Apple HomePod

[chadbag]

So, I swore I was not going to go down  this path (at least for a long while), but after playing with one at the Apple Store a few times, and adding in a bunch more HomeKit automation to the house, when I started to see the $250 ($100 off) special deals on them, I decided to get one for the family for Christmas.   I want to make it easy for the wife to play her music when she is working in the house, and to make it easy to control lights and stuff (so the family doesn't rebel against the automation efforts).  And I want to get experience with it so when we build our house in 2020, I can plan it for automation out of the box and have ideas on how it all works.

 

So today I finally opened it up (in my basement office to keep it hidden 😉 until Christmas) so I could set it up and have it all ready.  On the 24th, we'll go to my uncle's for Christmas Eve lutefisk dinner (and Salmon for the wimps), and when we come back, I'll have set it up and just tell Siri to turn on Christmas lights and play music (will set up as the family gets into the car for the trip to my uncle's --  I'm going to quickly put out the "Santa" gifts and the HomePod so it is all ready when we get back).   As my wife has to work on Christmas Day (nurse), we'll do everything Christmas Eve -- right now my  kids think they'll have to wait on Christmas Day until mom gets home that night, which is what I have told them).   (My mom's side of the family is all from Norway, and further back also Sweden, so we've always incorporated a mixed Scandinavian influenced American Christmas Eve and American Christmas Day mix).

 

Anyway.  Now that I have set it up, I have to say it is the easiest thing I've set up I think.  Plug it in, put iPhone next to it, answer questions on phone, do the quick voice Siri tutorial, and I'm done.  And it sounds really good for a single source desktop music player.   I need to learn more about what I can reasonably do with it non-music wise.   I can see pairs of these in the main area and main family room in the new house and single ones in my bedroom, and each of my man caves etc 🙂    At whatever generation of HomePod is standard by then.

 

No way I would put a Google or Amazon voice thing in my house, but I trust Apple enough to try it out.  With Apple, they sell me products -- I am not the product (in general terms).

 

So far so good and recommended for those who've given up their lives to the Apple eco-system.  Anxious for the 24th so I can reveal it and really try things out.

[Yavianice]

Just be carefhl when putting it on a treated wood surface. Apparently it wont play nice with them.

[cteno4]

Ah Yes silicone pads and oiled wood surfaces don’t always play well together! Especially with vibration.

 

jeff

[chadbag]

It will be going on an IKEA stand-alone shelf*.   Not too worried about that 🙂.   Just a white crap shelf.  

 

*the kind where you attach a bracket to the wall and the shelf to a bracket 

 

 

[cteno4]

I used this eco sealer oil on a bamboo kitchen island top I made and it reacted badly to some silicone feet on a wooden box and glued itself down! 

 

Jeff