Apple Homepod Mini Availability

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477 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#2639220 20-Jan-2021 21:32

davidcole:

Can probably also say play zm on iheart (or the nzme station).

id expect Apple Music you’d drive via Siri and airplay over google music? Maybe need to set you hey Siri

Yeah currently if I want music I have a choice of free spotify via "Ok google" or airplay it from the phone / ipad. The reality is it does the job but it'll be nice when I cay just say "ok google, play playlist matts music" and it'll queue it up.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

timbosan

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#2641335 25-Jan-2021 08:39

@mobiusnz my Homepod Mini's arrived from AU this morning. I have set up one of this and it's downloading updates, however first impressions - very heavy for it's size, and the few minutes of music (from Apple One) sound way better than expected from a unit this size. I would say better than the Google Home I have. But will do more listening later on.

Let me know if you have any questions.

mobiusnz

477 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 114

#2641579 25-Jan-2021 11:48

timbosan:

@mobiusnz my Homepod Mini's arrived from AU this morning. I have set up one of this and it's downloading updates, however first impressions - very heavy for it's size, and the few minutes of music (from Apple One) sound way better than expected from a unit this size. I would say better than the Google Home I have. But will do more listening later on.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks - You've kind of hit on what I expected - The build quality of the unit. I'm enjoying playing with the JBL and the quality is actually pretty good, its a little bass heavy but that's normal of audio equipment these days as the first thing the yoot of today try is some hiphop and judge on the bass. Having said that I threw Bad Guy at it and it sounded really good so I think its a little pop tuned - Led Zeppelin was a little less impressive.

I have it working really well and the ability to link it to some of my smart equipment that does Alex and Google but not Homekit is a benefit - The biggest downside is the lack of Apple music. Hopefully the regions supporting Apple music will expand quickly as I think its Google holding it up while they test a new feature and they tend to roll things out a bit quicker than Apple.

Then it will be seeing how good their linking to Apple music really works as Alexa is good but not great - Has some weird pronunciation issues that I don't see using Siri on the phone to request the same songs/artists and I think that comes down to better phonetic breakdown of pronunciation so we'll see how google does on that front.

I am keen to hear really if you find any negatives as generally with Apple equipment if you do the research first and know what it doesn't support you won't be disappointed as anything they chose to support tends to work well.

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

timbosan

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#2642914 27-Jan-2021 10:57

mobiusnz:

timbosan:

@mobiusnz my Homepod Mini's arrived from AU this morning. I have set up one of this and it's downloading updates, however first impressions - very heavy for it's size, and the few minutes of music (from Apple One) sound way better than expected from a unit this size. I would say better than the Google Home I have. But will do more listening later on.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks - You've kind of hit on what I expected - The build quality of the unit. I'm enjoying playing with the JBL and the quality is actually pretty good, its a little bass heavy but that's normal of audio equipment these days as the first thing the yoot of today try is some hiphop and judge on the bass. Having said that I threw Bad Guy at it and it sounded really good so I think its a little pop tuned - Led Zeppelin was a little less impressive.

I have it working really well and the ability to link it to some of my smart equipment that does Alex and Google but not Homekit is a benefit - The biggest downside is the lack of Apple music. Hopefully the regions supporting Apple music will expand quickly as I think its Google holding it up while they test a new feature and they tend to roll things out a bit quicker than Apple.

Then it will be seeing how good their linking to Apple music really works as Alexa is good but not great - Has some weird pronunciation issues that I don't see using Siri on the phone to request the same songs/artists and I think that comes down to better phonetic breakdown of pronunciation so we'll see how google does on that front.

I am keen to hear really if you find any negatives as generally with Apple equipment if you do the research first and know what it doesn't support you won't be disappointed as anything they chose to support tends to work well.

So, had this running for a few days, here is some feedback. I haven't listened to much music yet so will post another update on that later. I live in a house with many Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, plus I use Homebridge for Home integration) and others in the house are iPhone users.

