A lot of people are asking about Spotify. While it’s true you can AirPlay Spotify (and other services) from your phone, you can’t ask Siri to play a song from Spotify, and you lose most of the voice controls apart from play, pause, and volume when you do that. In which case, it might as well be a Bluetooth speaker. - Nilay
Hi Nilay, I just watched Jonathan Morrison's video and he was able to skip tracks and play previous tracks too. Honestly, apart from playing random songs or playlists by voice, I don't see the Spotify limitations as much of a limitation at all. - An Average Consumer
Actually, Jonathan Morrison was able to jump tracks via Siri in Spotify on his HomePod. Check out his review at th-cam.com/video/KmHlp5CGfKk/w-d-xo.html about 4 minutes in. I think some reviewers get caught up in early assumptions and let that bias their feedback.
Next track and previous track work as well - anything the standard set of AirPlay controls can do in any AirPlay speaker. But you can’t ask Siri to *play a song* from Spotify, which Apple’s own research (that they sent me!) shows is by far the #1 use of smart speakers.
Yes Jonathan did mention that you can do skip tracks and play previous tracks via. airplay, but the main questions for consumers who are planning to have this around their house is "will we be able to have the music sync between multiple homepods?" My guess is that you are limited to only be able to play music out of one homepod and not have it shared across all of your homepods since you don't have access to airplay. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be corrected but I somehow doubt it. This limitation does not exist for the Sonos or Google Home, you are able to select groups and play music across your house base on your choice. I personally am a spotify user only, and I'm torn between the fact that I may need to switch to Apple Music service if I would like to use these speakers.
Awesome review as always Nilay! I'm a speaker nerd too, so I appreciate the comparison to the other speakers. The binaural recording and editing of this video was very well done, great job by the team!
Apart from ZReviews' sound demos, I can't believe this is the first audio product review I've seen with a binaural audio comparison. An instant game changer.
As an Apple fanboy, I honestly want this because it’s compatible with Apple Music. The other smart speakers aren’t which is frustrating. Which to be fair, this is who Apple is marketing to. And honestly, the other smart functions are meh to be. I want a great speaker that I can use Apple Music with and this is it.
Why use Apple music when it isn't even supported on other devices? Why not use other services such as Spotify, Google Play Music or even Amazon Prime? Is it just the logo which makes you want to use it?
Greenmonkey552 most likely because my phone is my main device, I won’t be playing music of other devices and if I do, I have Spotify for that as a secondary source. I agree Siri needs to be updated on it tho to make it worth the purchase
Lee Cogan OP stated that he wanted this because his other devices wont support apple music. I said why use apple music when you can use superior services that support those devices. Nobody mentioned you or your scenario.
Greenmonkey552 because in my opinion Apple Music is better then Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play. It’s my preferred steaming service. It’s that simple
Greenmonkey552 and again, I want a speaker first and smart device 2nd. The fact that it’s a superior speaker then all the other smart home devices is a huge plus for me. Will I get it now? No. I’ll wait till it’s improved upon and given more features.
Wait, didn't Amazon and Google come out with similar boxes already? I don't really follow this stuff, being useless to me, but I'm sure it makes a great companion for older folks living alone... lol
I have both a Google Home Mini as well as a regular one. The regular one sound really good to me but for most things I would even be ok with the Mini. So sound quality is really low on my list. But I'm happy that there now is more competition in the smart speaker market.
I think, like with all audio equipment, it needs to be 'good enough'. To me, this means being transparent enough that my focus is on the media that I'm listening to and not some aspect of the medium's (the speaker in this case) delivery of that media. It seems like Apple tried to overcompensate for Siri's inadequacies here with better than 'good enough' sound but like you say in the video, the returns are diminishing and the additional capabilities of the other home/smart speakers are far more noticeable.
No it's not. 99% of the time they are airbnbs, but they always give credit to the locations in their videos. Nilay stated in the video this was his home, hence all of his home speakers and surround sound setup.
I want to love this device, however Apple won’t get my coin till they make the HomePod fully compatible with Spotify and improve Siri capability. I’d be interested to know what percentage of Apple users are Premium Spotify subscribers, I think Apple has their head in the sand.
I’m an Apple user but subscribe to TH-cam Red and also comes with Google Music, I also subscribe to Amazon Prime and get free video streaming and music along with it. Then the not largely known fact that the Alexa can order add-on items without having to buy $25 worth of stuff. I would never subscribe to Apple Music being so limited. I’m sticking with my Sonos, Echo and Google Home for the additional benefits and services.
The sound is truly brilliant I was so impressed when heard in store. In a room it is even better. Surround sound and bass is also amazing really separates vocals and instruments.
I am an Apple fan but no matter how you want to spin this... it just doesn't work. You want to sell a "smart" speaker but say smart functions are secondary? Especially with such premium pricing compare to other products? You think regular users will be able to really tell that much difference and plop down that much more money instead of Echo? Siri also is seriously lacking in how it responds to voice commands. Even my kids can tell the difference. I dunno... it really feels like Apple is falling behind these days...
James Chung watch uraverageconsumers unboxing of it. He tests the speaker’s microphones and they were able to here his voice clearly, and understand him even though it was playing music with the volume at 100%
That's because Apple is falling behind but people are still buying Apple products for whatever reason. Stop buying them and Apple will try to improve things like they did with the iPhone X and the new Mac that isn't actually terrible.
Simon the iMacs weren’t ever terrible. They just weren’t adequately priced. They were $200 more than they should have been. But the $5000 baseline iMac pro is amazing for its price. Mainly because if you were to build a pc with the same parts, it would cost $200 more. And this is coming from a pc guy
Having different voice detection is probably the most underrated feature. My girlfriend and I both have busy schedules and having Google assistant read our meetings and calenders by our voices are very useful.
