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If you are looking for Apple Homepod this is the cheapest I have seen.
Apple Homepod (Black or White) for $424.15 at Myer eBay
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supert1ght on 10/03/2018 - 07:33 ebay.com.au (2073 clicks)
Last edited 12/03/2018 - 04:01 by 2 other users
Last edited 12/03/2018 - 04:01 by 2 other users
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Too little (for the money), too late (to beat every other brand of this kind of thing). I like Apple stuff and have used it for over 30 years, but they're really into gauging the market with their smaller products.
Yep, gimme a small Siri puck any day.
(for the money)
How much of your own money is flowing out the door due to marketing though. Apple is not an advertising business nor are they whatever you want to call Amazon now.
Most people think it's zero. But we know it isn't zero. So what is it? You cannot say how your perception of value has been shaped but it's definitely happening to a large group of people who claim it is not like most people do. Then there's other manipulation of people by political entities - most people claim marketing does not effect them but clearly this is false.
1 sold
Lol :P
Requires an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch with iOS 11.2.5 or later for setup.
This is what is the main problem is I reckon.
The Google Home itself only requires iOS 9.1 and higher.
I have mine and I love it. Though I would argue it's really targeting a niche customer. It's for those embedded into the Apple/Apple Music ecosystem and with lots of HomeKit devices. It's ability to cover a room with sound almost better than my $800 bookshelfs is impressive - but not the mainstream product Apple usually makes. Expect a HomePod mini in the near future.
Expect a HomePod mini in the near future
Yeah, but it will probably still be $299 or something.
I reckon between Google and Amazon, the whole smart home thing is pretty much covered. Apple is just like that last person trying to squish onto a crowded bus.
I'm sure that most people with the Home or Home mini for example don't have a smart home, they just use it for the helpful assistant. But by putting the price up to $500, it needs to be more than an assistant.That’s why it’s pushed as a really really good speaker.
@goodhasgone: I can vouch that it is very, very good. Fills a room in all directions. I think AirPlay 2 will also be a huge selling point for people wanting to play music throughout their whole house.
Just bummed I didn't save this $75 on it…
@goodhasgone: So its a $500 speaker? Would want to be a damn good speaker lol. Yeah, there are other $500 speakers but the difference is you can use something else rather than the latest iOS to use it.
@pennypincher98: Furthermore:
In this blind test, nobody ranked the HomePod the best… As far as I can tell, none of the other critics who declared HomePod #1 actually set up their own blind A/B/C/D tests. Maybe their conclusions wouldn’t have been so emphatic if they had.
Yeah I've got the Google Home Mini, got it for $37 thanks to a split (2 for $74) with a fellow OzBargainer.
It is an absolute bargain and the Google Assistant puts Siri to shame! I would put Siri's IQ at about half of the Google Assistant, although they are both pretty low IQ's :)
I had a quick listen to the HomePod at an Apple store and it is a very good speaker but probably not worth the Apple tax.Also I have a Sonos setup at home that would not work at all together with the HomePod, too late Apple!
@JTTheMan: Yep I think that many Apple people would have already 'invested' in multi room audio with sonos - it would be a hard transition to build in the Apple gear when it won't work together.
@JTTheMan: Your Sonos will work with the HomePod when Apple releases AirPlay2 from beta and Sonos update their speakers to support AirPlay2 (which is a software update, so your existing system will work).
@itsMartin: Ok, I'll be waiting for that!
Hopefully that doesn't mean I have to use Apple Music as well??
@JTTheMan: I'm not sure how Sonos will do it, but I imagine they'll enable you to add a HomePod to your existing Sonos network and run as you currently do.
I'm not sure how AirPlay2 will work with speakers from different manufacturers as those details have been lacking from any announcement, but Sonos did say they would update to AirPlay2 and lots of forums I've read seem to think that you'll be able to play the two together.I assume it will work similarly to the current setup: You can AirPlay to the speaker using Spotify, but you can't use Siri to control it (you have to use your iPhone or Mac which is sending the stream over AirPlay).
@itsMartin: Yes, there are a few questions as to how the two systems will integrate? Time will tell.
@McBanjo: I'm not too fond of it, I find it a little lacking in the mid range, and ultimately it sounds a little.. muffled to me. Good bass though, and very clear.
