Right on schedule, Apple's HomePod smart speaker is available for pre-order.
You can now pre-order a HomePod from Apple in White or Space Gray. Pricing for either model is set at $349, and as of this post, new orders will be delivered on February 9.
The HomePod is Apple's entry into the smart speaker market. It's got a focus on quality audio, packing a high-excursion woofer with custom amplifier and seven horn-loaded tweeters, each with its own custom amplifier, into its shell. There's also a low-frequency calibration microphone for automatic bass correction and direct and ambient audio beam forming.
Apple has also included six microphones for use with Siri. You can use Siri to do things like get news, weather, and traffic info, set reminders and tasks, send messages, hand off phone calls, and control smart home accessories. You can also tap the touchpad on the top of the HomePod to control music playback.
Other features of the HomePod include 802.11ac Wi-Fi with MIMO, support for Apple Music streaming, Bluetooth 5.0, and an Apple A8 chip. Apple has said that the ability to connect two HomePods for stereo sound is coming later in 2018, as is multi-room playback when you add HomePods to different rooms.
Are you going to buy an Apple HomePod?
