HomePod smart speaker Tech Today 3 Comments More From CNET Original Article At: https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-delays-homepod-speaker-to-2018/#ftag=CAD-09- 10aai5b -- 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: mk...@ucla.edu. Your list 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/viphone@googlegroups.com/ --- 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 viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. 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. Mark can be reached at: mk...@ucla.edu. Your list 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/viphone@googlegroups.com/ --- 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 viphone+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to viphone@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/viphone. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
