The HomePod goes on sale this Friday, if only in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia. This means that the main technological blogs in these countries have already had their units for a few days, and today Apple has already given the ok for the first reviews to be published. The Verge, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch… all have released their first impressions with the new Apple product, and some even on video show us its handling.
They all agree on the same thing: excellent sound, surprising for a device of that size and price, but with a disadvantage: you must be immersed in the Apple ecosystem if you want to take advantage of it. We show you the best reviews below with the best videos about the HomePod.
The Verge: Locked Up
The Verge is always very critical of new Apple products, and the HomePod has been no different. They make it clear in their headline: "Locked in." They highlight the sound of the speaker, achieving the best audio that any other device in its category has ever achieved. But he emphasizes that it is reserved for Apple users, those who are within the company's ecosystem and who prioritize sound over anything else.
The Wall Street Journal: Super Sound But Not Super Smart
The Wall Street Journal does not say so much about Apple's closed ecosystem, but about the options that Siri offers us when it comes to controlling the HomePod, although the two are closely related. Apple's virtual assistant could give much more of itself, but Apple greatly restricts what it can and what not Siri can do, and for example we can't control Spotify from the speaker simply because Apple doesn't allow it. Of course, the sound is again the highlight of this speaker and makes it the best choice for those looking for just that.
TechCrunch: if you have Apple Music, don't hesitate
TechCrunch again assures that it does not know another speaker in this category with an audio similar to that of the HomePod, with very good bass but capable of perfectly differentiating the rest of the sounds. It also insists on voice recognition, the best in its category, being able to talk to Siri from the same room with the music playing without having to raise your voice. Again he insists on how Apple insists on closing its products to its own ecosystem, but ensures that if you use Apple Music you should not have doubts about which speaker to buy.
CNet: trapped in the world of Apple
At $ 349 the HomePod has excellent bass and superior sound quality in any music genre. Its configuration is very simple and Siri listens to you from anywhere in the room. However, you will be trapped in Apple services if you want to use voice commands to use it. Siri and HomeKit lack the compatibility that Alexa and Google Assistant do.
"Siri and HomeKit lack the compatibility that Alexa and Google Assistant do have."
You mean quantity of products or bad integration, because if the latter is screwed up by Apple.
It is the translation of the English review. Refers to compatibility with other platforms and products.
That does not have to do with apple but with the companies that make those products, if you do not make compatible products you will not be able to use it logically, the same happens with Alexa or google.