WWDC has just happened with Apple releasing a lot of new products. This included many new products such as:

• The most powerful Mac ever – Apple released a iMac Pro, which features processors up to 22 teraflops and up to 128GB of ram
• iOS11
• Augemented Reality (AR) on iPhone
• The artificial intelligence, Siri Intelligence
• New iPad Pros
• High Sierra macOS

However, of all the products released (where some also got internal upgrades such as the Macbook Air), the most anticipated prodct released of them all was the Apple HomePod – Apple’s reply to the Amazon Echo and Google Home artificial intelligence home speakers.

However, instead of being exactly like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the Apple HomePod is slightly different. Here are the main things to take away from the new device.

 

‘The new sound of home’

Just like the Echo and Google Home, it will have artificial intelligence being Siri Intelligence. However, what Apple want to do with the HomePod is make it a device with clear and amazing sound, using technology from Beats. This is done by using software to understand where the speaker is in the room and change to optimise the sound out of it to fill the room. Apple calls this ‘sense the room and tune itself’.

 

Uses Apple Music

Of course, being a speaker produced by Apple, the music service that will work with the HomePod will only be Apple Music. This does reduce the usability of the service especially when there are a lot of music services out there, such as Spotify, Google Music and more.

 

$350

At more than double the price of the Amazon Echo, the Apple HomePod is priced extremely high for a device in such a market. This might turn a lot of people off, especially when the alternatives have been around longer and much cheaper. However, die-hard fans would not be turned off by this.

 

Analysis of the Apple HomePod

It is about time that Apple released the HomePod – Google and Amazon have made huge ground in the articial intelligence industry and the home speaker industry. Apple are simply having to catch up now.

What is interesting is that the HomePod seems to have a USP, being the technology and hardware for a very good home speaker system. However, is it enough to turn people off the Echo and Home if they wanted a Home speaker?

If Apple only allow Apple Music on the speaker, then it is certainly going to reduce the amount of sales the HomePod will obtain. However, by having a speaker which is tied down by Apple Music will mean that Apple should see a boost in subscriptions to their music streaming service.

It is an interesting take by Apple. However, at this moment in time, it still appears the Amazon Echo and, especially, the Google Home are still market leaders in the race for a home AI speaker.