Update: EMagin's Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey Lucas told Bloomberg that Apple has not invested in the company, despite the document filed with the Securities and Exchange commission.
Emagin listed the companies in the document because it "has had discussions with them at industry events." Lucas says Apple did not actually invest in the company and the filing was misinterpreted.
Apple has joined a group of companies investing in OLED microdisplay maker eMagin, believed to be part of Apple's overall virtual and augmented reality hardware strategy. LG, Valve, Immerex, and Stillwater Holdings have all joined in on the investment with Apple, which is said to be worth up to a total of $10.6 million (via TechCrunch).
eMagin confirmed the investment, stating that it will use the money for "working capital and general corporate purposes." The company created "a new kind of display" to use in VR headsets that allows for sharper images, which it believes will help fuel the "next generation" of AR and VR devices.
eMagin’s technology is notable in that it has created a new kind of display that can be used in VR headsets, which provides a sharper image by using a denser layout of lines (versus the pixels commonly used in existing products). This helps reduces the so-called “screen door” effect on the display and makes what you see up close through the headset much sharper.
“We believe that our direct patterning technology is a key differentiator for enabling next generation AR/VR hardware for the consumer and enterprise segments because of the brightness and the pixel density afforded by the technology,” the company notes.
For Apple, the last few years have seen a ramp up in the hiring of talent and acquisitions of companies that all revolve around its AR/VR efforts. Since 2015, Apple has purchased several companies in this area, but some acquisitions date back even further. A few of these AR/VR acquisitions made by Apple include companies like Metaio, Faceshift, Emotient, Flyby Media, RealFace, and VRvana.
Apple has already put the technology behind Faceshift to use with Animoji in iPhone X, but outside of software the company's plans for a hardware product in the AR/VR space remain unclear. Right now, plans for a pair of "smart glasses" or VR headset are believed to be in prototype stages, so if they do ever launch it will still be a few years down the road. More recently, a report suggested that Apple is ramping up development on an AR headset running a new operating system called "rOS."
Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that any AR/VR hardware from Apple is a few years away because "the technology itself doesn't exist to do that in a quality way." At the time, Cook said that one of the biggest challenges for building such an AR headset today would be the display technology required to make it work, suggesting the new eMagin investment could be helping Apple in this area. One of the last major reports regarding Apple's interest in AR hardware was the company's meeting with potential AR glasses suppliers, said to have happened at CES last month.
Google's upcoming software update for its Android smartphone operating system will "embrace" an iPhone X notch-like design, according to people familiar with the company's plans speaking to Bloomberg.
With the software, referred to as Android P, Google is readying a "new generation" of Android smartphones that will be "mimicking" the iPhone X's front-facing camera cutout design.
Just like iPhone X, this cutout is believed to be where Android smartphone makers will be placing cameras and other sensors to help Android phones compete with Apple devices in the high-end market.
While Google controls the Android software, many other companies manufacture Android devices and have the ability to tweak the software as they see fit. Because of this, Bloomberg pointed out that "not all Android phones will have notches."
In total, Google's plan for Android P -- shortened from Pistachio Ice Cream -- is to convince more iOS users to switch sides by "improving the look of the software."
While Android dominates the middle and low-end of the global smartphone market, Apple controls much of the high-end with users who spend more on apps and other services. Embracing the notch may help change that. The design will mean more new Android phones with cutouts at the top of their screens to fit cameras and other sensors. That will likely support new features, helping Android device makers keep up with similar Apple technology.
[...]building notch capabilities into Android suggests Google expects the iPhone X look to catch on more broadly.
Otherwise, Android P will reportedly focus heavily on Google Assistant and improving its abilities. Tighter software integration with the AI assistant will allow developers to integrate it inside of their apps, and Google is considering adding the assistant into the search bar on the Android home screen, but "neither of these changes are finalized for introduction this year." Android P is said to also introduce improved battery life on smartphones and support new designs, including "multiple screens and foldable displays."
Following the launch of the iPhone X, clones of the device began appearing around the world, including in China with the LEAGOO S9 smartphone and its notch-inspired design. Many users have disliked Apple's notch design, and Android smartphone maker Samsung played into that criticism by making fun of the notch in a Samsung Galaxy ad posted on the weekend of the iPhone X launch.