Better than my Google home for sound quality for sure, but for $500…
id be buying it for the sound quality , which was one of apples critera , not just an assistant.
my concern is it’s one unit …. so what happens to stereo and channel separation .
@goodhasgone: Yup, it's a really good speaker first, and mediocre smart assistant maybe third.
Siri really needs to get better.
I think I might buy an Google home instead
and an Amazon Echo
and an Google Home Mini
and an Amazon Echo Dot
and with the money left over I might try out some Music Streaming services
and buy a pizza
with extra pepperoni.
Ordered pizza with extra pepperoni with alexa
Did she laugh at you creepily?
Apple should know better, coming into the world of smart speaker, this aint gonna cut it…….
Different kind of device. This thing actually sounds awesome. https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/7wwtqy/apple_ho…
Jokes aside, the sound quality is significantly better than the competition but you still get the general ‘smart’ speaker design… It’s been worth it for me basically because it sounds so good in comparison to my google home/AE, but it obviously depends on the buyer as to what you want.
Sound quality is not significantly better than competition. See itsfree's comment above.
I personally prefer my full Sony sound system setup to any of these, but if I was comparing just the ‘smart’ speakers alone, then ‘FOR ME’, Apple is an easy win… I’m judging by my ears, not reviews.
If you only have a Google Home you're comparing apples to oranges, so of course the Apple sounds better. You said 'competition', which would be the home max.
I don't really care what you have, I just wanted to warn people who were buying based on apple's lame 'proof'.
Have a good one.
I would jump on this if they can stream Spotify with voice, search songs etc…
I was in the same position previously but once I started using Apple Music, I stopped using my Spotify Premium account. Apple Music playlist and selection are better than Spotify, IMO,
So only using Apple Music with HomePod is not a problem for me now.
I'm opposite, went from Apple Music to Spotify - haven't looked back
Can't really look back when Spotify Indonesia is only 36 per year mate
I went from Spotify to a couple months free Google play. Now it's just auto billing me and I can't be bothered removing it. Convenient enough, though sometimes it plays pretty random stuff. Ask Google play to play Andy Williams, and see what it plays.
Same - went from Apple Music to Spotify.
sorry mate, ozbargain spirit, spotify Indonesia only 36 AUD per year as compare to apple music………..
Streams Spotify with Apple Play
got one and dont find it useful at all
Not even as a speaker?
Perhaps you didn’t even need one to begin with?
regret getting one, sound quality is not that bad for its size, especially bass. apart from being a speaker with useless Siri, pretty much it is a deco item
Yes, expensive. But this thing is an awesome gadget. Audiophiles have given it extremely high ratings, its a great choice for music lovers who use Apple music.
I tried it in the Apple store and wasn't impressed.
I understand you are paying a premium for better sound quality but to me it still sounded like a small portable speaker. Better off getting a soundbar for your tv or sub $500 av receiver with bluetooth/wireless and streaming
The HomePod's no substitute for a proper hifi setup, but it's not meant to be. Personally, I'm sticking mine in my kitchen where it will replace a DAB radio.
Most expensive radio ever
no whites left on ebay
A word of caution here:
Hardware wise, the HomePod may sound amazing but its physical controls aren’t as good as the Echo’s… In short, the increase in sound quality doesn’t make up for the frustration of using Siri… the Echo is back in its rightful place in the kitchen.
Seriously… $424, being an Apple fan boy I went with the amazon myself
Check out my post
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/365604Echo? You are kidding right? Not even close in terms of build and sound quality. I prefer to pay more for quality.
Its actually ridiculous how people compare the smart part of the capability and diss this as a poor product. I have a mate who deals in high end audio… stuff which cost tens of thousands and says there no speaker for the price which can match the sound from the Homepod for the same price or even twice the price. Even the way the top light illumintaes just like siri on phone is pretty genius.
Remember, the smart part is just software. So Siri can be as good as Alexa or Google (may be not because Apple takes privacy seriously unlike google who's revenue from Android is nothing compared to earnings from adverts which they sell by mining your private data), but once you have bought it, you cannot improve the sound.
lol
If you want quality go for the Google Home Max, sounds much better
You own one? Where did you got it from?
Reviews say it's much better
@xev:
Hahaha. Please come back and comment when you actually heard one.
