Apple's keynote at WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) ended with announcing a brand new product, the HomePod.
Even though it is not predicted to hit the stores and maybe even your home until December, HomePod's splash in the market made a buzz. With other home speakers such as Google Home and Amazon's voice assistant, Alexa, Apple was next in line to join the game of in home speakers and voice assistants. The competition is already becoming stiff and the HomePod's features are bringing in a new mix to the group.
The video demonstration presented during the keynote at WWDC is what caught the attention of the audience and live stream viewers.
Many people's thoughts assumed that it would involve Siri, Apple's voice assistant. The "Siri speaker" combination was no surprise. Siri has been in the hands of iPhone users since 2011. What is going to make the HomePod different is how it uses Siri and the speaker to the highest capability.
The speaker
The rounded speaker is just under 7 inches tall and 6 inches wide, making it pretty compact and slightly unrealistic for the level of sound expected in a high-quality home speaker. In this case, you really should not judge a book by its cover because it really does depend on what is inside. The speaker consists of 7 horn-loaded tweeters that are each separate with their own amplifiers. The casing also encompasses 6 microphones so you can "Hey Siri" from anywhere in the room and you will get a response no matter where you're standing (within reason I would think).
The speaker also has "Spacial Awareness", in other words, your HomePod can read whether it is sitting on your desk in your cozy room or on the coffee table in your living room. It scans this information to use its 7 tweeters to efficiently produce the best sound. With these sensors, you have a higher quality sound experience.
Siri meets the speaker
As I mentioned earlier, Siri itself is no longer considered a great feat. The combination of this speaker with Siri is what brings potential. As with other Apple devices, you can ask Siri via HomePod the basic questions and commands such as music controls, but that is not all. You can sit on your couch watching a show and ask her to "Turn on the lights" or "Lower the Temperature on the air conditioner." You just need to have HomeKit appliances connected to your Apple devices and you are all set.
All that is left to say is "Hey Siri."
Siri can also answer a plethora of other questions involving weather, sports, news, and the options are more than likely growing day by day as we wait for the product launch in December.
