HomePod, the iPod for the home

HomePod. © Apple.

At the annual WWDC developers conference, Phil Schiller unveiled a brand-new Apple product, the HomePod, a connected system of seven tweeters and an array of basses for 360-degree sound, which works with Apple Music. The interface is vocal thanks to Siri and six microphones. That said, Apple isn’t positioning the product as an assistant, which is probably a good thing given Siri’s lacklustre performance compared to the competition (Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant). The HomePod’s brain is an A8 system-on-a-chip (that of the iPhone 6). This new gadget will only be available at the end of the year, and even then only in the U.S., Great-Britain and Australia, for the relatively high price of US$350.

⇨ Apple, “HomePod reinvents music in the home.”

⇨ The Verge, “How does Apple’s HomePod compare to cheaper options from Amazon and Sonos?”