Smart speakers make our lives easier and they are great for starting a home automation setup that can control your lights and fans. Smart speakers have been around in India for the last two years, and the market is largely dominated by two tech giants. Apple has decided on them by launching the HomePod. The Apple HomePod has been selling in selected markets for a while now. However, the HomePod is now officially available in India for Rs. 19,900*. The HomePod promises to be more than just a smart speaker.
It can bring tons of smart features to your life just starting from the moment you say, “Hey Siri”. Let’s take a look what Apple HomePod has to offer.
Apple HomePod is a premium smart speaker with a cylindrical body. It is 6.8 inches tall, 5.6 inches wide and it is available in Space Grey and White colours. The outer shell of the HomePod has a fabric-mesh design that complements the speaker’s premium looks. The device sports a small LED display on the top that shows the Siri waveforms when ii is activated. The display supports touch gestures which let you play, pause, skips tracks, and activate Siri by a simple touch.
Apple has heavily worked on the HomePod’s internals to differentiate it from the competition. The device comes with a custom seven tweeter array, each with its own individual driver. Apple says this helps the HomePod produce superior sound quality. It also features an Apple-designed, 4-inch woofer that has a powerful motor to push air, rendering deep bass. The speakers feature automatic bass correction that uses a low-frequency microphone and dynamic software modelling to reduce distortions even at high volumes. The HomePod also features a 6-microphone array that allows the device to hear voice commands even with music playing.
The Apple HomePod is powered by Apple’s A6 processor that was first used in the iPhone 6. Apple says the A6 processor is the fastest processor in any smart speaker. In fact, Apple likes to call it ‘The biggest brain ever in a speaker’. The A6 chip should provide remarkably advanced signal processing, so Siri can hear your voice over the music. Apple also says, the processor also helps to minimise buffering time so you can expect a stutter-free music listening experience. It also performs real-time, studio-class music processing that maximises bass while reducing distortion. The HomePod comes with 1GB RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. The internal storage isn’t meant for storing music though.
The Apple HomePod sports advanced spatial awareness sensors. This helps detect the space around the device, so the speaker knows if it is placed next to a wall or in a corner. The HomePod then uses audio beamforming to focus the sound towards the center of the room while reducing any sound going towards the walls. You also have the option of bouncing the audio towards the wall to create an an ambient sound. Apple says the device uses advanced algorithms that dynamically adjust the audio for a smooth sound performance. You can also create a stereo audio setup by adding a second HomePod speaker in a single room. They can automatically communicate with each other, figure out detect their placement and adjust the sound balance between them.
The HomePod runs on Apple’s HomePod OS which should receive regular software updates. The latest HomePod OS 13.3.1 update brought support for Indian English Siri voice commands. Apple says this has made Siri exceptionally better at understanding Indian accents. The update has also brought voice recognition support, so you can ask the device to play your personal playlist, create reminders, add notes, and send messages. The new OS update has also introduced a Handoff feature which transfers music, podcasts, and phone calls from your iPhone to the HomePod just by a single tap.
The HomePod also comes with seamless Siri integration. Apple claims Siri is built to be more than just a voice assistant. It can make music recommendations based on your personal music playlist and it also makes a note of user preferences. Siri can answer queries around a variety of topics, it can also do things such as making phone calls, sending messages, e-mails and it can even make calendar appointments for you. You can also ask Siri about the weather, traffic updates, stocks, and even translate languages. Apple has also given high priority to privacy by encrypting all the voice commands between user and the device.
The Apple HomePod comes integrated with Apple Music. It syncs Apple Music data over the cloud to gain access to the user’s music library, playlists, and music preferences. Homepod also connects with iTunes using the iCloud service to sync your iTunes music purchases. The HomePod lets you can play music from third-party apps for your iPhone or iPad using the AirPlay 2 feature. The Apple HomePod also supports Apple’s HomeKit feature that lets users control devices such as smart bulbs, locks, and more, using just voice commands.
The Apple HomePod is a premium smart speaker that uses high-end hardware such as seven tweeters, each with its own amplifier and Apple’s high-excursion woofer which delivers significantly higher-quality audio. The device works with most Apple devices and it also easy to setup. The device sports Wi-Fi 802.11ac for wireless connectivity and it also has Bluetooth 5.0 to play music from non-Apple devices. The device is now officially available in India and you can book yours by heading over to www.reliancedigital.in