Else maybe you should link those reviews that says Google Home Max is better cause I remember many reviewers (who actually heard both of them) said HomePod is better.
@xev:
No. It is not available in Australia. Neither did I claim that Google Home Max is sounds better than HomePod as what you claim in your earlier post.
The reviews that I have read have said it sounds better
I know that this is not the smartest smart speaker around but then I also do not see the point of a speaker which cant do the speaker part properly. The smart can be increased with software, you can't increase the sound quality.
I really don't see the point of these things. If I want a speaker, I already have tens of thousands of dollars of audio gear in my house that I've accumulated over decades. It will blow the HomePod away.
If I want to check the weather using a voice-activated device, then I usually have a phone nearby that can do that.
If I want to stream music, then I just use the Bluetooth DACs I already have, and use my phone to control them. And unlike the HomePod, they support any device, with full aptX (and AAC) support.
Really, unless you are starting from scratch, have no audio equipment at all, and are absolutely determined to buy an all-in-one solution that will be redundant in a few years, then there's no reason for these speakers.
Most people would be better placed putting the money towards some decent kit speakers, which they will probably still be using in a couple of decades, when Apple has long ago switched off the cloud services these speakers rely on.
Won't pull the trigger until at least 20% off…
Not sure why people are put off by the price. It’s not a lot of money considering the sound quality. I envy those who don’t hear the difference between a good quality speaker and a Google Home. Sony sells an equivalent ‘dumb’ high quality speaker for $999 (srs-x99, which I bought at half price more than a year ago) so $425 doesn’t feel expensive to me (and I’m the first to say that Apple’s iPhones have become too pricey).
If you want an overpriced smart speaker, why accept the limitations imposed on you by Apple?
Just go for a Sonos system and you'll be able to use it however you want. Plus Alexa is way better than Siri at being a smart assistant anyway.
Google and amazon has won this space
So Apple is doomed? ‘Another’ product fail?
google and amazon were in catch up mode to voice interaction as siri was on the market first, and is already built into more cars than google assistant or alexa, so they have been pushing hard to catch up, amazon doesn’t make phones. so they need alexa to get enough voice data to train their AI offerings, for google you need right android version for the assistant and it’s a lot more recent than siri, the goal isn’t just voice at home, it’s voice on phones which people use most.
they use their voice recognition to sell their public cloud services ( google and amazon) , idea being you can’t text and drive, but you can order a pizza with voice recognition so retailers will use their cloud platform for retail apps.
Another lol…
Can you use spotify, play music?
No, only apple music
Yes, you can AirPlay anything, including Spotify, to it. You can't play Spotify on it without a device to airplay to it. You can airplay from any Windows, Mac, iOS device and I think there is a way to do it on Android but O haven't tried that.
Even as someone who uses a lot of Apple products, I can’t see how the HomePod is a justifiable purchase. Sure, it has better sound quality than Google’s offerings, but at the cost of less usability, a vastly inferior personal assistant (Google has stormed far, far ahead of Siri) and at a higher price tag to boot.
For the tiny share of that market that doesn’t care about Siri’s shortcomings and restrictions with respect to full functionality only coming from Apple Music, it’s a great product. But terrible for everyone else, IMO.
because siri was first voice recognition on phones, they had that lead time to also make their way into cars , google and amazon haven’t done that , for them to now get that foothold will be difficult , can’t see car makers asking “ do you want us to install siri, google assistant or alexa in your new corolla”, especially because google and amazon voice recognition is primarily a platform to sell stuff to preferred advertisers, for apple it’s an assistant and apple music …. we all like music in cars, and for car makers to switch is not an overnight process.
you're forgetting Android Auto which is in most cars with CarPlay
Expensive paper weight. A $30 home mini does more.
where you getting a home mini for $30?
Not sure why it's so hard for people to understand this is a high quality speaker first and foremost. The smart features are just a bonus. Why compare it to something like a google home mini which represents a completely different market.
Okay then - let’s compare it to a Sonos One which is half the price, twice as compatible, and has beaten the HomePod in various blind listening tests.
I’m the biggest Apple fan you’ll find but this is ridiculous overpriced rot.
has beaten the HomePod in various blind listening tests
Sources?
This, where are the sources?
