(ThyBlackMan.com) Apple fans are excited about the Apple HomePod which is set to arrive later this year. But even though there is a demand for HomePod, the product will need to prove itself and should be unique in many ways. If we look at the smart speakers available today, Apple is far behind in terms of HomePod launch. But if Apple follows a certain path, the device will likely beat the competition, and within the next couple of years, it can turn out to be a leader. The road to success for Apple’s HomePod is not easy, but if the company does things in a certain way, Apple’s smart speaker will definitely rule the industry.
There’s is a demand for the HomePod which is a very good signal. A survey which was taken in June suggested that out of the 500 consumers, around 14% of the iPhone users intend to purchase the
Apple HomePod. The same company surveyed people ahead of the release of Apple Watch and it was found that only 6% were interested in the product. The survey also brings an alarming result for Apple as it shows that 16% people who took part in the survey plan to buy Amazon’s Echo. The interest in Google Home was shown by only 2% of the respondents.
Surveys are important as they bring details based on facts and real data. But things in the tech-world change in seconds. Those who wanted to buy a specific product in June might not want to get the same after getting more information about the product. Things can go in any direction. A consumer’s interest in a product depends on how much information he has. Since Apple has kept HomePod specifications and feature details under wrap, everyone will be waiting for the official announcement. As soon as the fans get to know more about the product their preferences will change.
Voice assistance, control over gadgets and smart replies are good, but these features aren’t going to help Apple HomePod stand out because rivals from Google, Microsoft and Amazon have also focused on these features and they have successfully divided consumers. Apple needs some significant advantage. The company is bringing a smart speaker but it should not be similar to what Amazon and Google have been selling since the last two years.
Apple is known for catching up and beating rivals in their own game. So when the company is bringing a device so late, it’s really hard to believe that Apple is bringing HomePod just because a group of engineers and designers said – “Let’s do it because everyone else is doing it.” The “Me too” thing is really hard to digest, at least when we are speaking about the companies like Apple, Google and Amazon.
If you think about the competition, HomePod will face fierce competition from Alexa-enabled devices as they are accountable for the 70% of the total products in the smart speaker market. One more concern about the device is the final price. Rumors suggest that Apple HomePod will ship at a price around US$400, which is significantly more than Apple’s competitors. If this is the case, Apple will have to impress customers with something very big. Just because you are from Apple, you can’t ask consumers to pay more for the same features, you have to be impressive enough to make someone ditch the offerings from Microsoft, Amazon and Google.
If you paid attention to the company’s announcements at developer conference this year, you may have noticed that Apple emphasized on the HomePod’s ability to provide better listening experience. Apple is going to give you the same product what other companies are giving, but sound quality is one of the areas where Apple can beat its biggest competitors.
The road is challenging but Apple has created a great device ecosystem Amazon and Microsoft still lack. Google will be a big competitor because of its hardware and software, but it will be tough for Google to match the frictionless experience Apple delivers to all of its devices in the ecosystem. If it happens, others will be trying to match it while the things in Apple’s ecosystem will be getting better with time.
Apple can take a few years to make the Apple HomePod a true industry leader. One thing is very clear that the winner will be the one who will provide users with a great experience with efficiency.
Staff Writer; Corey Shaw
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