5 Important Features HomePod Needed to Succeed

Apple’s HomePod is an awesome speaker with built in Siri support – but many people were hoping for something a little different. The very name HomePod implies it’s a device for controlling your home, however, Apple seems to have placed the main focus on audio, not home automation. While there’s no doubt Apple's smart speaker has excellent sound; both Siri and HomePod have a lot of catching up to do before they can be considered true smart home solutions. Continue reading to learn about five features HomePod desperately needed.

5 Siri Apps

Google Home and Amazon Echo both have unique apps that an be downloaded for their speakers. While this might sound unnecessary at first, it’s also quite useful and fun. If Apple added Siri apps, users could play games like twenty questions, start their car with their voice, check their PayPal balance, and turn their home into the USS Enterprise. While some things are made possible using third-party apps on iPhone, HomePod feels like it was left out in the cold.

4 Intercom Calling

Alexa has a cool trick up her sleeve. If you have multiple Echo devices in a home, you can intercom from one to another using “drop in.” Additionally, you can make free calls to most phone numbers in Northern America. While HomePod seems to be better at phone calls and messaging overall (especially for iPhone users), an intercom feature would be cool for users with multiple devices.

3 Multiple HomePod Users

If you’ve ever used an Amazon Echo, you know that Alexa can recognize multiple voices. Unfortunately, Siri can’t. Hey Siri can be tuned to your voice on iPhone, so why can’t Siri on HomePod know who’s talking and act accordingly? This seems to be a very big shortcoming for households with multiple Apple users.

2 Hey Siri, Can I Call You Something Else?

Siri only responds to Siri. While Apple will probably never change this, it is kind of cool to have Alexa respond to "Echo" or a Star-Trek-like "Computer." At the very least Apple could let us say "HomePod," or simply "Siri" without the “hey.”

1 Better Natural Language Processing

This is more of a virtual assistant issue as a whole. But it’s time Apple and others make their offerings smarter. If I ask Siri to “Set the temperature to 70°, open the blinds, and turn off the upstairs lights.” It should be able to do it. If I follow up with “Except the light in the kids’ bedroom.” It should also be able to work. 

One of the biggest issues with smart home automation and voice commands is the virtual assistants’ lack of contextual understanding. Once Apple and others figure this out, smart homes will likely take off.

? HomePod Is Still Great Though

The biggest drawback to HomePod is still its price. It looks great, sounds amazing, and works well. Siri could use some fine tuning, and some additional features would be nice; but, can probably be added through a software update.

Another great aspect this finely-tuned speaker is Apple Music. The competitors just aren’t the same without it; and, Apple has placed a high priority on making HomePod a music-first device. Privacy is also key, and Apple has a pretty good track record in this arena. 

While HomePod is awesome, a the name SoundPod may have been better. HomePod probably should have been reserved for a more simple, smart home device. But, who knows? Maybe in the future we’ll get a HomePod mini! What do you think about Siri and Apple's latest gadget? What features do you want to see in the future. Tweet us your thoughts or leave a comment.