PC Magazine July 2017

Sascha Segan
Apple’s HomePod speaker is a depth
charge dropped into the ocean where
Google Home and Amazon Echo sail. At
$349, it’s not going to dominate the voice
assistant world. But for Apple to achieve its
goals, the HomePod just has to keep the waters
rough enough to make its competitors seasick.
There are a bunch of weird things about Apple’s
HomePod announcement. First, Apple doesn’t
like to announce products six months in advance.
And while the iPhone and iPad are expensive,
they’re not double the prices of rivals. The
HomePod is also being sold as a music device
above all else rather than virtual assistant.
COMMENTARY
With HomePod, Apple
Just Wants to Shake
Things Up (for Now)
Sascha Segan is the
lead mobile analyst
for PC Magazine. His
commentary has
also appeared on Fox
News, CNBC, CNN, and
various radio stations
and newspapers
One interpretation is that Apple isn’t going after
competing voice assistants but the midrange,
wireless multi-room speaker market—the domain
of companies including Sonos, Bose, and
Logitech. Yes, those companies have $200
options, but the Sonos Play:3 costs $299, and the
Bose SoundTouch 20 costs $350. Those
companies have been slow to adopt the kinds of
flexible voice capabilities we’ve seen on Echo and
Google Home, and they tend to appeal to a
higher-end consumer who thinks the Amazon
and Google products look and sound cheap.