Apple doesn’t care about HomePod?

[u/UpsideDownOfYoutube]

I‘m a huge fan of HomePod, having 2 OGs hooked up to my Apple TV and multiple around the house.

However, as I often feedback to Apple about my experience I don’t know if they even read/care.

Their feedback site includes the latest models, but the form only lists firmware versions up to 16.5.

I have sent them feedback about it, bit as always didn’t get a response. Do you feel like they care? It’s not top priority to them, I get that.

Do you have any experiences with Apple answering feedback? The OS 18 update also seems very small.

[u/R3ddit0rN0t]

HomePods are too expensive for the voice assistant / bluetooth speaker niche and they aren't nearly good enough to appeal to home theater enthusiasts. Most of my tech gear is Apple so I'm not predisposed to dislike HomePods. But right now, their appeal is limited to people who really aren't terribly discerning about the quality of their home theater setup, and think that for $600 a pair of HomePods sound "pretty good." Sonos has proven that there is a market for expensive, networkable, versatile, high quality audio systems.

The HomePod home theater audio option was introduced 2.5 years ago and they haven't done anything to enhance it. Until Apple decides what it really wants to do with the product line, it's rather listless.

[u/WinterZealousideal10 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

Sound bars are overrated. HomePods are perfect for home audio set ups. I think theaters even do their sound wrong. You should be hearing the audio and feeling like it’s around you. Why do you wanna feel like you’re in the middle of a nuclear explosion when you can just enjoy it?

[u/R3ddit0rN0t → u/WinterZealousideal10]

Saying "you're doing it wrong" to the entire audio industry is probably not a winning play. Volume doesn't have to be dialed up to 11 to enjoy a multi-speaker sound system. The sound stage is much more accurate than some virtually rendered environment coming from two locations in front of the listener.

[u/WinterZealousideal10 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

You can have multiple audio sources with HomePods?

I’m not here to win, just discuss and sometimes share my opinion about things I thing are dumb. Like feeling like my chest is being shot when I just wanted to feel like there were guns around me. I hate going to the theater and to my friends house with full audio setup. Like are we watching a movie with a story or are we going to the gun range?

[u/R3ddit0rN0t → u/WinterZealousideal10]

Again, the immersiveness of the setup and the volume are two completely different things. Even a basic 5.1 system with speakers in front and behind the viewer, dedicated center channel and subwoofer places all of the audio elements where engineers intended them to be. Atmos is even better. The speakers don't need to be set at an ear-splitting volume.

[u/WinterZealousideal10 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

It’s not about volume. I also usually like things loud. It’s about power and balance. Most people like punch up the bass and explosions all the way and drown out the voices (which is also my experience at theaters) and like. What? But no yeah idk what we even arguin about haha I don’t know if my HomePods have 5.1, but I’m fairly certain they have atmos.

[u/zhenya00 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

HomePods are not intended to replace a home theater system or a high end stereo for an audiophile. They are intended to provide significantly better audio than the built-in speakers on the TV in an unobtrusive form factor. For that they do a great job - while also serving as a smart speaker. HomePods hold their own sound-wise against Sonos systems of similar footprint.

[u/R3ddit0rN0t → u/zhenya00]

Yes, that's where Apple has positioned them now. And that's why they have limited appeal and are largely ignored. They're a niche product into which Apple is investing as little resources as possible.

[u/zhenya00 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

I think the market for people who want decent audio that doesn't call attention to itself is orders of magnitude larger than the home theater speaker market. It's just that Apple may only sell a few tens of millions of these things rather than billions like they do iPhones.

[u/R3ddit0rN0t → u/zhenya00]

Made up sales figures probably aren't going to advance the conversation any. Here's what we know to be true:

• Apple discontinued production on the HomePods for 2 years. And when it returned, the design was basically unchanged. (It's not like they stopped production in order to re-launch with a major redesign.)

• When clearing out stock, people were receiving new HomePods that had manufacture dates 2-3 years prior

• They've added almost zero new features to home pods in the last 3 years.

• In order to use the Home Theater audio feature you also need a $150 Apple TV. And you can only AirPlay from other apple devices. Both are further barriers to wide acceptance.

And that's not even getting into the lack of advertising, fact that the mini hasn't been updated in 4 years, how far you have to dig on the Apple website just to find them. So no, they're probably not selling "tens of millions."

[u/zhenya00 → u/R3ddit0rN0t]

Apple sells on the order of 10 million HomePods per year, with an estimated peak of about 15 million in their best year.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1421706/apple-homepod-unit-sales/

[u/R3ddit0rN0t → u/zhenya00]

All sales data is unofficial, but since it peaked within a year or so of the mini launch, safe money is on the mini being the bulk of those sales. 2021 numbers would have been boosted by closeout sales on the original. Then in 2022 there were no large HomePod sales whatsoever. It was reintroduced in early 2023, yet sales continued to trend downward.

[u/EmotionalStaircase → u/zhenya00]

Are you an Apple employee?