While Android P is said to be a "dramatic" overhaul amid support for notch designs on a growing number of Android smartphones, Apple's own iOS update in 2018 is believed to be focused more on stability. In January, it was reported that Apple has chosen to delay new software features until 2019 -- like a home screen refresh, Mail improvements, CarPlay updates, and more -- and instead focus on addressing performance and quality issues this year.
iFixit has completed an exhaustive teardown of the HomePod and found that, while the speaker appears to have a simple design on the outside, it will likely be extremely difficult for customers to complete do-it-yourself repairs.
HomePod's mesh has a drawstring
The teardown experts, who admit there might be a better way to open the HomePod that they've yet to learn, were forced to use a variety of tools to gain access to the internal components, including a heat gun, a guitar pick, a knife, and after all else failed, even a hacksaw and an ultrasonic cutter.
Underneath the rubber foot, iFixit found a hidden 14-pin connector that they speculate is probably used to test or program HomePods on pogo pins during assembly in Taiwan. Given the port sits below a layer of strong adhesive, it's unclear if it will be used for any other purpose, such as diagnostic testing.
HomePod's hidden 14-pin port
Digging further, the team found the HomePod has an Apple A8 chip, as advertised, likely paired with 1GB of RAM layered underneath. There's also a 16GB flash storage chip from Toshiba, although users can't store songs on the speaker directly, as music must be streamed from Apple Music or an AirPlay source.
HomePod also has a two-part power supply, composed of an inner block handling the AC/DC conversion, and an outer ring distributing power to all eight of the speakers. The seven tweeters each have a conductive screw post.
There's also AppleCare+ for HomePod, which adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $39 in the United States, plus the upfront cost of the plan. But even then, it still appears that Apple is simply replacing damaged HomePods outright beyond power cable repairs.
HomePod reviews from the tech press came thick and fast last week, and while the smart speaker's sound quality was consistently praised, most reviews were based on subjective assessments and didn't take into account professional-grade output measurements. Early on Monday, however, Reddit user WinterCharm posted exhaustive audio performance testing results for HomePod to the Reddit audiophile community.
Using specialized equipment and a controlled testing environment, the review features in-depth analysis of the smart speaker's output when compared to a pair of $999 KEF X300A digital hi-fi monitors, representing a "meticulously set up audiophile grade speaker versus a tiny little HomePod that claims to do room correction on its own".
As expected, WinterCharm criticized the HomePod for its AirPlay-only output limitation and Siri's often-lackluster performance as a virtual assistant, but the speaker's audio quality appraisal was a different story. Interested readers can check out all the details and technical minutiae here, but in short, WinterCharm offered the following summary after a battery of exhaustive tests.
I am speechless. The HomePod actually sounds better than the KEF X300A. If you're new to the Audiophile world, KEF is a very well respected and much loved speaker company. I actually deleted my very first measurements and re-checked everything because they were so good, I thought I'd made an error. Apple has managed to extract peak performance from a pint sized speaker, a feat that deserves a standing ovation. The HomePod is 100% an Audiophile grade Speaker.
Do you agree with WinterCharm's review? Let us know in the comments. And make sure to check out our HomePod roundup if you're new to HomePod or planning to purchase one -- it's got everything you need to know about HomePod along with a running list of our HomePod how tos.
While a Reddit user recently demonstrated that the HomePod's power cable can technically be disconnected from the speaker by pulling on it with a lot of force, Apple warns that it should not be removed, according to an internal document distributed to Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers.
Apple's internal HomePod Service Readiness Guide, obtained by MacRumors, states that detaching the HomePod's power cable could potentially cause damage to the speaker's internal components or to the cable itself:
The HomePod includes a built-in power cable that should not be removed.
In the rare instance that the cable is detached or damaged, do not attempt to remove or plug it back into HomePod. If the cable is removed or impaired, damage could have occurred to the cable or the internal components of HomePod.