This was probably the most honest and best review for the HomePod I’ve seen so far. Trust me I have seen tons of videos on the HomePod but this one takes the cake. Thanks for the video
that is pretty mind-boggling , isn't it. so HomePot is audio first, connectivity second, and smartness way behind. your suggestion just killed apple's only selling point. matter of fact, that's what I have been doing, control my Denon-Heos receiver with echo dot to stream music through my real speaker system, and as a central hub for all-things smart home connectivity, Alexa is way ahead of Apple (no exp with google home). I guess Apple is only targeting a niche market: people who have not embraced smart home connectivity (with Amazon or Google), and lock those poor souls inside Apple's closed eco-system before they knew any better.
Daily Angels no, they review important products. And whether you like it or not, apple is the most relevant tech company on he planet. And since they don’t release new products that often around this time, of course they are going to review it
Manual Control how is amazon soooo far ahead of Apple in smart home stuff? Apple HomeKit allows you to easily set up a smart home on any iOS device. The only advantage amazon has is that slightly more products support Ecco Han HomeKit
Hi Nilay, could pls elaborate on sound quality? You said several times Homepod sounds amazing and in comments here you said it sounded way better then google max, but in review you also said several times that those other speakers sound "almost as good". So how big is the difference?
Exactly my thought as well. At one point it sounds better the all other speakers like Sonos play:5 then later the play:one sounds almost as good. How is that? The play:5 sounds way better the play:one?
This device is not for everyone, it's for people with an apple music subscription. i think you should be aware of the target audience of a product when you review it. for me as someone with an Apple Music subscription (Spotify isn't even supported in my country) and an audiophile, this product is pretty nice and i'm thinking about getting it or Google Max, this kills google max from what i'm seeing in sound quality though, we'll see. also Apple Music is available everywhere, on Android, and even on Windows. (you said it's limited to Apple's Echo system)
I like how this video gives you all the pros and cons but Jonathan Morrison’s is just all the good stuff. THANK YOU NILAY! I wanted to see if this was worth getting but it’s obviously not even done being developed
If you want really good audio with more features then this HomePod then do this 1. Buy the Edifier R1700BT - it’s 2 bookshelf speakers with Bluetooth and a remote. 2. Get an echo dot. All this costs much less then the HomePod and will provide amazing audio. But you don’t get 360 audio and it’s not as portable.
Actually not a bad idea, a better overall setup than Homepod if we compare pros and cons. I think the only think we are losing is a little bit of probability but on the other hand we gain access to a wide array of new functions and features of Alexa, so i think it's a fair sacrifice and the overall cost will also be lesser. I personally think that the Homepod is meant for audiophiles who are heavily invested into the Apple ecosystem. I make tech related contents with a unique style. Please do give my channel a look if you can spare some time.
Excellent review of the HomePod.. thanks Nilay for such a clear review of the HomePod as you clarified all my questions regarding the same. The Verge is always the go to place for all Apple News !!
...May be a little over the top saying this, but this was hands down the best review I've ever seen of a product. Never knew you could actually be immersed in a review.. lol
Looks like HomePods has the highest potential. However, it is limited for some reasons. So, HomePods is the stupidest smart speaker right now. I hope THE UPDATE later this year can solve everything. I want to pari 2 of these with my Apple TV!
I bought a BOSE Soundock 10 back in 2009, I have it hooked up to my tv and I’ve added a Bluetooth receiver to the 30 pin connector dock, comes with a remote and is working fantastic, so much bass it shakes my windows, I can add a echo dot to the back of the speaker since it offers a aux connector, I think I’m good for years to come
Best thing to do is just buy a google home mini, and plug it into a real speaker system and presto. Any speaker your like + $40 google home instantly beats this thing.
Buy a Google Home Mini and a whole bunch of Chromecast Audios to connect to all of your speakers (both low-end and high-end around the house) for total control..
Well that’s what the google whatever might be made for but this isn’t and people that like this speaker know that. They want a speaker to work with existing apple products
Solid review. Appreciated setting the context that you’re coming from the perspective of an enthusiast level audiophile, it really helps the viewer level set your assertions about sound quality.
And then, right after I posted this comment, the binaural bit played. Wow, what a great way to demonstrate. I listened in some high quality headphones, and not only could I hear a marked difference in tonal quality, but even imaging. Amazing and clever.
Potatoes Have 48 Chromosomes still doesn’t make it lawful, but we tolerate being ripped off. The best kind of slave is one that doesn’t care it’s a slave.
Potatoes Have 48 Chromosomes They don’t, there’s been many times where Apple have proven themselves to be the only ethical companies in a sea of data selling companies like google or Facebook.
Great Video! Best HomePod review yet! I've watched all the other reviews from the big YT tech channels and yours answered every question I think people will have regarding this product. And the sound comparisons was on point!
I hate, hate, I mean I despise iOS's walled garden concept and it's why I don't use an iPhone. I do own anb iPad Pro that I enjoy using for photo management, music creation and light video editing, etc. but as far as office work is concerned, no way. In fact if I were to use an iPad Pro for work I would loose a minimum of 15 hours of work a day. As I automate a very large portion of my daily duties with scripts working off of a clock, Crontab, iOS's complete lack of anything resembling such things simply makes it unusable for work related tasks. Though I do use a PixelBook, which is weird as it doesn't seem like something that would be good for such things. Though because it is Linux, I have manged to install everything that I need to make it into a fantastic development computer. It works so well that I stopped using my normal laptop.
Damn perfect nice review. Best detailed, in-depth review. Never thought that there is so much thing to talk about a speaker. Smart speakers gave a huge impact in technology.
I use TH-cam Music and am very happy with the HomePod, and yes, you can skip/play/pause with Siri while playing via TH-cam Music, it’s just a click away on the iPhone to Airplay music to the HomePod ... and it works well with my HomeKit devices. And finally... it sounds amazing! And then 2 HomePods in Stereo, whoaaaaaa!!
