Remember when Apple used to wait until products were actually finished before releasing them or even announcing them? Those days are long gone, but the good news for HomePod owners is that Apple will finally released a software update on Tuesday that adds multiroom audio and stereo pairing support to its first smart speaker. Of course, the bad news for HomePods owners is that Apple’s smart speakers are still a terrible value compared to the competition. One HomePod speaker costs $349. Want a stereo pair? Well that’ll be a whopping $698. Meanwhile, you can get two Sonos PLAY:1 speakers for $298, or $51 less than a single HomePod. Yes, that means you can get four Sonos Play:1 speakers and still have $102 left over for the price of two HomePods.
Here are some details from the product page:
- Works with Alexa for voice control (Alexa device sold separately)
- Fill two separate rooms with different music, or link them together to hear the same song in both. Great surround speakers for your Sonos home theater, too
- Versatile, compact fit. Place them wherever you want and enjoy rich, room-filling sound
- Streams all your favorite music services like Amazon Music Unlimited, Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music and more
- Easy 10-minute wi-fi set up. No Bluetooth pairing problems or interruptions
- Connects wirelessly to Sonos speakers in other rooms so you can expand your Home Sound System when you’re ready
Want a pair of Sonos One speakers with Alexa instead? That’ll cost you just $379 on Amazon, or $30 more than a single HomePod.
