Apple HomePod - What you need to know before you buy it / Compatibility and Prices

Apple recently put up for sale the first the intelligent box designed by the company and thus entered a market segment that was not yet present. HomePod is wrongly compared with Google Home si Amazon Echo. Smart speakers already famous and bought by millions of people all over the world, these are compatible with many online music services as well as with a wide range of devices. From Android mobile phones to iPhone.

On specialized forums and especially those with users whose ideas are against Apple, there have been all sorts of discussions in which the American company is accused as through HomePod forces users to shut down in the so-called "ecosystem Apple”And that it is not possible to use HomePod interacting with devices other than Apple. In a way it is. Even if it has a beautiful design and promises a high-quality sound, HomePod not for everyone.

What you need to know before you buy a smart speaker HomePod

The intelligent speaker HomePod can not be used than just if you are the owner of a device Apple not older than iPhone 5s, iPad Air, iPod touch (a 5 generation) or iPad mini 2. Any of these with a minimum version iOS 11.2.5, which provides support for configuration HomePod.
So, if you own an Android smartphone, a Samsung tablet and a Windows PC, you definitely don't want to buy one HomePod as a trinket. It is true that the design HomePod it is a pleasant one, but in order to listen to music, you need to have a cassette player or tape recorder behind it.

If you are the owner of a device Apple compatible with HomePod, it is still not enough to enjoy the whole experience offered by the smart speaker. This one supports voice commands via Siri, to play certain music tracks or genres, but you need to get acquainted with the subscription Apple Music or buy music on iTunes Store. Another option would be to use the service iTunes Match al Apple. Through iTunes You can import Match into iCloud Music Library music from other sources (such as CDs), which you can later play on HomePod. iTunes Match supports up to a maximum of 100.000 songs.
Without using Siri services, you can play music directly from your iPhone, iPad or Mac, using AirPlay. Whether it is imported from other sources in the library of the Music application. Also by playback AirPlay you can use services like Spotify, but without too much control through Siri.
So, there is no freedom on Android, where a transfer of music from computer to smartphone is done in a few seconds, without the need for specific applications. As a summary of this paragraph, HomePod it means not being a stranger to services Apple Music, iCloud Music Library si iTunes. All being services Apple.
In conclusion, do not buy a HomePod if you are not at least one foot in the ecosystem Apple, This speaker conditions you to use both services Apple as well as having purchased at least one device compatible with it. It is somewhat the same as in the case of AirPods bluetooth headphones. They cannot be used with another device, other than iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Besides the price to be neglected, it is interaction with Siri. It is true that Siri it can have many uses and you can ask for a lot of information, but if you do not use it in any way, already the price of $ 349 (starting price) is a bit peppery for a speaker whose artificial intelligence is not put to work. There are much cheaper speakers that use Google Assistant or Alexa and are compatible with a very wide range of devices. Even with those Apple.

However, why would we buy one HomePod

First of all, a HomePod buy it if you can afford it. Starting price of 349$ is not available to anyone. Especially if you are not in the US, it gets to the EU market somewhere at 500$. The price varies depending on local taxes of each country. For Romania, the calculation can be done very simply. iPhone X leave from Apple priced at 999$ (64GB version) and reaches Romania $ 1.445 on the Romanian markets. This is after a few good months from the date of its appearance. It was also at almost $ 2000 in the period immediately after its launch. So for a HomePod, an initial price would be $ 550 - $ 600. Depending on demand.

Secondly, we would buy one HomePod because we are users of devices and services Apple. iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, etc. devices “made by Apple”And services like iCloud and Apple Music we use them to the full. Compatibility is not a problem, and with these devices, HomePod completes the landscape in an elegant way.
design HomePod it is designed minimally, in two variants of non-colors that find their place in any office or living room or bedroom. White or black.

Sound quality and the artificial intelligence of Siri, are again an argument for which we can forget about the peppered price at the time of purchase. The seven tweeters and a high-excursion woofer, all with independently customized amplifiers, promise a sound quality worthy of a top product.

Complete specifications and other details about HomePod you can find them here: HomePod Specs.