Hi Donna, I agree with you with regard to privacy issues. But I honestly don’t think Apple has done what they could or should have done with Siri and never mind privacy issues. That is, privacy issues shouldn’t matter in these cases. Why, for instance, can’t you get radio stations around the world to play reliably? Why doesn’t music always play reliably? Why can’t you switch among music providers? Apple made a really nice speaker, better than Google certainly, and I don’t have the Amazon studio, so I can’t compare. I mean really. HomePod aside, Siri still get an awful lot of stuff wrong, and still sends you to the web Waymore than it should. Didn’t Apple say that was one of their big focuses for this year? Well, they blew it. So now, I have my nice HomePods which may or may not ever see any more upgrades. The performance is not reliable. It’s not the speaker. It’s the infrastructure. Apple screwed up.
Sent from my iPhone > On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:44 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries > <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote: > > Hi, Mary, > > I'm sure everyone on this list knows I've had my frustrations with Siri. lol > That said, I'd still rather have Siri than either Alexa or Google. Not that > any company has a flawless track record, but I trust Apple's handling of > privacy issues much more than either Amazon or Google. Also, none of the > Amazon devices I've listened to sound as good as the HomePod does. > > I have a couple of minis and they're fine as sort of satellite Siris that > can also play music. I have one in the bedroom, and one down in the exercise > room. Neither are places where I'm totally focused on the sound quality so > it's fine. But I would never want a Mini in one of the main living spaces of > the house. > Cheers, > Donna > >> On Mar 14, 2021, at 9:05 PM, Mary Otten <motte...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >> I couldn’t agree more, Donna. I was really disappointed. The problem with >> the homePod isn’t the speaker, it’s Apple and that god awful Siri. They >> really have not done what they should be doing with that. And there’s no way >> I’m interested in any HomePod mini. Why? I bought a pair of HomePods for the >> sound, and it’s very good. For 400 bucks, it sounds almost as good as >> speakers I paid more for in the past. But now it’s discontinued, so I guess >> maybe it won’t get more updates? What a rip! Apple, you really screwed it up! >> >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 5:55 PM, 'Donna Goodin' via MacVisionaries >>>> <macvisionaries@googlegroups.com> wrote: >>> >>> Wow, that’s too bad. The sound on the HomePod is much better than the mini. >>> Cheers, >>> Donna >>> >>> Sent from my iPhone >>> >>>> On Mar 14, 2021, at 7:52 PM, M. Taylor <mk...@ucla.edu> wrote: >>>> >>>> Hello Everyone, >>>> >>>> Well, I knew this day would come. I did not think it would happen so soon >>>> but . >>>> >>>> Since purchasing my original HomePod, all I have asked Apple to do was to >>>> add a device-specific equalizer so as to allow listeners to customize the >>>> sounds balance. This feature has long since been available on the Amazon >>>> Echo devices. >>>> >>>> Mark >>>> >>>> Apple HomePod Discontinued: Apple to Focus on Smaller, HomePod Mini, USA >>>> Today >>>> >>>> Apple to discontinue original HomePod and says it will focus efforts on >>>> HomePod mini >>>> >>>> Apple will discontinue its original HomePod four years after first >>>> releasing >>>> the smart speaker. >>>> >>>> The Cupertino, California-based tech giant says it will instead focus on >>>> its >>>> new and smaller HomePod mini, which went on sale in November for $99. >>>> "We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be >>>> available >>>> while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores and >>>> Apple Authorized Resellers," Apple said in a statement, reported by >>>> TechCrunch. "We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini." >>>> >>>> Apple didn't immediately respond Saturday to USA TODAY's request for >>>> comment. As of Saturday, the HomePod was selling for $299 on Apple's >>>> website >>>> with the mini available for $99. >>>> >>>> Apple first entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the original >>>> HomePod, first priced at $349, but dogged by complaints that the speaker >>>> did >>>> little more than just play music. It was dwarfed by sales of Amazon's Echo, >>>> the No. 1 best-selling smart speaker, and what was originally called the >>>> Google Home. >>>> >>>> The new HomePod mini can access apps on the iPhone using Siri, such as >>>> calendar, messages, or Music. The speaker also features an intercom and the >>>> ability to send messages from HomePod Mini to any Apple device, even >>>> AirPods. >>>> >>>> The smart speaker incorporates computational audio, which applies tuning >>>> models to bolster its sound. When announcing the new speaker in November, >>>> Apple said it would add a feature recognizing when your iPhone is near so >>>> music can easily transfer from playing on iPhone to HomePod mini and >>>> trigger >>>> visual and haptic responses on the phone. >>>> >>>> In January, Apple posted record revenue of $111.4 billion during its 2021 >>>> fiscal first quarter, a 21% increase from the same period a year ago. >>>> >>>> The company reported selling more iPhones and iPads, and hit a new revenue >>>> high from its services, such as Apple TV+, from October through December >>>> 2020, as consumers got new devices and used them more during the >>>> coronavirus >>>> pandemic. >>>> >>>> Contributing: Mike Snider, Brett Molina and Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY >>>> >>>> Original Article at: >>>> https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2021/03/13/homepod-discontinued-app >>>> le-focusing-efforts-homepod-mini/4680400001/ >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >>>> Visionaries list. >>>> >>>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or >>>> if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the >>>> owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >>>> >>>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark >>>> at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >>>> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >>>> >>>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >>>> --- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/000301d71935%2469744e70%243c5ceb50%24%40edu. >>> >>> -- >>> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >>> Visionaries list. >>> >>> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >>> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners >>> or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >>> >>> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: >>> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >>> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >>> >>> The archives for this list can be searched at: >>> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >>> --- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "MacVisionaries" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >>> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >>> To view this discussion on the web visit >>> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/DB2CA6E8-0C01-4FA6-B662-9974A9FB5C56%40me.com. >> >> -- >> The following information is important for all members of the Mac >> Visionaries list. >> >> If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if >> you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or >> moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. >> >> Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: >> mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at >> caraqu...@caraquinn.com >> >> The archives for this list can be searched at: >> http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ >> --- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "MacVisionaries" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/0A6341E2-DF1C-4BD7-81CE-C128FFAE6B43%40gmail.com. > > -- > The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries > list. > > If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if > you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or > moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. > > Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: > mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at > caraqu...@caraquinn.com > > The archives for this list can be searched at: > http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "MacVisionaries" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/6860190D-D66F-4E04-B81D-618ECB7B81BD%40me.com. -- The following information is important for all members of the Mac Visionaries list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your Mac Visionaries list moderator is Mark Taylor. You can reach mark at: mk...@ucla.edu and your owner is Cara Quinn - you can reach Cara at caraqu...@caraquinn.com The archives for this list can be searched at: http://www.mail-archive.com/macvisionaries@googlegroups.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MacVisionaries" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to macvisionaries+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/macvisionaries/896963BC-0F50-46F7-BCCC-7AB430CF7688%40gmail.com.
