Apple discontinued the HomePod biggie? Why? The Mini still continues on though.
@terrygrier just read the news. Smart of Apple to dump the news on a Friday evening. I’m glad I bought two couple of months ago. Love them too.
@pratik but then again knowing apple they will introduce new features that the original HomePod will not support. I had a bad feeling when the keynote around the mini did not say “and the original HomePod will get these features with the update.
@pratik Just saw that too. Never did get one, I’ve never wanted a smart speaker. Sound quality was appealing but living in a condo, not practical since we're always mindful of sound for neighbors.
@pratik I've heard great things, and they sound amazing when I've heard them in person. We have a Bose soundbar that's simple and meets our needs for now, so I'm not sure these will be in the cards. I guess we'll see what the future brings. It's weird that I like this hardware and privacy-focused side of Apple better right now than the side which is wielding its monopoly power in an ugly way over its App Store and its obsession with growth of services.
@pratik I have a pair and love them. I don’t really see the mini as a replacement. Apple’s decision feels unfortunate but of course it is part of the tech world’s “natural selection” process.
@Alligator @ronguest @pratik I also think the Homepod sounds far better. Unfortunately, I think it came down to price point. I have a lot of friends who wouldn't purchase the HomePod, but when the mini came out they purchased multiple. I think people compared the HomePod to the Alexa instead of a high quality sound system with a VA built in.
@joshsullivan @ronguest @alligator I can relate. The HomePod was my first smart speaker and I would only get one from Apple due to its privacy stance. But I bought it only after they went on sale last year (now we know why). Although I’m no audiophile, I still love with the occasional hiccup of not switching from regular output to TV output when you want it to.