Apple HomePod - What you need to know before buying it / Compatibility and Prices

Apple recently put on sale first speaker intelligence designed by the company and thus entered a market segment where they were not yet present. HomePod is wrongly compared Google Home and Amazon echo. Smart speakers already famous and bought by millions of people all over the world, these are compatible with many online music services as well as with a wide range of devices. From Android mobile phones to iPhone.

On specialized forums and especially on those with users whose ideas are against Apple, there have been all kinds of discussions in which the American company is accused of HomePod forces users to lock themselves in the so-called "Apple ecosystem" and that it is not possible to use HomePod in interaction with other devices other than Apple. In a way it is. Even though it has a beautiful design and promises a sound quality, HomePod is not for everyone.

What to know before you buy a box intelligence HomePod

Box intelligence HomePod can not be used than just If you own an Apple device not older than iPhone 5s, Air iPad, iPod touch (5th generation) or iPad mini 2. Any of these with a minimum version iOS 11.2.5, which provides support for configuration HomePod.
So, if you own an Android smartphone, a Samsung tablet and a Windows PC, you definitely don't want to buy a HomePod as a trinket. It is true that the design of the HomePod is nice, but to listen to the music, you need to have a cassette player or tape recorder behind it.

If you own an Apple device compatible with HomePod, it is still not enough to enjoy the entire experience offered by the smart speaker. This supports voice commands through Siri, to play certain songs or music genres, but you need to get acquainted with a subscription Apple Music or buy music from iTunes Store. Another option would be to use the service iTunes Match of Apple. Through iTunes Match you can import into iCloud Music Library music from other sources (such as CDs), which you can later play on HomePod. iTunes Match supports up to a maximum of 100,000 songs.
Without using Siri services, you can play music directly from your iPhone, iPad or Mac, using Airplay. Whether it is imported from other sources in the library of the Music application. You can also use services such as AirPlay playback Spotify, but without too much control through Siri.
Therefore, there is no freedom on Android, where a music transfer from the computer to the smartphone is done in a few seconds, without the need for specific applications. As a summary of this paragraph, HomePod means not being strangers to Apple Music, iCloud Music Library and iTunes services. All being Apple services.
In conclusion, don't buy a HomePod if you don't have at least one foot in the Apple ecosystem. This speaker requires you to use both Apple services and to have purchased at least one device compatible with it. It is somewhat the same as in the case of AirPods bluetooth headphones. They cannot be used with another device, other than iPhone, iPad or Mac.

Apart from the not negligible price, there is more interacting with Siri. It is true that Siri can have many uses and you can ask it for a lot of information, but if you don't use it that way, already the price of 349 $ (starting price) is a bit steep for a speaker whose artificial intelligence is not put to work. There are much cheaper speakers that use Google Assistant or Alexa and are compatible with a very wide range of devices. Even with Apple ones.

Still, why would we buy a HomePod

First of all, you buy a HomePod if you can afford it. Starting price of 349$ it is not available to everyone. Especially if you are not in the US, it reaches the EU market somewhere at 500$. The price varies depending on local taxes of each country. For Romania, the calculation can be done very simply. iPhone X Apple starts from the price 999$ (64GB variant) and reaches the Romanian market at... $1,445. This is after a good few months from the date of publication. It was also at almost $2000 in the period immediately after the launch. So for a HomePod, an initial price would be $550 - $600. Depending on the request.

Secondly, we would buy a HomePod because we are users of Apple devices and services. We use iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, etc. devices "made by Apple" and services like iCloud and Apple Music to the fullest. Compatibility is not a problem, and together with these devices, HomePod completes the landscape in an elegant way.
HomePod's design is minimalistic, in two non-colored versions that find their place in any office, living room or bedroom. White or black.

sound quality and the artificial intelligence of Siri, are again an argument for which we can forget about the peppered price at the time of purchase. The seven tweeters and a high-excursion woofer, all with independently customized amplifiers, promise a sound quality worthy of a top product.