If the power cable is damaged due to an unintentional reason, such as a dog chewing on it, Apple notes the HomePod can be mailed to one of its repair centers and fixed for a flat-rate out-of-warranty fee of $29 plus tax in the United States, £25 including VAT in the UK, and $39 including GST in Australia.
Out-of-warranty essentially means that the flat-rate cable repair fee is available to any customer at any time. The affected HomePod does not need to be within Apple's limited one-year warranty period, nor is AppleCare+ required.
The only requirement is that the HomePod passes Apple's visual-mechanical inspection, which checks for other external or internal damage. If the HomePod does not pass, but is still eligible for repair, then the only option is a whole-speaker replacement for $279 in the United States, £268 in the UK, and $399 in Australia.
The whole-replacement fee is also applicable to mostly any other kind of damage, unless a customer purchases AppleCare+ for HomePod.
AppleCare+ extends a HomePod's hardware coverage to two years from its original purchase date, and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee of $39 in the United States, £29 in the United Kingdom, and $55 in Australia, plus the upfront cost of the plan.
One of the main uses for Siri on HomePod is to control your Apple Music collection. There are Siri voice commands for accessing content like playlists, genres, moods, liking or disliking songs, playing more music based on something you've heard, starting a new radio station, and much more.
Because the list of Siri commands is so extensive, this guide won't be covering every possible option and genre supported by available through Siri, but it should serve as a good starting point when getting to know what exactly your HomePod can do with your Apple Music library.
Your playlists may be the content you'll interact with most often in Apple Music, and Siri on HomePod can play any Apple Music playlist you've made in the past on an iOS device or Mac. Siri can also play Apple Music's personally curated mix playlists.
For items in your library, use the "play my" command and Siri will play albums and songs already added to your library. For everything else, Siri will play any songs available on Apple Music, even if they aren't in your library yet.
"Hey Siri, play my Book Time playlist."
"Hey Siri, shuffle my Book Time playlist."
"Hey Siri, add this song to my Book Time playlist."
"Hey Siri, add this to my library."
"Hey Siri, play My New Music Mix."
"Hey Siri, play the A-List Pop playlist."
"Hey Siri, play my music from Sam Smith."
"Hey Siri, play the newest music from Vance Joy."
Genres, Moods, and Radio
Siri can understand a wide range of commands requesting various musical genres and moods found in Apple Music. You can find some of these moods in Apple Music itself by navigating to the Browse tab, tapping Playlists, then looking through all of the Activities and Moods. You can also request songs based on decades, specific years, and exact dates. We've compiled a few examples below to get you started.
"Hey Siri, play some recent pop music."
"Hey Siri, play some chill music."
"Hey Siri, play some romantic music."
"Hey Siri, play some music to dance to."
"Hey Siri, play the best songs from the '90s."
"Hey Siri, play the top 10 songs from 1986."
"Hey Siri, play the top song from April 17, 1992."
"Hey Siri, create a radio station based on The Killers."
Here are some examples of more keywords that you could enter into the above commands:
Sad
Angry
Lazy
Somber
Calm
Fun
Romance
Weekend
Cooking
Party
Workout
Focus
Motivation
Bedtime
You'll also find the same results for essentially every genre, like Country, Alternative, Blues, and others.
General Controls
There are multiple commands you can relay to Siri to control music playback, with some examples below.
"Hey Siri, play music."
"Hey Siri, pause."
"Hey Siri, skip this song."
"Hey Siri, skip forward 30 seconds."
"Hey Siri, jump back 10 seconds."
"Hey Siri, previous track."
"Hey Siri, raise/lower the volume."
"Hey Siri, increase the volume to 50 percent."
"Hey Siri, turn on repeat."
Other Commands
"Hey Siri, play Party in the USA."
"Hey Siri, I like/dislike this."
"Hey Siri, what song is this?"
"Hey Siri, what was the last song called?"
"Hey Siri, who sings this?"
"Hey Siri, who is the drummer in this?"
"Hey Siri, what year is this song from?"
"Hey Siri, how many songs are on this album?"
"Hey Siri, play more like this."
"Hey Siri, after this play Rolling in the Deep."
"Hey Siri, play some Florence and the Machine."
"Hey Siri, tell me more about this artist."
