Apple just entered the smart speaker competition with their latest “HomePod” system. Shipping for their speakers, constructed with a built-in voice assistant, is scheduled for this Friday, February 9th. But how does Apple’s latest creation compare to other top smart speaker brands? As of February 2018, here are some facts:
1. Google’s Home Mini
We wrote about the Home Mini back in November when Google created a series of pop-up shop spots. If you visited one of these, you had a 50/50 chance of leaving with a Home Mini or a donut. This was Google’s way of promoting their product’s compact donut-size as well as its versatility. Currently the Home Minis run between $30-$39, a dip from their original $50 price tag. Google has promised that the Home Mini is the most effective smart speaker because it connects to your Google account and the voice activation feature has the ability to customize to a user’s personal voice, meaning that it will not respond to another voice’s command.
2. Amazon’s Echo
Amazon has several echo renditions, ranging from the first (2014) and second (2017) generations and the echo dot, which is their smallest size that can fit in the palm of your hand. The Amazon echo spot dot even has a screen for visuals to go along with voice assistant capabilities completed by “Alexa.” The echos range from $39-$115 and are the classic home assistant.
3. Apple’s HomePod
Apple recently announced their version of smart speakers and the pre-orders have already sold out. According to The Verge, “the sellout either means that the customers purchased more products than Apple expected to sell or that demand hasn’t been quite as crazy.” Apple expresses that their speaker is sound sensitive and will adjust to the surrounding sounds for the ultimate hearing experience. Of course, like all Apple products, the smart speakers connect to any Apple account and commands are completed by “Siri.” While larger than the former speakers, Apple promotes that their system is the “ultimate music authority.” The HomePod currently cost $349. We predict that Apple will soon create a smaller version of this that will also be more affordable.
