HomePod, why not in NZ

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › HomePod, why not in NZ

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#2153126 2-Jan-2019 09:24

I bought one in Sydney a couple of weeks ago, works flawlessly. The biggest issue i’ve found is the shortage of applications supporting Shortcuts integration for Siri commands - looking at you iHeartRadio - so I can start up a radio feed and Airplay to the HomePod directly. Risght now I need to throw from my phone or iPad.

sir1963

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#2153149 2-Jan-2019 11:01

jarledb:

Its really strange that Apple haven't expanded the regions they sell HomePod, and even more strange its not sold here.

I have an Aus version, and it was plug and play. No problems with lack of services, it knows the time zone its in, restaurants nearby etc, and there was no trickery involved in making it work.

Can't see any reason for them not selling it here, really.

Maybe they are not driving sales on iTunes/App store like they hoped.

If that's the case, its just as likely Apple will dump them.

Jaxson

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#2153177 2-Jan-2019 13:12

The rubbish NZ accent is fairly close to Australian, just with even less pronunciation.

Out of interest, do the google home products actually work here? I see the new dick smith has the home mini for $59 and free shipping at the moment. Considering getting one and a Harmony Hub for the TV gear etc.

antoniosk

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#2153187 2-Jan-2019 14:45

sir1963:
antoniosk: Weather feeds, news feeds, television feeds, traffic feeds and so on.

Siri, google and Alexa are pretty good for integrations, but only when there is a real range of things to connect to. We don’t know what isn’t available here until you see it overseas.

It’s disappointing that the feeds that are available aren’t being taken advantage of though, and that goes back to market economics. Although iCloud iTunes seem to get good traction 🤔

Those are the fluff on top.

HomePod is all about sound, music.

I know someone who bought one, was so impressed with the sound that he bought a second one for another room.

Setting it up and trying it out, it went into stereo mode and that was SO GOOD, he kept 2 in that room and bought a 3rd for the spare room.

I gave up, I bought a 2nd hand airport express and have connected it to my stereo instead.

We have the same power requirements, same plug, we have iTunes, we have AppleTV , we have Siri on everything else but the ATV4.

I have my Bus routes on my iPhone (for Palmerston North !), News feeds, Weather, etc etc

I’m not supporting apples position here; I agree that in NZ a lot of the core feeds they would need are commercially available, and what is required is someone to put a service together and make it available to the NZ market, then monitor it and improve it. That’s typically a product owner, which is something Apple doesn’t have in NZ right now. A real shame too - NZ is sufficiently advanced that this would be an easy thing to achieve.

Whether it’s fluff or not is up to apple to decide, but it does seem a poor choice to hold the device back for music fans.... unless they know they will be poorly compared to Alexa in NZ for its support of the wider ecosystem.

________

Antoniosk

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#2153274 2-Jan-2019 16:07

Jaxson:

The rubbish NZ accent is fairly close to Australian, just with even less pronunciation.

Out of interest, do the google home products actually work here? I see the new dick smith has the home mini for $59 and free shipping at the moment. Considering getting one and a Harmony Hub for the TV gear etc.

Got a home in the kitchen, and waiting for a decent price dip or third party gear to grab some more gear to scatter around the house.

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sander4709

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#2406481 25-Jan-2020 10:23

Thinking of getting a couple and using them as a stereo set-up in kitchen/dining area. Couple of questions though;

1/ Does anyone have advice on the best place to buy in OZ

2/ Do they work with Global group stations (Capital FM, Heart, Smooth, LBC, Classic FM etc. out of London), because my Google Home Mini won't work in NZ with Global stations.

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#2406495 25-Jan-2020 11:15

Yes why is Apple not selling their HomePod in New Zealand ❓ and why does Siri not work on the Apple TV remote in New Zealand ❓when clearly it works on my iPad's, iPhone's and iMac.

Tim Cook's email address is: tcook@apple.com

He may not answer himself, or he might, but I am not great at writing these types of diplomatic corporate requests so if someone in these forums with that sort of eloquence would be kind enough to do so, please do and post it in here.

PS. I have posted feedback on both these questions. https://www.apple.com/feedback/

Whilst the difficult we can do immediately, the impossible takes a bit longer. However, miracles you will have to wait for.

boosacnoodle

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#2406639 25-Jan-2020 14:21

They only just launched it in Italy a few months back. A significantly larger market. Why would they launch here?

chiefie

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#2406645 25-Jan-2020 14:41

I got the first Homepod from SYD Duty-Free shop and brought it in without issue. The second one I bought from DSE.co.nz, no issue except took few weeks to get through custom - these were back in about late 2018.

Enjoyed using them as Apple Music and a few basic Siri stuff, and now with LG Homekit TV in my bedroom, it's nice to tell Siri to turn on/off TV etc.

Looking to get Amazon Echo Show 8 for the kitchen as well.

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GSManiac

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#2407551 27-Jan-2020 14:53

I don’t get why this product has such a slow roll out. It’s been two years and still only available in a small amount of countries. There’s no reason why this can’t be made available in Nz. I have one that I picked up in Sydney and have had absolutely no issues with it.

geekiegeek

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#2407585 27-Jan-2020 15:14

Brought 3 from https://www.macsales.com recently, no duty which was a plus. May buy a 4th for my man cave. Stereo pair in the living area is amazingly good sound for the size of the speaker.

Their pricing is pretty sharp, cost me $246 US shipped (around $380 NZ) so cheaper than Australia. They seem to be refurb units as they come in plain packaging but I've had no issues with any of mine.

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#2407598 27-Jan-2020 15:50

geekiegeek:

Brought 3 from https://www.macsales.com recently, no duty which was a plus. May buy a 4th for my man cave. Stereo pair in the living area is amazingly good sound for the size of the speaker.

Their pricing is pretty sharp, cost me $246 US shipped (around $380 NZ) so cheaper than Australia. They seem to be refurb units as they come in plain packaging but I've had no issues with any of mine.

What were the shipping rates? It bugs me websites that don't tell you shipping without having to create an account for a purchase you may not make..!

jarledb

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#2407725 27-Jan-2020 18:11

Aaroona:

What were the shipping rates? It bugs me websites that don't tell you shipping without having to create an account for a purchase you may not make..!

Just went to Macsales and added a Homepod to the cart. Esimate shipping and tax was on the right side.

These are the rates I was quoted to ship to Wellington area, New Zealand:

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Aaroona

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#2407726 27-Jan-2020 18:15

jarledb:
Aaroona:

What were the shipping rates? It bugs me websites that don't tell you shipping without having to create an account for a purchase you may not make..!

Just went to Macsales and added a Homepod to the cart. Esimate shipping and tax was on the right side.

These are the rates I was quoted to ship to Wellington area, New Zealand:

Weird the option didn’t come up on my desktop version, but I can see it on my mobile - I’ll eat my foot.
Thanks for posting.

That takes it to about $400 + potential for GST. might just have to wAit till I go back to AU, we sometimes get deals with work that may make it more appealing.

sir1963

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#2407744 27-Jan-2020 19:49

GSManiac:

I don’t get why this product has such a slow roll out. It’s been two years and still only available in a small amount of countries. There’s no reason why this can’t be made available in Nz. I have one that I picked up in Sydney and have had absolutely no issues with it.

Not an important market, and probably low profit margin.

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