We already know what “One more thing” from the opening keynote of the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2017 and, as expected, Apple finally presented its extremely speculated intelligent speaker. In reality, however, Ma is putting less focus on his integration with Siri and more on his ability to play music and revolutionize the experience of enjoying his favorite songs at home.
So its name evokes the most famous musical product in Apple's story ladies and gentlemen, this one HomePod.
The rounded cylinder, reminiscent of the Mac Pro design, is almost completely cloth-coated and features 7 tweeters at the bottom, which distribute the sound at an angle of 360, plus a subwoofer in the central part. Apple's idea is to reproduce the highest quality music without distortions, for an experience that owes nothing to the world's largest and most renowned audio manufacturers.
Inside, we have an A8 chip, similar to the one that equips iPhones 6 and 6 Plus, responsible for handling all HomePod tasks. Not only that: the speaker has the ability, for example, to detect the configuration of the space in which it is positioned, as well as its position relative to the walls, to calibrate the sound as best as possible.
The device can simulate a narrow system by directing the frequencies of different music instruments to each part of the room, making users feel in the middle of a live concert (let's see how that works in practice, of course). Two HomePods can be configured to work together, too.
HomePod next to a 9.7-inch iPad Pro for an idea of ​​size (Photo: @jandawson)Six multi-directional microphones on HomePod are, of course, all about communicating with Siri from anywhere in the room. The main function of the digital assistant here is to be a “musicologist”, as Apple puts it you can activate it with a command "Hey Siri" (And right now, the top of the speaker lights up with the assistant's characteristic sound wave). From there, a number of questions and commands can be asked, whether related to music or yes, you can also set timers, listen to news and messages, ask general questions, listen to podcasts, register reminders and convert units, for example. . HomePod also connects, of course, with HomeKit, allowing the user to control the devices in their connected home directly.
HomePod, which comes in two colors white or space gray, will cost $ 349 and will be available in December in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Other countries will receive the speaker next, but we will certainly have to wait a while to see it on Brazilian land. A pity because the idea is very interesting.