Apple is not stupid. They know exactly what they are doing. The comapny focus is not only sound quality but rather augmenting the apple ecosystem with the HomePod speaker. It is not targeted to the android users. Take the AirPods as example, it is the most popular Bluetooth earbuds despite being targeted to iPhone users. Apple is strengthening the ecosystem and complementing it with the HomePod. For me if its work best with my ios devices, that enough. I don’t have extra need. I started using apple music and i am not missing anything although i can stream Spotify over airplay. HomePod will succeed despite the negative reviews from TH-camrs in the same way the AirPods has succeeded. When you review a product you should first verify the target audience the company is try to address and review it in that perspective and not looking to what is your wishes for that product to be and most of the time TH-camrs needs are different from the regular consumers. Apple doesn’t care about the android users and understand that it will never be strong with them. Apple positioning of the HomePod is clear and it should be reviewed from that perspective. Thank you
It'll succeed because for the average Apple user, it's far easier to stick with the "ecosystem" than to depart from it. This is why they built the walled garden.
J3B sure, and for many others, they like being in the ecosystem and see advantages to it. Others hate it and get out. I would think many more are happy with it though and see no need to change.
While it’s true you can AirPlay Spotify (and other services) from your phone, you can’t ask Siri to play a song from Spotify, and you lose most of the voice controls apart from play, pause, and volume when you do that. In which case, it might as well be a Bluetooth speaker. - Nilay
but we forget how apple works right ?it never shoves all features at once, first music so once thats refined to the top level they will bring in stuff and honestly we always know apple is going to different right and if it matches what google and echo are doing the whats the point of apple anyways ? Like the standing out thing is a trade off against a few features as always. also since we are looking to connect two HomePod in the future one HomePod loses its connection when it connects to Apple TV is okay right ? the other one still works,like I said a trade off. also for a music guy like you, maybe not ultra impressive but for the normal man ? two homepods are a good stereo sound for 700$ is cool right ?
The D VlogS see how he says smart speaker and not Bluetooth speaker . Although it can function onAirplay, it’s not what the device is intended for and he’s not reviewing it as a airplay speaker. He’s reviewing a smart speaker and Apple will not add Spotify or else they would have done it in the past 7 years that Siri has been on iPhones. The reason for this is that they are trying to keep everything in the Apple ecosystem. Which btw has been there business practice since their inception. All in all you sound like an Apple fan boy because anyone who can Watch this should know it’s a great speaker but shitty smart device due to the limitations of Siri.
Derp Derp oh yeah, that totally slipped my mind lol. But in my defense Apple Music is one thing and not “a bunch of overpriced Apple stuff” and also it’s not overpriced.
Well, i think we can make it work with an iPhone and an Apple music subscription so, it's basically meant for people who already have those, otherwise it's kinda stupid to actually get an iPhone to make it work. But yeah, the function it offers is very limited even if you have lots of Apple stuffs, it only matters if you have are invested into Apple ecosystem and really care about a very high sound quality, but sadly there are lots of other speakers that does it and uses a better AI assistant. I create tech based videos in a unique style. If you could spare some time kindly do try my channel out.
This was extremely helpful. I've been in the market for a device and had been looking at Sonos. I can't stand crap audio like the first generation Amazon Echo. I NEED stereo sound with highs and lows, and while I am an Apple Music subscriber, nothing irritates me more than device limitations when spending a fair chunk of change. You put it out there - No BS - and that is appreciated.
$385 (with sales tax) for a not so smart speaker. Not worth it, and I am a iPhone user. I got a Google home and I am super happy with it. I have a couple of discounted minis spread around and they all work great.
Kcidom 01 Well I’ve been using the HomePod for a week now, and I can definitely say that it alone can control all of your music without any devices. True, the HomePod needs an iPhone for setting up, but the video was trying to denounce Apple Music when it mentioned its incompatibility, which is not true.
"surprisingly heavy" lol it better be heavy if the sound quality wants to be decent. For the way Apple is advertising it, it should have been 3-times the size, in my opinion, to truly have an amazing sound quality. Yeah guys I know...a 1000 dollar price tag would put people of but the thought of finally getting a truly remarkable speaker with Siri right from Apple would be amazing. Sound quality is expensive. Sound quality can't be cheated on. No true evolution in like almost 20 years. Just pay attention to the mid's...it's lacking extremely like any speaker that is pretending to sound good.
EXACTLY. Im glad someone said this. Apple's speaker just sounds too… small. You can tell that the sound isn't coming from a larger speaker. And because of that, the tech inside is focused on base and highs. If this thing was just bigger, the sound would both sound more open and have better mids. And the most irritating thing is, this is a stationary product. It even needs a power cord. So WHY would I ever need it to be this small?!?!?! Adding $50 more to be directly next to the Home Max and being at least double the size would have been a better idea, IMO.
according to the video, it sounds better than the Home Max. Every single review out there so far even says it's the best sounding smart speaker. Why make it bigger if it doesn't need to be?
I bought an echo ,and a addon audio pro for less than one of these things .All the practicality and usability i could ever want and sounds better than any of the speakers you showed in this
juan2049 lol! 400$ Google home is worth! Homepod is crap! Sounds just good.. these gadgets is all about AI features not playing music.. this is just bonus.. there are sound speakers to learning musics
Mohammed Hasan No, the HomePod is a speaker first. Assistant second. The competitors are more focused on the assistant, while Apple with HomePod is working towards something that sounds great. Having used Google Home, Amazon Echo, and just having picked up a HomePod, I’m not all that much of a fan of voice assistants in general. The AI isn’t there yet for any of them, they’re not all too useful and I can do almost everything they do faster on my phone. There are some occasions where it is useful, but it kinda just feels like a gimmick. Some of the HomePod music features are good, that’s what I use it for almost all the time. But everything I used on my Alexa are here and working. Something I’ve found HomePod does better than any other is it’s ability to hear you from the other side of a large room without even needing for me to raise my voice.
Pravin Ramana No. remove the software and it’s a ...speaker. Tons of audio/speaker specific manufactures have the same or better speakers. Apple is lacking. HomePod is like a 8th grader while google & amazon are HS seniors. HomePod isn’t smart enough 🤷🏽♂️.
I’m a speaker nerd as well.. $350 gets you limited functions, mainly focused to one iOS Vs. $50-$150 gets you a mass amount of functions that work together with other smart devices, answer questions, completely requests. Yeah if I was gonna blow money on a speaker definitely would go with Sonos and if I wanted an assistant I would go with the echo (which can control sonos 🤷🏾♂️)
I was looking for a review of this kind. Thanks. I’m a huge Apple fan but Siri sucks. I don’t use it anymore. Will buy HomePod to give a try for the sound.