Setup - typical Apple easy as pie to install. Plug it in, it appears on your iPhone (just like AirPods do) and setup goes from there. I did have to change the language of my iPhone to Ausi (from NZ) as the HomePod doesn't support NZ English, and it complained when they didn't match. This does not seem to have made any different to my use of Siri on my phone, watch or the HomePod. There are been 2 software updates so far, first 14.3 which allowed HandOff. This is quite cool and works with any audio. For example I was watching the Covid update on my phone, tapped it to the HomePod and the audio transferred whilst the video played on the phone. Now it's installing 14.4 (which gives 'personalised listening suggestions on iPhone when it's next to the HomePod mini' apparently!)

I also set up voice recognition and that works great - I can get Siri to read out my calendar and reminders and no one else can. Plus I can also make phone calls from the HomePod.

Before the HomePod I have a Apple TV 4K as my HomeHub. The HomePod seems to automatically set itself as a HomeHub, so I had two in my Home app. I disabled the Apple TV as a HomeHub and everything still works fine.

I have noticed that Siri commands for Home Control, like Hue lights, is WAY WAY faster than when using my phone or watch. Lights change before Siri has finished telling me about it! I am not sure if the HomePod is more powerfull than the Apple TV, or its just better at voice recognition, but everything is quicker, even my Dahua camera's via HomeBridge. Plus Home seems more 'stable' as in less 'this accessory is not responding' than before the HomePod.

Siri is loud and clear from the HomePod, and she can pick up voices easily across the room (open plan, not huge as it's just a cottage).

I have a second HomePod that is still boxed. Was going to put this in the home office, but also thought about setting up a stereo pair, just to get an idea of audio quality. For comparison I have Kef XQ speakers, Sonos One's, and a Google Home to compare against. Initial impressions is that it way better than the Google, but not as good as the Sonos (which is to be expected, the Sonos is like 4 times the size!). I am currently using Spotify (from Spark, 1/2 price) and am looking at changing back to Apple Music (only a few dollars more unless I get a family plan, which apparently is needed if your try to stream music across multiple Apple devices at the same time https://www.imore.com/apple-music-homepod-multiple-streams-require-family-account )

Anything else I should cover?

mobiusnz

477 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 114

#2642955 27-Jan-2021 11:56

timbosan:

So, had this running for a few days, here is some feedback. I haven't listened to much music yet so will post another update on that later. I live in a house with many Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch, plus I use Homebridge for Home integration) and others in the house are iPhone users.

Setup - typical Apple easy as pie to install. Plug it in, it appears on your iPhone (just like AirPods do) and setup goes from there. I did have to change the language of my iPhone to Ausi (from NZ) as the HomePod doesn't support NZ English, and it complained when they didn't match. This does not seem to have made any different to my use of Siri on my phone, watch or the HomePod. There are been 2 software updates so far, first 14.3 which allowed HandOff. This is quite cool and works with any audio. For example I was watching the Covid update on my phone, tapped it to the HomePod and the audio transferred whilst the video played on the phone. Now it's installing 14.4 (which gives 'personalised listening suggestions on iPhone when it's next to the HomePod mini' apparently!)

I also set up voice recognition and that works great - I can get Siri to read out my calendar and reminders and no one else can. Plus I can also make phone calls from the HomePod.

Before the HomePod I have a Apple TV 4K as my HomeHub. The HomePod seems to automatically set itself as a HomeHub, so I had two in my Home app. I disabled the Apple TV as a HomeHub and everything still works fine.

I have noticed that Siri commands for Home Control, like Hue lights, is WAY WAY faster than when using my phone or watch. Lights change before Siri has finished telling me about it! I am not sure if the HomePod is more powerfull than the Apple TV, or its just better at voice recognition, but everything is quicker, even my Dahua camera's via HomeBridge. Plus Home seems more 'stable' as in less 'this accessory is not responding' than before the HomePod.

Siri is loud and clear from the HomePod, and she can pick up voices easily across the room (open plan, not huge as it's just a cottage).

