February 14, 2018, 11:30 am | Read time: 5 minutes
After a long development period, Apple is now releasing its own smart speaker assistant with the HomePod. Can it shake up the market dominated by Amazon and Google, or is the device arriving too late? TECHBOOK was able to try it out in the U.S.
Apple’s smart voice assistant HomePod has finally debuted in the U.S., almost three years after the launch of Amazon’s Echo. The tech giant from Cupertino justifies the significantly higher price of $349 (about 280 euros) with a better speaker and the voice assistant Siri. But is that enough to catch up with the big lead? TECHBOOK took a closer look at the HomePod in the U.S. You can find the first impression in the following video:
Simple, Small–but Prone to Dirt!
Visually, the HomePod is dominated by minimalism: The cylindrical device is relatively heavy (2.5 kilograms) and as tall as a splayed hand. A fabric mesh surrounds the HomePod, which looks nice at first glance but unfortunately was also prone to dirt and dust in the test.
On the top is a touch surface that can be used in various ways: For example, tapping it once starts or pauses the song. Double-tapping quickly skips to the next song, and triple-tapping goes to the previous one. Holding a finger on the surface activates the voice assistant Siri. The volume is adjusted with plus and minus signs. Otherwise, a swirling, colorful light appears on the surface as visual feedback.
Photo: TECHBOOK
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Setup Already Available in German
The HomePod is set up and controlled via the iPhone–nothing works without it. Those with an Android phone will only get a decorative block for their living room with the HomePod. Interestingly, although the HomePod is currently only available in the U.S. and only accepts English commands, the setup via the app is already completely in German.
Music is available via iTunes or Apple Music; other streaming services are not natively supported. However, this is not a problem because Apple has integrated its AirPlay transmission standard. Spotify users, for example, can still get their music on the HomePod, and it worked smoothly in the test.
Great, Rich Sound
But how good is the sound that is so highly praised? After all, Apple has installed eight speakers, including a subwoofer for bass. When the HomePod is placed in a room for the first time, it acoustically measures the space–and detects where the sound reflects off the walls. The sound is then adjusted to eliminate unwanted effects like echo. Our first impression: The HomePod offers a rich sound with strong bass for its compact size. Impressive!
Apple also boasts a new technology called “beamforming.” This is supposed to ensure that the sound always reaches the corner of the room where it belongs in a “beam-like” manner. This is all controlled by Apple’s A8 chip, which was already used in the iPhone 6. In practical tests, we couldn’t find a significant advantage that sets the HomePod apart from other speakers, such as those from Sonos. Perhaps this effect will become apparent when multiple HomePods are connected–a feature Apple plans to introduce later this year.
Siri with Precise Answers and Natural Voice
The six built-in microphones are supposed to ensure that the voice assistant Siri listens even with loud music. However, this doesn’t always work convincingly in practice, especially when the user is a few meters away from the device; Siri doesn’t recognize every command immediately. You also need very clear commands to start the process–Alexa and the Google Assistant respond faster.
The commands can be initiated with the familiar “Hey Siri” from the iPhone and include:
- “What’s the weather today?”
- “Set a 5-minute timer”
- “Play my favorite song”
- “Increase the volume”
- “Read me the latest news”
- “Turn on the living room light” (assuming smart lamps are available)
The responses are precise, and the voice of the English Siri sounds very natural, not as robotic as Alexa and Google Assistant. You can find all Siri commands here in this article.
Photo: TECHBOOK
How Apple’s HomePod Stacks Up Against Amazon Echo and Google Home
Sonos’ Affordable Beam Soundbar: A 5-Point Test
Conclusion: Apple HomePod
Apple markets the HomePod primarily as a speaker and not as a smart assistant like Amazon’s Echo–and rightly so, because Alexa and the Google Assistant have a broader range of functions than Siri. The sound quality is superb and significantly better than the Echo, but is it worth the high price? After all, you can currently get almost three Echos or two Echo Plus for one HomePod. We say: No, the price is significantly too high! Especially since you can get the equally good Sonos One with built-in Alexa for just under 200 euros.
When Is the HomePod Coming to Germany?
Apple is still keeping quiet about an official launch date for Germany–only “spring 2018” is known. The company has also not yet announced a euro price. We expect around 400 euros.