Apple music is going to take over Spotify in subscribers in the US soon. Also Apple music has 40 million songs and supports 110+ countries, Spotify has 30 million songs and supports 60+ countries.
glman99 The interface is on personal opinion and what superior features does spotify have that Apple music does not? You get more songs with Apple music, and you can use it in more countries. Apple fans will use Apple Music, Android fans will use Spotify.
I personally use the JBL link 20. It sounds amazing and has the google assistant built in so you can play Spotify or other music apps. This is the best of both worlds.
A lot of people are asking about Spotify. While it’s true you can AirPlay Spotify (and other services) from your phone, you can’t ask Siri to play a song from Spotify, and you lose most of the voice controls apart from play, pause, and volume when you do that. In which case, it might as well be a Bluetooth speaker. - Nilay
Did you try “Next track” and “Previous track?”
Hi Nilay,
I just watched Jonathan Morrison's video and he was able to skip tracks and play previous tracks too. Honestly, apart from playing random songs or playlists by voice, I don't see the Spotify limitations as much of a limitation at all. - An Average Consumer
Actually, Jonathan Morrison was able to jump tracks via Siri in Spotify on his HomePod. Check out his review at th-cam.com/video/KmHlp5CGfKk/w-d-xo.html about 4 minutes in. I think some reviewers get caught up in early assumptions and let that bias their feedback.
Next track and previous track work as well - anything the standard set of AirPlay controls can do in any AirPlay speaker. But you can’t ask Siri to *play a song* from Spotify, which Apple’s own research (that they sent me!) shows is by far the #1 use of smart speakers.
Yes Jonathan did mention that you can do skip tracks and play previous tracks via. airplay, but the main questions for consumers who are planning to have this around their house is "will we be able to have the music sync between multiple homepods?" My guess is that you are limited to only be able to play music out of one homepod and not have it shared across all of your homepods since you don't have access to airplay. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be corrected but I somehow doubt it. This limitation does not exist for the Sonos or Google Home, you are able to select groups and play music across your house base on your choice. I personally am a spotify user only, and I'm torn between the fact that I may need to switch to Apple Music service if I would like to use these speakers.
Forget the speaker review... let`s talk about getting a home tour and review.
Ikr
I'd it out already?
Clearly he’s renting
@@matthewrivers8153 He said on Twitter it’s his house
Stellar review Nilay, and great work from the video team. Thanks!
Top notch shooting and editing here as always!
BTroxTV 👀
thanks
Absolutely
This review deserves to be watched in 4K. I wish you guys would start doing that already.
So that's what they did with all the Mac pros that didn't sell....
lol funniest joke ever.
ROTFL
What other shape you expected multidirectional speakers to be? They are all cylinder shaped.
Poke Champ Savage!
SOKAY, the old MacPro Towers are better than my work machine, by a mile ...
Damn Nilay, is that your house? 😲 Also good review 👍
SuperSaf TV Hiya! Saw you hiding in the comments. 😂✌️
The Verge rents out AirBNB and other locations for each video, he said it on Twitter before.
This guy is quite accomplished. Based on what he says in the review, it’s definitely his crib. Great review as always.
SuperSaf TV I know you!!
All that Apple money gotta go somewhere....
Awesome review as always Nilay! I'm a speaker nerd too, so I appreciate the comparison to the other speakers. The binaural recording and editing of this video was very well done, great job by the team!
Apart from ZReviews' sound demos, I can't believe this is the first audio product review I've seen with a binaural audio comparison. An instant game changer.
If you are up to speaker and headphone reviews check out Jim's review room,he is awesome
Clavinet Junkie is my personal favourite.
th-cam.com/users/clavinetjunkie
As an Apple fanboy, I honestly want this because it’s compatible with Apple Music. The other smart speakers aren’t which is frustrating. Which to be fair, this is who Apple is marketing to. And honestly, the other smart functions are meh to be. I want a great speaker that I can use Apple Music with and this is it.
Why use Apple music when it isn't even supported on other devices? Why not use other services such as Spotify, Google Play Music or even Amazon Prime? Is it just the logo which makes you want to use it?
Greenmonkey552 most likely because my phone is my main device, I won’t be playing music of other devices and if I do, I have Spotify for that as a secondary source. I agree Siri needs to be updated on it tho to make it worth the purchase
Lee Cogan OP stated that he wanted this because his other devices wont support apple music. I said why use apple music when you can use superior services that support those devices. Nobody mentioned you or your scenario.
Greenmonkey552 because in my opinion Apple Music is better then Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play. It’s my preferred steaming service. It’s that simple
Greenmonkey552 and again, I want a speaker first and smart device 2nd. The fact that it’s a superior speaker then all the other smart home devices is a huge plus for me. Will I get it now? No. I’ll wait till it’s improved upon and given more features.
I just got my HomePod yesterday. I absolutely love it! If you are having problems with the setup, make sure Home App is running in the background.
This is probably the most objective review! Excellent review and much better than TLD's.
That Tech Though I agree. His review wasn't nearly as extensive in the flaws this thing has.
i agree, he's more like an apple fanboy
Nor Azam even though Nilay is an Apple guy, I've got to hand it to him. Very honest it seems.
That Tech Though yeah, not like tld
Nor Azam I'm actually disappointed by Jonathan's review, it just didn't make enough points like this.
Best honest HomePod review by far!
1507krazy even if you could control 3rd party music services, that would just make the HomePod even better
1507krazy that doesn’t bother me tho...
lol i know! Siri can control spotify from the phone which is amusing. Shut all the crybabys up
I usa apple music so that's not a big deal
Wait, didn't Amazon and Google come out with similar boxes already? I don't really follow this stuff, being useless to me, but I'm sure it makes a great companion for older folks living alone... lol
So, I’m curious: how much do you really care about sound quality? -Nilay
The Verge well it does have to sound good...
Not enough to buy this.
It needs to be good. being great is a bonus, not essential.