"Hey Siri, I want to hear the live version of this song."
If you ever want to revisit the playlists and radio stations that Siri creates for you through voice commands on HomePod, head over to the For You tab in Apple Music. If you scroll down a bit, you should see "Recently Played" filled with the content that Siri played on HomePod.
If you have any other useful Siri commands we didn't mention, be sure to share them in the comments.
Apple's new $349 HomePod sounds incredible and is the ultimate speaker for Apple Music subscribers, but it's also an excellent way to manage your HomeKit-compatible devices through Siri voice commands.
Controlling HomeKit accessories with Siri on HomePod isn't radically different from controlling them via an iOS device, but there are some extra HomePod benefits to be aware of.
If you've never used HomeKit before and you purchase a HomePod, when you set it up it's added to HomeKit and to the Home app.
Setup includes a step asking you to choose a Home you're using HomePod in, and if you don't have Home settings already established, it'll let you choose the default "My Home" option, which is established for every iCloud account. If you use HomeKit already like I do, you can choose your existing home, if it has a different name.
From there, you'll choose the room where your HomePod is located, which is also a HomeKit setup step. You'll be familiar with this if you've ever used HomeKit before.
With these two setup steps, you establish a HomeKit setup if you didn't have one before. HomePod itself is a HomeKit accessory, and it's controlled and managed in the dedicated "Home" app along with all other HomeKit accessories.
HomePod in the Home App
The HomePod is listed in the Home app as an available accessory, and if you're a HomeKit user, you know how this works. If you're not, the Home app isn't tough to navigate.
Your HomePod will be listed as "HomePod" on the main screen, and if you tap it, it will either play or pause your music. A 3D Touch or a long press on the HomePod icon in the Home app opens up a full menu where you can get to the HomePod settings by tapping on "Details."
This is where you can change HomeKit settings like turning off Siri, deactivating the Siri lights, disabling listening history, and more. Your HomePod is controlled entirely through the Home app.
Home Hub
HomePod, like the Apple TV and iPad, serves as a home hub, which means it communicates with all of your HomeKit devices all the time, allowing you to control them even when you're away from home.
A home hub is essential for controlling HomeKit devices remotely and setting up automations based on time of day, location, or conditions detected by HomeKit-compatible sensors. If you have an Apple TV or an iPad, you've already got a home hub and don't need to worry about this functionality, but if you don't, this is added bonus functionality.
HomePod as a home hub covers all of the HomeKit devices in your home, even if they're not located close by the HomePod itself.
Siri on HomePod
One of the best benefits of the HomePod is how well it can hear and react to "Hey Siri" commands. It will hear you from across the room with loud music playing, and it's so sensitive that it's even going to detect the "Hey Siri" command if you whisper it nearby.
It's not an exaggeration to say that the HomePod's listening capabilities work incredibly well, so for HomeKit-based voice commands, it's much better than attempting to use an iPhone. You can essentially say "Hey Siri" and repeat a HomeKit command from anywhere in a room with a HomePod, and you're going to get a speedy response.
The listening range far exceeds the iPhone or iPad, and it makes the HomePod the perfect hands-free device for controlling everything from the lights to the door locks. Longtime HomeKit users who often use voice commands will find this much simpler, and HomeKit users who don't often use Siri should give the personal assistant a second chance on HomePod.
By the way, if you have both a HomePod and an iOS device that responds to "Hey Siri," when you speak, it will almost always default to the HomePod. This is because all of your devices communicate with one another and are smart enough to know that the HomePod is the device that you're aiming to use.
TIP: Don't pause between "Hey Siri" and whatever HomeKit command you're speaking. If you want to turn on the lights, for example, say "Hey Siri turn on the lights" all at once rather than saying "Hey Siri" and waiting for a response. Siri on the HomePod works well enough that a pause isn't required, and it can even confuse your HomeKit commands if you insert a pause.
Manually Activating Siri
If you want to issue a Siri command without "Hey Siri," you can do so by placing a finger on the HomePod and leaving it there for a few seconds until the Siri waveform lights come on. From there, Siri works as usual.