It is funny that people start claiming they are apple fans before bashing apple.
@dennis3107: Sure - don’t tell me why you disagree, just ask me to cite my references. Ok, thankyou for your resourceful contribution.
The most notable one can be found here, but there’s a few around now as reviews start trickling out.
I have listened to the HomePod for a reasonable enough time and in a home environment, and let’s just say I won’t be upgrading from my single Sonos One. Let’s remember $499 (or even $424) buys you a pair of Sonos One’s and leaves you with change for gods sakes!
While this might be down to personal tastes, I found the HomePod kind of like an early pair of beats headphones. Muddy and overbearing in the low end, sibilant in the high end, very little meat in the middle.
I use Spotify, have no intention of switching to Apple Music, and I’m not buying a $500 product because Apple pinkie swears it’s getting AirPlay 2… sometime.
360° sound is a stupid feature - in a Bluetooth party speaker, sure - but it’s not only pointless in a speaker that’s going to sit on a shelf against a wall, but I’d imagine probably quite a nuisance if it’s against a common wall you share with a neighbour, or being used in a kitchen that shares a wall with a bedroom, and so on.
You need to remember $500 (or $424, whatever) buys you some serious active 2.1’s which aren’t hampered by stupid limitations to the software you use, the assistant you use, or the inputs you use.
I don’t really feel a need to engage in a biggest dick competition with a random on the internet but ok it’s saturday and I’m painfully alone - I still have a @Mac.com email, own a G4 cube, an eMac, along with lots of other fun relics like an original 2G iPhone and an iPod nano complete with original 30 pin lanyard accessory - my most recent purchase was a black Mac Pro mouse - you know those ones with the failure prone cables?
Bashing Apple for calling the HomePod rot? Settle down dennis3107, if that even is your real name. Being a fan of Apple doesn’t mean I can’t point out their stupid and/or horse shit ideas. And the HomePod is utter rot. The iPod Hi-Fi was discontinued in 2007 and it sounds better, costed less, and have mercy, has a 3.5mm input!
@jackary: You cited one source. Pretty much 99% of reviews say the opposite, including the Sonos founder. In fact, some say it's on par with the Sonos P5, which is bigger and more expensive. Not to mention that Consumer Reports is notorious for repeatedly flawed methodologies in their reviews.
And let's not refer to the HP as a '$500 product' when the deal says otherwise.
@haru: Oh for Christ’s sakes. No worries. Well I feel I’ve added plenty of information despite your nitpicking.
Others can form their own conclusions. Thanks again for your input, I didn’t actually reply to you, but thanks.
I just don't understand why you would spend this much money on speakers that rely on a cloud service that could be turned off at any point in time by Apple.
Put the $500 towards some kit speakers that will last you decades, and get a decent Bluetooth DAC to pair them to your phone. You still get wireless audio, but you have a long-term solution.
I spent a grand on some really high-end kit speakers in the 90s, and they're still going strong, despite being used almost every day for more than two decades. They'll probably still be pumping out high quality audio when I'm an old man and can't even hear it anymore. And I can drive them just fine from my phone, because they're connected to a Bluetooth DAC (that fully supports aptX HD and Bluetooth AAC, with zero vendor lock-in).
For asking a voice assistant trivial questions, and querying the weather, I usually have a phone nearby. For quality audio, I have real audio gear.
The HomePod is too expensive to be a disposable novelty (like the Google Home Mini), and too vertically integrated to be part of a long-term audio solution. I just don't know what it is for.
I would maybe buy it if it was half that price.
I got one of these for my bathroom. Siri is poo but its ability to sound good in that challenging space has no peer and it is amazing how it can still hear you even at full volume.
i have google mini but when it comes to music it sounds terrible compared to other options to fill a room.
i don’t think homepod is over priced compared to some of the bluetooth speaker offerings ive seen in stores and they don’t have voice recognition, will need to go in and check it out.
but then i own $400 headphones because i listen to music a lot, so want it in high. quality rather than just background noise.You don’t buy amazon echo and google home
For speakers you buy them for AI and PA
And you use them to control your sonos or your home hi fi which has superior sound etc…
Unless you're bathing in money, I really can't see how you could justify the price to place this in a bathroom.
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Not sure the word cheapest can be associated with Homepod, maybe least expensive?