But since this device is sound focused, it's essential to be really good I guess.
I have both a Google Home Mini as well as a regular one. The regular one sound really good to me but for most things I would even be ok with the Mini. So sound quality is really low on my list. But I'm happy that there now is more competition in the smart speaker market.
I think, like with all audio equipment, it needs to be 'good enough'. To me, this means being transparent enough that my focus is on the media that I'm listening to and not some aspect of the medium's (the speaker in this case) delivery of that media. It seems like Apple tried to overcompensate for Siri's inadequacies here with better than 'good enough' sound but like you say in the video, the returns are diminishing and the additional capabilities of the other home/smart speakers are far more noticeable.
Duuude your house is amazing!! House tour please !! 😂🙋🏻♂️🙏🏼
It’s not his it’s an air bnb
No it's not. 99% of the time they are airbnbs, but they always give credit to the locations in their videos. Nilay stated in the video this was his home, hence all of his home speakers and surround sound setup.
daaaaaaang he makes some dough with the verge to live in that!!!!!!!!!!
It's really his house? I'm totally having the ring job...
Seems like working at the verge pays off big time
Rafael Graterol
I think that guy runs the verge
His slaves probably live like shiz
No, it doesn't - you never get any one of those things
your home is beautiful
Holly Crap!!!! all the limitations bugs me for such a great sounding speaker.
I want to love this device, however Apple won’t get my coin till they make the HomePod fully compatible with Spotify and improve Siri capability. I’d be interested to know what percentage of Apple users are Premium Spotify subscribers, I think Apple has their head in the sand.
wait for the 2nd generation?!
I’m an Apple user but subscribe to TH-cam Red and also comes with Google Music, I also subscribe to Amazon Prime and get free video streaming and music along with it. Then the not largely known fact that the Alexa can order add-on items without having to buy $25 worth of stuff. I would never subscribe to Apple Music being so limited. I’m sticking with my Sonos, Echo and Google Home for the additional benefits and services.
Very informative review, saved me $349
djgcue made me want to order one
People gonna waste all that money when you can buy a better one for less
AlexOG I think you're missing the big point here. It's _Apple_
haha
ILoveJesus123 exactly very disappointing
This product will be awesome in 3 years after a dozen software iterations.
My man predicted the future. Now with ios 14 coming soon is support for other streaming services
This is an EXCELLENT review. It gave me the unbiased and thorough perspective I needed on the HomePod. Keep up the good work, Nilay!
Thanks for creating the eye candy video. The video editing is a feast for the eyes.
Dude. Your house is beautiful.
house goals 👀
Ikr
You guys are just killing it with your reviews. The production value and information is second to none. Great review!
The sound is truly brilliant I was so impressed when heard in store. In a room it is even better. Surround sound and bass is also amazing really separates vocals and instruments.
I am an Apple fan but no matter how you want to spin this... it just doesn't work.
You want to sell a "smart" speaker but say smart functions are secondary? Especially with such premium pricing compare to other products? You think regular users will be able to really tell that much difference and plop down that much more money instead of Echo?
Siri also is seriously lacking in how it responds to voice commands. Even my kids can tell the difference. I dunno... it really feels like Apple is falling behind these days...
James Chung agreed
James Chung watch uraverageconsumers unboxing of it. He tests the speaker’s microphones and they were able to here his voice clearly, and understand him even though it was playing music with the volume at 100%
Siri is definitely not as good
That's because Apple is falling behind but people are still buying Apple products for whatever reason. Stop buying them and Apple will try to improve things like they did with the iPhone X and the new Mac that isn't actually terrible.
Simon the iMacs weren’t ever terrible. They just weren’t adequately priced. They were $200 more than they should have been. But the $5000 baseline iMac pro is amazing for its price. Mainly because if you were to build a pc with the same parts, it would cost $200 more. And this is coming from a pc guy
Damn Nilay got a new crib? Nice!
Damn, I guess the verge pays well!
He probably got a sugar mama. His position pays roughly $40K/year.
D N impossible. He has to be making at LEAST 150k a year. The Verge is one of the biggest tech blogs
He founded The Verge so...
The Verge killing it with the animations
I am never disappointed after seeing your videos. Little details are the biggest when it comes to make a decision. Thanks
Having different voice detection is probably the most underrated feature. My girlfriend and I both have busy schedules and having Google assistant read our meetings and calenders by our voices are very useful.
Beautifully shot!
Seems like apple always launch a new product as a beta.. it misses so much basic stuff.. cant understand why
It looks like a giant marshmallow
SDG Danny burnt marshmallow
I like marshmallows
Yes!
Cristian J Me too
a $300+ marshmallow. lol
This is absolutely the best review I’ve ever watched. Also 100 bonus points for using the binaural audio mics. It really helps me hear the difference.
This was probably the most honest and best review for the HomePod I’ve seen so far. Trust me I have seen tons of videos on the HomePod but this one takes the cake. Thanks for the video
When the person in the video said “hey Siri” my iPad that was literally streaming the video picked it up
Americat LMAOOO when she said that my HomePod went off 😂
Great and honest review, Thanks man.
So, this is a speaker?
Riddhiman Roy a Bluetooth speaker 😂
Aditya Aswal Hate to burst your bubble, but it doesn’t have BT..
It can't even do bluetooth, it's above it.
Angultra hate to burst your bubble but it actually has Bluetooth 5.0. Look it up
no its a tv
Superb review Nilay. Precise, intuitive and spot on. Didn't even notice it was 9 mins long.
A model 3D with animations? Step forward. Amazing job as usual the Verge
If you're real audiophile why don't you just buy a petit echo dot for $50 and connect it to your existing super duper massive audio system
ritar bc the verge is first and foremost an applephile
that is pretty mind-boggling , isn't it. so HomePot is audio first, connectivity second, and smartness way behind. your suggestion just killed apple's only selling point. matter of fact, that's what I have been doing, control my Denon-Heos receiver with echo dot to stream music through my real speaker system, and as a central hub for all-things smart home connectivity, Alexa is way ahead of Apple (no exp with google home). I guess Apple is only targeting a niche market: people who have not embraced smart home connectivity (with Amazon or Google), and lock those poor souls inside Apple's closed eco-system before they knew any better.
dont think you watch the entire video
Daily Angels no, they review important products. And whether you like it or not, apple is the most relevant tech company on he planet. And since they don’t release new products that often around this time, of course they are going to review it
Manual Control how is amazon soooo far ahead of Apple in smart home stuff? Apple HomeKit allows you to easily set up a smart home on any iOS device. The only advantage amazon has is that slightly more products support Ecco Han HomeKit
This was a fantastic review. Team behind this should be really proud.
