Because I love playing the devil's advocate; why you might want to consider Apple's HomePod
I've spent a great deal of time bashing Apple's entrant into the smart speaker space. And, I stand by what I said. Apple's product is inferior in every way except sound quality and shouldn't exist. You can get better sounding speakers for less. So don't even bother with saying "Apple's focus isn't the same as Google and Amazon". It either is the same, of they have none. There is no reason to shove Siri into an expensive speaker otherwise.
Let me make the argument in a quick and concise manner. I have an iPhone and I have a gorgeous blue tooth speaker. "Siri, play my music on my bitchin' speaker". If it weren't about the smart speaker... all Apple needs to do is make connecting to a BT speaker a more natural part of the Siri experience.
But, this argument isn't about how Apple failed in the most spectacular way possible. It is about how they could turn it around. Apple is functioning much like Microsoft under Steve Ballmer. They don't care if they miss on the first attempt. Look at Watch. Or Apple TV. These are all products where the initial offerings failed and/or were totally terrible things. Apple refuses to accept it makes mistakes. And this is where consumers can win. Microsoft currently, and even Google, have a tendency to just up and kill products which fail. Microsoft more aggressively than Google lately.
And what this means is, there is a good chance Apple will keep on rolling with the HomePod lineup. Another great benefit is, these digital assistants are basically a dumb terminal in a speaker and most of the "functionality" is actually in the cloud. In other words, they are much more upgradeable than a phone or a watch.
So... my expectation is this. Apple will continue to screw up royally. Their next entrant will be a regular Home/Echo competitor somewhere in the $100-200 range. This will improve sales, but still fail to make them competitive. They'll do this (I believe) because Apple is stupid and thinks that attacking the premium market first is always the way for them to go (despite the original iPad proving differently). And then, eventually, they will relent. And there will be a sub-$100 HomePod offering. BUT without the steep discounts that pushed volumes of Home Minis and Echo Dots over the holidays.
Basically, hardware wise... I expect HomePod to be Apple's next Watch or AppleTV. It will eventually get successful enough to justify its continued existence and nothing more. But, that is good enough if you're into Apple products isn't it?
Software wise, I totally expect Apple to get its own versions of all the most useful skills present in the competitors. And, I suspect that they will come up with some unique ones all their own. Which will for brief periods make the products drool worthy again.
Apple has mountains of money and is keen to use them. They refuse to admit their mistakes. And they continue to iterate. These are all things which bode well for Apple fans. So, while I personally think that the current HomePod is a steaming pile of something undesirable, it will likely evolve into something you're not embarrassed to have in your home.
And, of course, I expect Apple to prove me right that the HomePod is absolutely, 100%, meant as a competitor to the Home and Echo offerings by creating more entrants in this lineup that compete at similar sizes and price points. And no, I don't expect Apple fans to admit this until such time as HomePods become a viable competitor.
Let me make the argument in a quick and concise manner. I have an iPhone and I have a gorgeous blue tooth speaker. "Siri, play my music on my bitchin' speaker". If it weren't about the smart speaker... all Apple needs to do is make connecting to a BT speaker a more natural part of the Siri experience.
But, this argument isn't about how Apple failed in the most spectacular way possible. It is about how they could turn it around. Apple is functioning much like Microsoft under Steve Ballmer. They don't care if they miss on the first attempt. Look at Watch. Or Apple TV. These are all products where the initial offerings failed and/or were totally terrible things. Apple refuses to accept it makes mistakes. And this is where consumers can win. Microsoft currently, and even Google, have a tendency to just up and kill products which fail. Microsoft more aggressively than Google lately.
And what this means is, there is a good chance Apple will keep on rolling with the HomePod lineup. Another great benefit is, these digital assistants are basically a dumb terminal in a speaker and most of the "functionality" is actually in the cloud. In other words, they are much more upgradeable than a phone or a watch.
So... my expectation is this. Apple will continue to screw up royally. Their next entrant will be a regular Home/Echo competitor somewhere in the $100-200 range. This will improve sales, but still fail to make them competitive. They'll do this (I believe) because Apple is stupid and thinks that attacking the premium market first is always the way for them to go (despite the original iPad proving differently). And then, eventually, they will relent. And there will be a sub-$100 HomePod offering. BUT without the steep discounts that pushed volumes of Home Minis and Echo Dots over the holidays.
Basically, hardware wise... I expect HomePod to be Apple's next Watch or AppleTV. It will eventually get successful enough to justify its continued existence and nothing more. But, that is good enough if you're into Apple products isn't it?
Software wise, I totally expect Apple to get its own versions of all the most useful skills present in the competitors. And, I suspect that they will come up with some unique ones all their own. Which will for brief periods make the products drool worthy again.
Apple has mountains of money and is keen to use them. They refuse to admit their mistakes. And they continue to iterate. These are all things which bode well for Apple fans. So, while I personally think that the current HomePod is a steaming pile of something undesirable, it will likely evolve into something you're not embarrassed to have in your home.
And, of course, I expect Apple to prove me right that the HomePod is absolutely, 100%, meant as a competitor to the Home and Echo offerings by creating more entrants in this lineup that compete at similar sizes and price points. And no, I don't expect Apple fans to admit this until such time as HomePods become a viable competitor.
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