Apple’s WWDC keynote was a cocktail of the expected and the surprising. We got the yearly updates to all four Apple software (iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS). Then there were the not-so-common hardware releases (Mac and iPad updates). But Apple saved the best for last. Right at the end of the 2-hour long event came a brand new product – the HomePod.
What exactly is a HomePod?
At the grassroots level, HomePod is a wireless speaker. It plays music from your Apple devices and also has built-in access to Apple Music.
Having said that, there is much more to HomePod than simply being a high-end speaker. Here’s a look at all the cool things that it can do.
Top Notch and Smart Sound
As you would expect from Apple, they have engineered every aspect of this speaker, be it the mesh fabric exterior or high excursion woofer. They have managed to fit in seven tweeters and 6 microphones in this tiny 7-inch speaker. And if a high-end sound wasn’t enough, Apple has installed an A8 chip in it that makes sure that you get the same quality of sound irrespective of where in the room you place the speaker.
Apple Music Sync
HomePod is Apple Music ready. All you need to do it sign in using your Apple id and you get instant access to all your Apple Music playlists, albums etc. You can use Siri to browse through the exhaustive catalogue of 40 million songs. Your Apple Music preferences and settings are also synced from other Apple devices.
Siri As Your Music Guide
Siri on HomePod isn’t just a replacement for music player buttons. It provides multi-layered access to information about the music you are playing. For example, you can ask Siri about the song details like the year of album release or the name of the singer. Siri can be activated by pressing tapping on top of the HomePod or simply by using the ‘Hey Siri’ command.
Virtual Assistant
Although Apple mentioned it as an additional feature, the virtual assistant capabilities of HomePod are impressive in itself. You can use Siri on HomePod to do tasks like set timers, schedule reminders, check news, do quick calculations and much more. HomePod can hear you from across the room, so you don’t even need to go near it to assign tasks.
It’s too early to judge how good the sound quality and features of HomePod will be, but on first glance it seems like a compelling product. Apple is pitching it as a high-quality speaker first and a virtual assistant on the side. We trust them to live up to promise and deliver an amazing sound experience.
HomePod is scheduled to launch in December in US, UK and Australia. There is no news of India release yet. The US price is 350 USD, so we expect it to launch around Rs. 25,000 in India.
What do you think of HomePod. Is it an exciting addition to Apple’s product catalogue?
