HomePod (Translated Edition)
Warning : This article is a translation of this article.
Though I criticalized voice assistants on this article. Anyway, I got the HomePod. Why there's the Google Home at my home originally is that the HomePod hadn't been released in Japan for a while.
The Google Home and the HomePod
Lately I plugged off the Google Home for itself to go into hibernation, beause the one reacts false for many sorts of sounds even if nobody asks "OK, Google".
To be honest, I would prefer the Google Home if I lived with family and wanted smart speakers to work a lot as voice assistants. The Google Home furthermore recognize each voice of family members.
I am the one who lives in the eco system of the Apple.
I think the HomePod will never be majority of the category though, this fits more naturally for me at the same time. I guess that's because I've lived in the eco system of the Apple for a long time.
My phone is the iPhone (Recently I have an Android device for development though, I don't use it for private purpose.), my computer for work is the Mac, for private is iPad, and music subscription is of course the Apple Music. On my library of the Apple Music, there're lots of songs which I ripped when I was a high school student and a university student, especially there're tracks which are not available on music subscriptions included. I've used that library for about 20 years and it's troublesome to transfer to other music subscription services now.
Sound quality
There has been already lots of reviews online though, I agree that the sound quality is great. It sounds nice and it makes me feel comfortable, and because sound is dence, I feel nice even the volume is low.
In addition, though there isn't environments of home theater at home, of couse I watch movies with the Apple TV and using HomePod via AirPlay then it gives me the feeling of listening to presence. I tried the Netflix and it was great as well. Some online reviews say that two HomePods environment is recommended though, I think I don't need that. It's enough even if there's only one HomePod.
Siri, HomeKit, and so on.
When I bought the Google Home, what I was impressed was that I could use voice assistant anywhere at room. In case of iPhone, even if I turned on "Hey Siri", it didn't answer unless I ask to the iPhone in front of me. Now the Siri responds to what I asked anywhere at room and I'm happy with it. Because actually I am the Siriholic.
It's pleasure that I can control HomeKit devices via Siri anywhere at room, because I develop the HomeKit environment seriously in case of my home.
There's a thing I've tried after the HomePod arrived, that's to play music selected by Siri and I tell the Siri if I like it or dislike it. I'm interested in how Siri is going to grow by telling my favorite or not favorite.
If the HomePod supports "radiko.jp", it would be so great. But I don't expect it, because I cannot imagine the Apple and "radiko.jp" negotiate.
When I work at home, I often play music by the HomePod. When I focus on creating stuff (Especially when I want to focus on creating stuff but Yuzu-san is twittering loud ), I use AirPods as before.