HomePod mini is a spherical smart speaker covered with 360 degree mesh fabric. Compact with a height of about 8.5 cm and a width of about 9.8 cm.The price is 10,800 yen (excluding tax), and there are two colors, white and space gray.
And while the HomePod mini is a high-level, satisfying product, it's by no means perfect. Therefore, I would like to dare to pick up "bad and bad things" here. There are already many articles that explain the advantages of the HomePod mini, so this time I will tell you what are the drawbacks of the HomePod mini and what you can not do, so that it will be helpful for those who are thinking about purchasing from now on. I hope it will be.
Now, let me tell you the 5 worst "bad and bad things" that I have selected.
5th place: "Intercom" which is difficult for Japanese people to use
If you install multiple HomePod minis at home, you can use the "intercom" (extension) function to make conversations between family members easier. For example, you can tell a child in a room away from the kitchen "I've got a meal!" And communicate "Yes, I'll go soon" through the HomePod mini.
I think it's a really useful feature for some people, but it requires some ingenuity and familiarity with how to send messages.
To send a message on Intercom, it is basic to add "Intercom", such as "Hey Siri, Intercom, it's time to get up" or "Hey Siri, do you have any shopping? Contact Intercom". However, intercom is a word that is unfamiliar in Japan, so it's quite difficult to say ... It seems that it is not necessary to include "intercom" like "Hey Siri, ask everyone" Did you feed the dog? "", But it is often not recognized, and trial and error is necessary. felt.
4th place: "Siri" I want you to be a little smarter
The voice assistant "Siri" that is familiar to iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Since the HomePod mini has four microphones inside, the sensitivity of voice recognition is very high, and it often picks up voice even in a noisy environment such as playing music at a loud volume, but it is important. Siri's cleverness is still far away. She often doesn't listen to what she says or gives strange replies, so don't expect too much. Let's look at it in the long run.
3rd place: Apple Music subscription is (almost) a must
HomePod mini can play music by itself. It's very convenient to be able to control the music just by talking to the HomePod mini, for example, "Hey Siri, play hip hop", "Hey Siri, play Madonna's song".
However, at the moment, only "Apple Music" and "Apple Podcast" can be operated in this way (it seems that we will increase support for Amazon Music etc. in the future). Even if you talk to them in the same way without subscribing to Apple Music, most of the songs in the library in the "Music" app on the iPhone will not play well. So, at this point, joining Apple Music is almost a must. If you have not subscribed, you need to add 980 yen (personal version) every month.
2nd place: There are too few smart home appliances that can be operated!
If you say "Hey Siri, turn on the light" and "Hey Siri, keep your house warm" to the HomePod mini, you can control the smart appliances compatible with Apple's "HomeKit" by voice. It's very convenient because you can operate it even when you can't take your hands off, such as while cooking, but at the moment, it's a frank impression that you can't use it yet.
This is because there are few smart home appliances that support HomeKit in Japan. If you look at the website that introduces HomeKit products supported by iOS, you will be surprised to find a lineup of HomeKit compatible smart appliances of various genres such as air conditioners, air purifiers, humidifiers, and garage doors. ..
However, only smart LED bulbs, security cameras, mesh Wi-Fi, and smart power plugs are supported in Japan, and there is a clear difference compared to the lineup in each country such as the United States. Even smart home appliances cannot be used unless they are compatible with HomeKit, so they cannot be combined with commercially available smart home appliances.
If you want to enjoy the control of smart home appliances, it is currently realistic to purchase Amazon or Google smart speakers separately and use them together.
1st place: Japanese does not support voice identification!
The HomePod mini is designed to be placed at home and used by the whole family. It can recognize the voice of the user and listen to what Siri says at the request of the person who spoke to it. For example, "Hey Siri, what's your plan for this week?" Will answer my schedule, and my daughter will answer my daughter's schedule. Similarly, you can read out personal information such as "Memo", "Reminder", and "Email" apps.
These can be done by turning on a function called "Personal Request", but unfortunately, voice recognition in Japanese is not possible at this time. When my daughter asks the above question, she answers my appointment as the HomePod mini administrator. Schedules such as secret drinking parties are irresistible throughout the family.
When reading out a personal request, it is possible to set "Requires iPhone authentication", but it is also overwhelming that the operation on the iPhone is added even though you try to operate it by voice. If you live alone, there is no problem, but if you use it with your family, unfortunately it seems better to turn off personal requests.
One More Thing ...!?
Finally, I would like to add another point, "HomePod mini is difficult to open the box!". Even if you hold the bottom of the box (inner box) with one hand and lift the lid (outer box) to the top with the other hand, it will not open easily. As soon as I put a lot of effort and pulled it up, the HomePod mini hung on the floor! (Fortunately, it didn't break down).
It is a famous story that Apple emphasizes the user experience, makes the outer box and the inner box with high accuracy, and decides the time until the box opens naturally. I think it used to take about 7 seconds, but was it so tight that it took longer? Not only the HomePod mini, but the M1 Mac and Apple product boxes seem to be a little tight these days ...