I have a second HomePod that is still boxed. Was going to put this in the home office, but also thought about setting up a stereo pair, just to get an idea of audio quality. For comparison I have Kef XQ speakers, Sonos One's, and a Google Home to compare against. Initial impressions is that it way better than the Google, but not as good as the Sonos (which is to be expected, the Sonos is like 4 times the size!). I am currently using Spotify (from Spark, 1/2 price) and am looking at changing back to Apple Music (only a few dollars more unless I get a family plan, which apparently is needed if your try to stream music across multiple Apple devices at the same time https://www.imore.com/apple-music-homepod-multiple-streams-require-family-account )

Anything else I should cover?

Thats all really useful information - I didn't know it did voice recognition for privacy which also leaves the option open of "open the garage door" with voice recognition as I've always figured someone could walk up to an ajar window and shout "hey siri open the garage door" and wander in. If the voice recognition works I'd do some testing and might be willing to have voice garage door opening ;)

Things I've read about Homekit have always indicated the Homepods make a very good home hub so its good to hear its working very reliably on that.

For me the main thing that'll make me get one sooner or later is the ability to make voice phone/facetime audio calls which would be great for the family keeping in touch with grandparents and talking to my wife when she rings on the way home from Badminton and I'm playing PS4 :) - The voice recognition thing opens up good peace of mind on the privacy front with checking calendars etc.

Thats all brilliant info and I know where to come when I get one for quick tips ;)

Matt Beechey Mobius Network Solutions

timbosan

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#2643012 27-Jan-2021 12:17

mobiusnz:

Thats all really useful information - I didn't know it did voice recognition for privacy which also leaves the option open of "open the garage door" with voice recognition as I've always figured someone could walk up to an ajar window and shout "hey siri open the garage door" and wander in. If the voice recognition works I'd do some testing and might be willing to have voice garage door opening ;)

Things I've read about Homekit have always indicated the Homepods make a very good home hub so its good to hear its working very reliably on that.

For me the main thing that'll make me get one sooner or later is the ability to make voice phone/facetime audio calls which would be great for the family keeping in touch with grandparents and talking to my wife when she rings on the way home from Badminton and I'm playing PS4 :) - The voice recognition thing opens up good peace of mind on the privacy front with checking calendars etc.

Thats all brilliant info and I know where to come when I get one for quick tips ;)

Hmm, I am not sure if it extends to the home controls side of things - the voice recognition is related to the privacy of details on your phone like messages. I don't know how you would protect against that kind of scenario, apart from not leaving your windows open ;-) but I don't know if the HomePod is THAT sensitive to voices. Something I might try from other rooms in the house.

I have not tried answering a call on the HomePod, although you apparently can https://www.imore.com/how-make-phone-call-and-listen-voicemail-homepod

And no worries :-)

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GSManiac

494 posts

Ultimate Geek
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#2643014 27-Jan-2021 12:19

Yeah you can’t ask Siri to open locks etc with out authentication. I have a bit of a workaround that works for my needs so I’m not too bothered.

timbosan

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#2643112 27-Jan-2021 16:11

GSManiac:

Yeah you can’t ask Siri to open locks etc with out authentication. I have a bit of a workaround that works for my needs so I’m not too bothered.

Can you expand on that a bit? Do you mean it only works from say an apple phone or watch, and not a HomePod?
|
Actually, found this https://www.idownloadblog.com/2018/02/09/homepod-smart-home-security-iphone-authentication/

And this https://www.reddit.com/r/HomeKit/comments/i3enw0/disable_siri_so_that_nobody_can_unlock_smart_door/

timbosan

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#2650702 9-Feb-2021 22:38

An audio update for you :-)

I now have my 2 HomePod mini's set up as a stereo paid and I did some comparisons with my Sonos Play 1. Nothing too scientific though! I simply played the same tracks on Spotify using AirPlay to the HomePods. Then I switched to the Sonos app, and played the same track. I switched back and forth a few times to compare, and I did for this 2 tracks:

Fleetwood Mac - Dreams
Little Mix - Secret Love Song

I chose these as the first has some nice bass guitar rifts, and I like the song. The second is pure vocals at the start. The Sonos is mounted high in the corner of the room, and I have done the Trueplay calibration. The HomePods are on a table directly in front of the couch about 1.5m apart.

Overall impressions - the Sonos has good bass, probably made stronger by being in a corner. The bass guitar on Dreams is very clear. The HomePods definitley cannot match the bass (and I wouldn't expect them too given they are about 1/3 the size. But they still sound very good - more than listenable and better than most of the Bluetooth speakers I have heard. The HomePods are also much clearer on vocals and highs, and sounds like cymbals are clearer too. I prefer the HomePod's as I feel they are more 'accurate' (quality over quantity and not bass heavy, although my current Sonos setup may be affecting this). I do have another Sonos but it is set up in a second room, so cannot test them in stereo.

From a usability point - the Sonos app pauses a song immediately when you tap on the screen. The HomePods's play about 1-2 seconds before pausing, but I don't know if this is because its Spotify -> AirPlay -> HomePods.

Another comparison - I have a Google Home (one of the original ones) and this is far worse for audio than both the HomePods and the Sonos, its very muffled for dialog and highs. Wouldn't recommend this for audio at all.

Few other things:

* For some reason I cannot set the HomePods as the default audio device of my Apple TV - it just doesn't appear as an option. Something might need an update?
* Siri only listens and responds on ONE speaker, so no Siri in stereo. You can change the active listening HomePods from a pair by tapping it.
* Not a HomePod thing, but Siri loves to answers queries with "I sent a link to your iPhone" which is way annoying, wish she would just read it out like Google.
* I also read that stereo HomePod's can now be the default audio device on Mac's!!!
* I will be getting some more Mini's :-)

Let me know if you have any other questions. I don't (currently) have Apple Music, but will probably move back to it now I have the HomePods.

boosacnoodle

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#2662773 25-Feb-2021 20:09

Any updates on legit stores selling them in NZ? Most stores I can see “in stock” actually don’t have stock.

Kogan had it listed on their website for a few months with a coming soon notice and pre-registration form. Now all references to it on their website are gone. :(

timbosan

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#2662795 25-Feb-2021 20:35

boosacnoodle:

Any updates on legit stores selling them in NZ? Most stores I can see “in stock” actually don’t have stock.

Kogan had it listed on their website for a few months with a coming soon notice and pre-registration form. Now all references to it on their website are gone. :(

Not sure if it helps (as I am not a store!) but I am looking at bringing in some more HomePod Mini's, both for me and if anybody wants any, just PM me.

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morrisk

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Ultimate Geek
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#2662843 26-Feb-2021 06:13

The are available here https://www.mobilestation.co.nz/searchanise/result/?q=homepod+mini

at a cost - $NZ250 Delivery time 10 days.

Mobile Station seems to have had a lot of bad press over the years but I had no problems.

Very happy with the mini - already had the bigger HomePod

boosacnoodle

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#2662934 26-Feb-2021 09:01

Pretty bad value when you can get a "full" HomePod for USD$199 on sale fairly often.

Newtown

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Master Geek
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#2662979 26-Feb-2021 09:14

@boosacnoodle — could you please post a link to where these sales happen? I assume this excludes shipping & GST.

timbosan

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#2663067 26-Feb-2021 10:57

boosacnoodle:

Pretty bad value when you can get a "full" HomePod for USD$199 on sale fairly often.

I have seen this offer many times on BestBuy, but they don't ship to NZ. The lowest I have ever seen them for sale in NZ is DickSmith (Kogan) for $379NZD (plus shipping). However two things:

* The use case for Mini's is different - they are more a smart speaker than something like a Sonos replacement.
* The Mini's have the M1 chip (correct me if I have that wrong) that allows handoff etc.

The HP Mini is still a great sounding speaker. I would LOVE to get a fullsized HomePod for more serious listening though.

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