I’m a huge Apple fan — but there are 9 big reasons why I’m not buying the HomePod (AAPL)

apple homepod wwdc 2017

I wouldn’t call myself an Apple loyalist, exactly — even though I'm typing these words on my MacBook while listening to music on my Beats wireless headphones.

(I have an iPhone and and Apple Watch, too.)

It’s just that a few years ago I decided that if I wanted a new gadget, it was easiest to just buy Apple. All of Apple’s stuff works well together, mostly. The more Apple stuff I buy, the more it makes sense for my next big tech purchase to be Apple.

More generally, I find that Apple getting into a market — like tablets, or smartwatches — is a good signal that the technology is ready for real consumers, not just early adopters.

But this time around, I’m passing on the HomePod, Apple’s new $350 smart speaker. It’s the first major Apple product I’ve passed on in a while.

Here's why:

It’s too expensive.

At $350, HomePod is not an easy impulse purchase. At worst, it’s a lot of money for a product I’m not sure fits into my life. And even if I like it, HomePod would have to clear a high bar to be worth $350. Besides, I have a quality Bluetooth speaker that works great — and it was a lot cheaper than a HomePod.

I live in a small apartment.

I don’t have people over often. A loud speaker is not something that I was already looking to purchase. I listen to music on my headphones, or through the Bluetooth speaker I already own. If I really need to play music that loudly, I can just pipe it through my Apple TV.

I mean — look at this image, taken from an official video that Apple uses to show the range on the HomePod . That's bigger than my entire apartment!

Sound quality simply does not matter that much to me.

The fine distinctions in audio quality between speakers is lost to me.

When Apple first unveiled the HomePod in 2017, I got to listen to it directly compared against a high-end Sonos speaker, as well as the $99 Amazon Echo. While the HomePod sounded better, it wasn't so much more spectacular that I wouldn't pick the Sonos for its lower price, or the Echo, for its better integration with Amazon's online services.

And as an Apple fan, I don't really have a point of comparison. I've spent the last several years mainly listening to music from my MacBook speakers or Apple headphones, so I’m not even sure what I'm missing out on if I don't move towards high-end audio.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider