Apple Event on 13 October 2020 Announcements

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

The new Homepod Mini can also be the AppleTV speaker, instead of your TV speaker. Can the Echo dot do that? If so, I’m going to go get 2 of those because Prime Day cheap.

I think one of the guys who posts in this MR thread uses an Echo to provide audio for his TV, but I’m not sure, so you could post this question in that thread and probably get a quick answer. I think it might require using a FireTV though, but I’m not sure.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

The new Homepod Mini can also be the AppleTV speaker, instead of your TV speaker. Can the Echo dot do that? If so, I’m going to go get 2 of those because Prime Day cheap.

It is unlikely that Echo Dots would be better than your TV speakers. Maybe newer ones have better sound than the ones I had. But such a small form factor argues against sound being very good, and they won’t get very loud because they can’t move much air around.

The ones I had have audio input so they can be hooked up to TV that way with audio cables (separate R and L mono RCA to 3.5mm cables). Not sure the newer ones still have audio input, though.

I guess you could also connect Dot to AppleTV via Bluetooth and it might even be possible to connect 2 of them (it supports two BT headsets, or at least Apple’s) but you wouldn’t get stereo that way.

[OtinG]

You can pair two Echo devices which are the same model and generation. For example, you can pair two Dot 3rd generation Echos to create a stereo pair. You cannot pair unlike models though. I’ve got two Dot 3rd generation Echos paired into a stereo pair. The sound is surprisingly good for devices with a single 1.6 inch top facing speaker. I doubt even a stereo paired set of Echo Dots will sound better than the speakers on a decent TV though, unless the TV speakers are messed up or the TV is a really cheap budget one with crappy speakers. It would be better to use a set of full size Echos paired for stereo, but that would run into more money and still might not best the speakers in the TV. One advantage to using an Echo or Echo stereo paired set, or the HomePod as far as that goes, is that you would have voice control of the audio level.

It sounds like the new HomePod mini has a conical part in the bottom that projects sound all around 360°. The Echo Dots, even the new 4th generation, don't have that. So that might make a difference as well since the new Dot 4th gen has a front facing single 1.6" speaker. The HomePod mini should have better sound than the Dots.

[kyteflyer]

Originally Posted by OtinG

....

It sounds like the new HomePod mini has a conical part in the bottom that projects sound all around 360°. The Echo Dots, even the new 4th generation, don't have that. So that might make a difference as well since the new Dot 4th gen has a front facing single 1.6" speaker. The HomePod mini should have better sound than the Dots.

Thanks for all that.. yeah I think I’ll get a Mini. It will suit my current uses, and its going to be able to access Amazon Music too.

And since my post about not really wanting to u/g phone, I’ve decided that I will. Just not now and not on pre-order. I forgot I have car registration and insurance coming up next month, as well as a big service. I was hoping to have my mobility scooter by now, but oh well... I just have to remind myself... *priorities*!

[tomsem]

You can also use HomePod to supplement another sound system. For example, I combined it with a sound bar, and adjusted the volume level to my preference.

[leebase]

I have a pair of Homepods and a handful of Echo dot's. The Homepods sound amazing for the size. One of the few market timing snafu's for Apple. I don't think Apple had the Amazon Echo or Google Home in mind at all when they were creating the HomePod.

I bought it for the music. I'm already an Apple Music subscriber.

I like the Echo Dot's too. You can get good sound by pairing them with a nice bluetooth speaker. But mostly, mine is a Kitchen timer.

I'll await the reviews for the $99 Homepod mini. There are a lot of nice bluetooth speakers for $99. I'm not into home automation for either Apple or Amazon.

As for the phone....I upgraded last year. No need to this year. Looks like a decent year on year upgrade. I'm not all that jazzed about 5G...so no hurry for me.

I am looking forward to the Apple Silicon Macs.

[tomsem]

I have enough HomePods for now: 1 solo, 2 in stereo pair. I’ve had Echos but decommissioned them after getting first HomePod. Subscribed to Apple Music at the same time and discontinued Spotify.

And I finally got around to uploading my library of .AAC music to iTunes Match (some music is still not available for streaming, and we had a collection of custom mixes with artwork and it’s nice to be able to play them with the Music app now, instead of having to unearth the CD and a CD player.

I would love to have the iPhone 12 Pro Max just for the camera, but I can’t justify the expense. 5G means nothing to me. For the cost of an iPhone, I could possible get an equally or even more capable compact camera, but camera interfaces suck and I probably would fail to have it with me when encountering spontaneous beauty or novelty.

[OtinG]

I bought my iPhone XR 19 months ago through T-Mobile and have another 17 months on the interest free payment plan. I always pay off the current phone before buying a newer one. I learned a long time ago that I do better by keeping my older phone when I buy a new one and selling it myself rather than accepting a low upgrade bid from T-Mobile. They never offer much as far as an upgrade price. So it will likely be at least 17 months before I upgrade again, and more than likely two years once the iPhone 14 comes out. I’m happy with my iPhone XR so no desire to upgrade at the moment. I’ve got plenty of excellent cameras that make the smartphone cameras look like cheap Cracker-Jack prizes, and I have no need for the over-hyped 5G.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by kyteflyer

Thanks for all that.. yeah I think I’ll get a Mini. It will suit my current uses, and its going to be able to access Amazon Music too.

And since my post about not really wanting to u/g phone, I’ve decided that I will. Just not now and not on pre-order. I forgot I have car registration and insurance coming up next month, as well as a big service. I was hoping to have my mobility scooter by now, but oh well... I just have to remind myself... *priorities*!

This MacRumors article claims that many of the reviews coming in on the mini say it is a good phone but that the battery drains rather fast. So you might want to investigate that before making a final decision.

[leebase]

FYI - I tried using the homepods for tv sound. It's not a great experience. I don't have the Apple Tv 4k which is supposed to have support for a pair of homepods. But I just don't find them loud enough. A sound bar with subwoofer can easily outpace them.

I'll wait to see what people say about using a pair of Homepods with the Apple Tv 4k simulating surround sound with Dolby atmos. If it works well... I MIGHT be tempted to pick up that version of the Apple Tv.

[OtinG]

Originally Posted by JulieF2

Will the charger be removed from the new model? Or am I misinformed?

No charger or wired earpods with the newest iPhones. Apple says it is excluding them to help save the environment. Yeah right! They just want to save money during a pandemic economy that isn't going away any time soon. They save money by not providing these two items, plus it makes the boxes smaller and lighter, thereby saving more money on shipping fees.

Originally Posted by leebase

FYI - I tried using the homepods for tv sound. It's not a great experience. I don't have the Apple Tv 4k which is supposed to have support for a pair of homepods. But I just don't find them loud enough. A sound bar with subwoofer can easily outpace them.

I'll wait to see what people say about using a pair of Homepods with the Apple Tv 4k simulating surround sound with Dolby atmos. If it works well... I MIGHT be tempted to pick up that version of the Apple Tv.

No compact speaker like the Homepod or Amazon Echo will have enough physical speaker separation for great stereo sound. They might be loud, but they will never sound as good as a true surround sound system that separates the speakers by at least a few feet. I don't have a Homepod, but I can say that pairing two identical Amazon Echos makes them sound a LOT better, assuming you separate them by several feet. However, buying two full size Homepods would be expensive, and they still won’t sound as good as a good surround sound system will.