Hi Nilay, could pls elaborate on sound quality? You said several times Homepod sounds amazing and in comments here you said it sounded way better then google max, but in review you also said several times that those other speakers sound "almost as good". So how big is the difference?
Good question, that's exactly what I want to know too..:-)
Exactly my thought as well. At one point it sounds better the all other speakers like Sonos play:5 then later the play:one sounds almost as good. How is that? The play:5 sounds way better the play:one?
Liked the way you guys showed the differences in speakers by using biannual speakers. Pretty neat way to show it.
1 of the best reviews i ever saw,so practical and detailed. Well done man.
AMAZING HONEST REVIEW!! I subbed.
Apple Music is on Android too tho
Isaac Golden but is Android iOS?
Snapchat Dotcom my comment was referring to him saying Apple Music was only available on iOS platforms
He was saying that you can only set up the HomePod on an iOS device
do u think any android geek boys n girls will ever install an apple app lool
AsSaSsInJOHN's GAMING why do u need apple music on android btw? just download the track online
This device is not for everyone, it's for people with an apple music subscription. i think you should be aware of the target audience of a product when you review it.
for me as someone with an Apple Music subscription (Spotify isn't even supported in my country) and an audiophile, this product is pretty nice and i'm thinking about getting it or Google Max, this kills google max from what i'm seeing in sound quality though, we'll see.
also Apple Music is available everywhere, on Android, and even on Windows. (you said it's limited to Apple's Echo system)
WOW I'm more amazed by how honest this review felt than by how good home pod could sound... Great review!!!
I like how this video gives you all the pros and cons but Jonathan Morrison’s is just all the good stuff. THANK YOU NILAY! I wanted to see if this was worth getting but it’s obviously not even done being developed
If you want really good audio with more features then this HomePod then do this
1. Buy the Edifier R1700BT - it’s 2 bookshelf speakers with Bluetooth and a remote.
2. Get an echo dot.
All this costs much less then the HomePod and will provide amazing audio. But you don’t get 360 audio and it’s not as portable.
So basically when you get that speaker instead of the homepod. You lose one of the most important features, got it.
Chrono Cubing the dot has audio out I think but I'm not sure. So what he means is use that as the speaker and the dot as the smart assistant.
Chrono Cubing, that's why he mentioned the echo dot...
Actually not a bad idea, a better overall setup than Homepod if we compare pros and cons. I think the only think we are losing is a little bit of probability but on the other hand we gain access to a wide array of new functions and features of Alexa, so i think it's a fair sacrifice and the overall cost will also be lesser. I personally think that the Homepod is meant for audiophiles who are heavily invested into the Apple ecosystem.
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Jbl LSR 305s. Powered studio monitors. Bout 100 each on Amazon. Then get a dot and a 10$ cord.
Nearly all the features you mentioned are missing from the HomePod are also missing from Google Home outside the USA.
Tobias Cohen so imagine how restricted the Homepod will be outside the US lol
At least I have google cast to use Spotify, tunein, iHeartRadio, google music in both Android and iOS on Google home. HomePod is so suck
Can't touch Google Max.
Excellent review of the HomePod.. thanks Nilay for such a clear review of the HomePod as you clarified all my questions regarding the same. The Verge is always the go to place for all Apple News !!
...May be a little over the top saying this, but this was hands down the best review I've ever seen of a product. Never knew you could actually be immersed in a review.. lol
Looks like HomePods has the highest potential. However, it is limited for some reasons. So, HomePods is the stupidest smart speaker right now. I hope THE UPDATE later this year can solve everything. I want to pari 2 of these with my Apple TV!
Eddie Xiang This was my plan as well. They will look so good in the man cave 👍
The best review on this product so far. 👌
U can use Spotify on the HomePod with airplay
Dylan Power Thank you for actually pointing that out
I bought a BOSE Soundock 10 back in 2009, I have it hooked up to my tv and I’ve added a Bluetooth receiver to the 30 pin connector dock, comes with a remote and is working fantastic, so much bass it shakes my windows, I can add a echo dot to the back of the speaker since it offers a aux connector, I think I’m good for years to come
One of the most objective reviews. That’s why the verge is the best...
Best thing to do is just buy a google home mini, and plug it into a real speaker system and presto. Any speaker your like + $40 google home instantly beats this thing.
Buy a Google Home Mini and a whole bunch of Chromecast Audios to connect to all of your speakers (both low-end and high-end around the house) for total control..
Jesse Abraham Yeah no it doesn’t. I have tried both and this sound more crisp and clear.
Assuming everyone already has a thousand dollar speaker setup at home. The average person isn’t an audiophile...
Well that’s what the google whatever might be made for but this isn’t and people that like this speaker know that. They want a speaker to work with existing apple products
My cat will destroy that thing!
That sample track, Buffallo, is pretty epic.
Solid review. Appreciated setting the context that you’re coming from the perspective of an enthusiast level audiophile, it really helps the viewer level set your assertions about sound quality.
And then, right after I posted this comment, the binaural bit played. Wow, what a great way to demonstrate. I listened in some high quality headphones, and not only could I hear a marked difference in tonal quality, but even imaging. Amazing and clever.
One of the best, honest and unbiased reviews I've seen of this thing
I'm loving it and this vid quality tho
3:59 PAUSE. Sonos is getting Google assistant support in the future?! 😮
AND Siri support! The irony is too strong...
Apple way over did the price!!!!! Google can connect to other speakers to make subs quality better
Privacy is worth $150 alone.
