Apple‘s Siri is natively popular among iOS and Mac users, but how about on other smart devices?
Now, in a market of smart speakers dominated both by Google and Amazon, another giant is coming to give its competitors a run for their money – if you have the luxury to buy one, at least.
“Apple’s experience in integrating hardware with software and services will set its offering apart from similar products by Amazon and Google.” – Apple CEO Tim Cook said in an interview with Financial Post.
Dubbed the HomePod, it’s a voice-controlled smart speaker that works with Apple’s Siri. Like any use of Siri on your Apple device, you can command HomePod to do things such as send messages, set timers and reminders, check for weather, news, and sports updates, and stream music from a connected Apple Music subscription.
It supports some advanced search queries such as “Hey Siri, when was this song released?” or “Hey Siri, can you play something else?”, and so much more.
The HomePod is natively compatible with Apple’s HomeKit smart-home automation products, which ranges from lights and sensors, to switches and security systems.
Inside the HomePod
Inside the HomePod is an Apple A8 chip, Apple-engineered audio tech, as well as an array of seven tweeters combine with a large woofer and six microphones. The chip allows the HomePod to do things like real-time acoustic modeling and echo cancellation.
Pricing and Availability
The Apple HomePod will be available in white and space gray colors, for online order in the US, UK, and Australia on Febuary 9, and will be available in other European markets such as France and Germany in Q2.
Like any other Apple premium, it is priced at $349 (~PhP17.5k)