HomePod Siri Commands
While Siri on HomePod is excellent at detecting "Hey Siri" commands, Apple hasn't implemented any upgrades to the way Siri is controlled via voice on the HomePod. If you already use Siri to manage HomeKit devices on iOS, Siri on HomePod works in the exact same way.
If you're new to Siri and HomeKit, though, there are tons of commands you can use, many of which are specific to certain devices. With lights, for example, you can use some of the following commands:
Hey Siri, turn on the lights
Hey Siri, turn off the lights
Hey Siri, dim the lights
Hey Siri, make all of the lights in the office maximum brightness
Hey Siri, are the lights in the office on?
Hey Siri, turn all of the lights in the office blue
Hey Siri, turn the Hue lightstrip purple
HomeKit commands vary, so you'll need to learn the different options available for each device. With locks, for example, you can ask Siri to lock or unlock the door, and if you have a temperature sensor or thermostat, you can ask Siri what the temperature is.
Scenes and automation are a major part of HomeKit, but there's no voice-based way to set these up. If you want to link your HomeKit devices together to have them do certain things at set times of day, such as turning on all of the lights at night, you're going to need to set that up in the Home app or a third-party HomeKit app.
That said, Scenes are incredibly useful, and you can set up handy automations for waking up, going to bed, leaving home, arriving home, and more, and all of these can be controlled via HomePod by asking Siri to set the scene name. If you have a night time scene called "Good Night," for example, you can trigger it just by saying "Hey Siri, Good Night."
Conclusion
If you already have a HomeKit setup, the HomePod has some handy features that make it a worthwhile purchase, and if you have a HomePod but no HomeKit devices, it may be worth looking into HomeKit accessories because they work so well with HomePod.
For those of you who have never used Siri with HomeKit or have abandoned Siri because of spotty results, it's worth giving Siri on HomePod another try. In my experience as a longtime HomeKit user, HomePod is a solid evolutionary step towards a better hands-free home automation setup.
"Hey Siri" on HomePod seems to be more responsive on HomePod, and it's easier to use because you don't need to make sure your iPhone is close at hand to accomplish tasks around the house.
HomePod has built-in Siri functionality, which means it can be used to do a lot of the same things that can be done with an iPhone or an iPod, like setting an alarm or a timer.
If your HomePod is in the kitchen, setting a timer while cooking can be useful, and it's as simple as using a single Siri command.
All you need to say is "Hey Siri, set a timer for [x amount of time]."
You can set a timer for a select number of minutes or hours, with a maximum timer limit of 24 hours. If you ask Siri to set a timer for longer than 24 hours, Siri will suggest you use a Reminder instead.
If you need to know how much time is remaining on the timer, you can ask Siri a question like "Hey Siri, how much time is left on the timer?" and Siri will give you a time update.
When the time is up, the HomePod will play a sound. To stop the timer sound, you can either tap the top of the HomePod or ask Siri to stop it.
Turning Off the Timer
At any point while the timer is running, you can ask Siri to turn it off with a command like "Hey Siri, turn off the timer" or "Hey Siri, pause the timer."
You can also change the timer countdown with a command like "Hey Siri, change the timer to 10 minutes."
Timer Limitations
Unfortunately, you can only set one timer at a time. If you attempt to set a second timer while the first timer you set is still running, Siri will say "A timer is already running at [x minutes]. Would you like to replace it?"
There's also no way to view or manage your HomePod timers on an iOS device like there is with alarms -- timers on HomePod all handled via voice with Siri.
The HomePod offers great sound, and with AirPlay connectivity, you can set the HomePod up to function as a speaker for your Apple TV, routing Apple TV sound through the HomePod.
You can use Apple TV and HomePod together as long as you have a third, fourth, or fifth-generation Apple TV
Pairing Apple TV and HomePod
Open the Settings app on the Apple TV.
Scroll down to the Video and Audio section and select it.
Choose "Audio Output."
Select the HomePod icon from the list of available devices.
Once the Apple TV is paired with the HomePod, TV sound will be routed through your HomePod instead of through your TV. Using the HomePod's physical controls, you can change the volume of the Apple TV, or you can ask Siri to do so. You can also play/pause content through the top of the HomePod or through Siri.