Nick Birdsall yes because apple doesnt sell info... I doubt any big companies dont buy and sell info
Potatoes Have 48 Chromosomes still doesn’t make it lawful, but we tolerate being ripped off. The best kind of slave is one that doesn’t care it’s a slave.
Potatoes Have 48 Chromosomes They don’t, there’s been many times where Apple have proven themselves to be the only ethical companies in a sea of data selling companies like google or Facebook.
It’s Apple.. what do you expect?
nice job verge with the video making. I watched 3 reviews but this was the best.
Great Video! Best HomePod review yet! I've watched all the other reviews from the big YT tech channels and yours answered every question I think people will have regarding this product. And the sound comparisons was on point!
What a quality video.... just love 💕
Shouldn’t sound quality be the #1 thing? It’s Apple, why would you not expect a walled garden?
The flowers are wilting in the garden these days though...
I hate, hate, I mean I despise iOS's walled garden concept and it's why I don't use an iPhone. I do own anb iPad Pro that I enjoy using for photo management, music creation and light video editing, etc. but as far as office work is concerned, no way. In fact if I were to use an iPad Pro for work I would loose a minimum of 15 hours of work a day. As I automate a very large portion of my daily duties with scripts working off of a clock, Crontab, iOS's complete lack of anything resembling such things simply makes it unusable for work related tasks.
Though I do use a PixelBook, which is weird as it doesn't seem like something that would be good for such things. Though because it is Linux, I have manged to install everything that I need to make it into a fantastic development computer. It works so well that I stopped using my normal laptop.
The HomePod was incredibly noticeably better sounding... from my phone.
Damn perfect nice review. Best detailed, in-depth review. Never thought that there is so much thing to talk about a speaker. Smart speakers gave a huge impact in technology.
I use TH-cam Music and am very happy with the HomePod, and yes, you can skip/play/pause with Siri while playing via TH-cam Music, it’s just a click away on the iPhone to Airplay music to the HomePod ... and it works well with my HomeKit devices.
And finally... it sounds amazing!
And then 2 HomePods in Stereo, whoaaaaaa!!
Apple is not stupid. They know exactly what they are doing. The comapny focus is not only sound quality but rather augmenting the apple ecosystem with the HomePod speaker. It is not targeted to the android users. Take the AirPods as example, it is the most popular Bluetooth earbuds despite being targeted to iPhone users. Apple is strengthening the ecosystem and complementing it with the HomePod. For me if its work best with my ios devices, that enough. I don’t have extra need. I started using apple music and i am not missing anything although i can stream Spotify over airplay. HomePod will succeed despite the negative reviews from TH-camrs in the same way the AirPods has succeeded. When you review a product you should first verify the target audience the company is try to address and review it in that perspective and not looking to what is your wishes for that product to be and most of the time TH-camrs needs are different from the regular consumers. Apple doesn’t care about the android users and understand that it will never be strong with them. Apple positioning of the HomePod is clear and it should be reviewed from that perspective. Thank you
It'll succeed because for the average Apple user, it's far easier to stick with the "ecosystem" than to depart from it. This is why they built the walled garden.
found the sheep
What surprised me is that many android owners have bought the airpods and like them, despite lacking features. They really are convenient.
J3B sure, and for many others, they like being in the ecosystem and see advantages to it. Others hate it and get out. I would think many more are happy with it though and see no need to change.
I3ULLETSTORM1 found the apple hater.
I could be wrong. And if am, hopefully you get my point.
dude it works with Spotify... check out ijustine for more and proper info
While it’s true you can AirPlay Spotify (and other services) from your phone, you can’t ask Siri to play a song from Spotify, and you lose most of the voice controls apart from play, pause, and volume when you do that. In which case, it might as well be a Bluetooth speaker. - Nilay
but we forget how apple works right ?it never shoves all features at once, first music so once thats refined to the top level they will bring in stuff and honestly we always know apple is going to different right and if it matches what google and echo are doing the whats the point of apple anyways ? Like the standing out thing is a trade off against a few features as always. also since we are looking to connect two HomePod in the future one HomePod loses its connection when it connects to Apple TV is okay right ? the other one still works,like I said a trade off. also for a music guy like you, maybe not ultra impressive but for the normal man ? two homepods are a good stereo sound for 700$ is cool right ?
The D VlogS see how he says smart speaker and not Bluetooth speaker . Although it can function onAirplay, it’s not what the device is intended for and he’s not reviewing it as a airplay speaker. He’s reviewing a smart speaker and Apple will not add Spotify or else they would have done it in the past 7 years that Siri has been on iPhones. The reason for this is that they are trying to keep everything in the Apple ecosystem. Which btw has been there business practice since their inception. All in all you sound like an Apple fan boy because anyone who can Watch this should know it’s a great speaker but shitty smart device due to the limitations of Siri.
th-cam.com/video/KmHlp5CGfKk/w-d-xo.htmlm56s
You still have your voice controls like skip to next track, so what the problem?
So u have to buy a bunch of overpriced apple stuff to make this decent enough to work!...Nah fam I'm good
Indranil Majumder what Apple stuff, besides having an iPhone? Your comment is baseless
Lorenzo Smith apple music
Derp Derp oh yeah, that totally slipped my mind lol. But in my defense Apple Music is one thing and not “a bunch of overpriced Apple stuff” and also it’s not overpriced.
Well, i think we can make it work with an iPhone and an Apple music subscription so, it's basically meant for people who already have those, otherwise it's kinda stupid to actually get an iPhone to make it work. But yeah, the function it offers is very limited even if you have lots of Apple stuffs, it only matters if you have are invested into Apple ecosystem and really care about a very high sound quality, but sadly there are lots of other speakers that does it and uses a better AI assistant.
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One of the best reviews ive seen in a while, ace job man
This was extremely helpful. I've been in the market for a device and had been looking at Sonos. I can't stand crap audio like the first generation Amazon Echo. I NEED stereo sound with highs and lows, and while I am an Apple Music subscriber, nothing irritates me more than device limitations when spending a fair chunk of change. You put it out there - No BS - and that is appreciated.
$385 (with sales tax) for a not so smart speaker. Not worth it, and I am a iPhone user. I got a Google home and I am super happy with it. I have a couple of discounted minis spread around and they all work great.
Um, no, Apple music is supported on both Android and PC
And? You still can't use the homepod without a iPhone so AM is useless.
which goes to show how much better the android and PC market are by comparison to apple itself.lol
Alec Schulz you need iOS 11 to connect to the homepod.
Alec Schulz I think you should read the comment again :)
Kcidom 01 Well I’ve been using the HomePod for a week now, and I can definitely say that it alone can control all of your music without any devices.
True, the HomePod needs an iPhone for setting up, but the video was trying to denounce Apple Music when it mentioned its incompatibility, which is not true.
"surprisingly heavy" lol it better be heavy if the sound quality wants to be decent. For the way Apple is advertising it, it should have been 3-times the size, in my opinion, to truly have an amazing sound quality.
Yeah guys I know...a 1000 dollar price tag would put people of but the thought of finally getting a truly remarkable speaker with Siri right from Apple would be amazing. Sound quality is expensive. Sound quality can't be cheated on. No true evolution in like almost 20 years. Just pay attention to the mid's...it's lacking extremely like any speaker that is pretending to sound good.
EXACTLY. Im glad someone said this. Apple's speaker just sounds too… small. You can tell that the sound isn't coming from a larger speaker. And because of that, the tech inside is focused on base and highs. If this thing was just bigger, the sound would both sound more open and have better mids. And the most irritating thing is, this is a stationary product. It even needs a power cord. So WHY would I ever need it to be this small?!?!?! Adding $50 more to be directly next to the Home Max and being at least double the size would have been a better idea, IMO.
Lukas T well, get 2 with stereo?
according to the video, it sounds better than the Home Max. Every single review out there so far even says it's the best sounding smart speaker. Why make it bigger if it doesn't need to be?
I bought an echo ,and a addon audio pro for less than one of these things .All the practicality and usability i could ever want and sounds better than any of the speakers you showed in this
Yessss!! This is EXACTLY the review I was waiting for. Opinion from an audiophile. Thanks!
$350 Speaker...❤
Google's speaker is $400
that's the max one
they also have the regular one and the mini which is just 50$
Humorous Username are you really trying to compare the Home Pod to Google Home Mini? The Home Pod is Apple answer to Google Home Max.
juan2049 lol! 400$ Google home is worth! Homepod is crap! Sounds just good.. these gadgets is all about AI features not playing music.. this is just bonus.. there are sound speakers to learning musics
Mohammed Hasan No, the HomePod is a speaker first. Assistant second. The competitors are more focused on the assistant, while Apple with HomePod is working towards something that sounds great. Having used Google Home, Amazon Echo, and just having picked up a HomePod, I’m not all that much of a fan of voice assistants in general. The AI isn’t there yet for any of them, they’re not all too useful and I can do almost everything they do faster on my phone. There are some occasions where it is useful, but it kinda just feels like a gimmick. Some of the HomePod music features are good, that’s what I use it for almost all the time. But everything I used on my Alexa are here and working. Something I’ve found HomePod does better than any other is it’s ability to hear you from the other side of a large room without even needing for me to raise my voice.
Siri is GARBAGE who else agrees? Disclaimer I’m not hating on Apple I like Apple but Siri is not that great
AlphaStormRX I ask Google if she knows Siri and she says that they have a relationship they work to gather
I read somewhere that in the US Apple Music will be beating Spotify soon
John Titor Spotify is a better deal though
Because Apple Music is better
Why The verge don't use 4K for TH-cam video?
The frames you are shooting are beautiful!
A superb review. Your contrasts and comparisons help make it the best maybe perhaps possible.
This product is obsolete. This a pure example of apples capitalism.
Pravin Ramana No. remove the software and it’s a ...speaker. Tons of audio/speaker specific manufactures have the same or better speakers. Apple is lacking. HomePod is like a 8th grader while google & amazon are HS seniors. HomePod isn’t smart enough 🤷🏽♂️.
The homepod is trash and isn't a smart speaker
Soooooooo, this is just a speaker, nothing Smart about it
Umair Iqbal you just summed up this review
God damn you love spotify.
Derek Bock Because Spotify is Life 😆
I do..:-)
richard mcilwaine tidal
richard mcilwaine z
I’m a speaker nerd as well..
$350 gets you limited functions, mainly focused to one iOS
Vs.
$50-$150 gets you a mass amount of functions that work together with other smart devices, answer questions, completely requests.
Yeah if I was gonna blow money on a speaker definitely would go with Sonos and if I wanted an assistant I would go with the echo (which can control sonos 🤷🏾♂️)
I was looking for a review of this kind. Thanks.
I’m a huge Apple fan but Siri sucks. I don’t use it anymore. Will buy HomePod to give a try for the sound.
Apple music is going to take over Spotify in subscribers in the US soon. Also Apple music has 40 million songs and supports 110+ countries, Spotify has 30 million songs and supports 60+ countries.
zeropoint Apple Music also just sounds better, especially when using AirPods.
That’s just not true. Spotify has superior features and interface still. Apple lovers will use Apple Music. Everyone else will stuck with Spotify.
0neofthem 🤣 What?? Does siri sound more human on airpods too? Only you would know.
Ricky Hall Siri is the most Human sounding AI out of Google, Alexa, Bixby, and Siri.
glman99 The interface is on personal opinion and what superior features does spotify have that Apple music does not? You get more songs with Apple music, and you can use it in more countries. Apple fans will use Apple Music, Android fans will use Spotify.
Don't buy it!!!!
Cullen Merritt why not
Mr Chicken Its sucks
Mr Chicken it is way over priced! If you want a good speaker don't buy that one! And Siri can't do as much as other assistants.
Cullen Merritt dude, its one of the best speakers in the market. Its not meant for siri dumbass
Only iSheeps will pay $349 for this crap.
One of the best product reviews I’ve seen on TH-cam
I personally use the JBL link 20. It sounds amazing and has the google assistant built in so you can play Spotify or other music apps. This is the best of both worlds.