Unpairing Apple TV and HomePod
You'll presumably want to use your HomePod for purposes beyond playing audio from the Apple TV, and unpairing is done through the same settings you used to pair the HomePod and Apple TV in the first place.
Open the Settings app on the Apple TV.
Scroll down to the Video and Audio section and select it.
Choose "Audio Output."
Click on the HomePod icon from the list of available devices to deselect it.
Choosing Audio Output Device with the Apple TV Remote
You can also choose your HomePod as your audio output device using your Apple TV Remote, which is a quicker way to swap between devices.
Go to the Home screen of the Apple TV.
Hold down the Play/Pause button on the Apple TV Remote.
In the menu that comes up, select the HomePod option.
To go back to using the Apple TV audio, you can repeat the same steps above, but this time select your Apple TV instead of the HomePod.
In a new test shared today by Loup Ventures, Apple's HomePod was put through its paces in categories including Siri, sound quality, and ease of use. For Siri, Loup Ventures' Gene Munster reported that while the AI assistant understood 99.4 percent of queries asked of it, it answered only 52.3 percent of them correctly. Loup Ventures tested three separate HomePods and asked 782 queries total.
Compared to previous tests of rival speakers, HomePod is "at the bottom of the totem pole" in the AI assistant performance category. Google Home answered 81 percent correctly, Amazon's Alexa answered 64 percent correctly, and Microsoft's Cortana answered 57 percent correctly.
Munster broke this information down further, stating that Siri is good for "local" and "commerce" queries, like asking about nearby coffee shops or assisting in buying new shoes. In this area, Siri beats Alexa and Cortana but still falls behind Google Assistant on Google Home.
Despite the low percentage of correctly answering the 782 total queries asked of it, Munster said Siri's overall performance rose above expectations "given the limited scope of HomePod's music focus."
The researchers explained that over time HomePod and Siri should grow to match, or surpass, rival assistants by simply adding query domains like calendar, email, calling, and navigation.
Some domains like navigation, calendar, email, and calling are simply not supported. These questions were met with, “I can’t ___ on HomePod.” Also, in any case that iPhone-based Siri would bring up Google search results, HomePod would reply, “I can’t get the answer to that on HomePod,” which forces you to use your phone or give up on the question altogether. Removing navigation, calling, email, and calendar-related queries from our question set yields a 67% correct response, a jump from overall of 52.3% correct.
This means added support for these domains would bring HomePod performance above that of Alexa (64%) and Cortana (57%), though still shy of Google Home (81%). We know Siri has the ability to correctly answer a whole range of queries that HomePod cannot, evidenced by our note here. Apple’s limiting of HomePod’s domains should change over time, at which point we expect the speaker to be vastly more useful and integrated with your other Apple devices.
As discovered in the research, where HomePod excelled was its "superior" listening skills. The HomePod allows users to speak at a normal volume, even when music from the speaker is particularly loud, and Siri will pick up on the voice and hear the user. "This was HomePod's most stellar feature," according to Munster.
Loup Ventures also favored HomePod's sound quality, saying that "it sounds incredible." Like other reviews and impressions of the device, Munster's enjoyment of the HomePod's audio quality was countered with the speaker's lackluster Siri performance, which he thinks will be changing fairly soon.
Don’t be fooled by HomePod’s sound quality-focused first step into smart speakers; Apple has a grander vision than delivering a better sounding Echo. While not present in the first version of HomePod (i.e. you can’t even make a phone call with HomePod), we believe Apple’s goal is to make Siri a ubiquitous, ambient presence that connects and controls all your connected devices and services – and to make a leap forward in the transition to voice-first computing.
Visit Loup Ventures to read more of the information gathered from the HomePod "smart speaker gauntlet," including the publication's prediction for demand and market share of HomePod through the rest of 2018.
Following the launch of the HomePod, Apple updated its dedicated YouTube support channel with three new tutorials for the smart speaker, walking users through features like using Siri to play music, using the HomePod's touch controls, and adjusting the HomePod settings.
Each tutorial video is about a minute in length, and in the description, Apple links relevant support documents, which can be useful for finding additional HomePod documentation.
Apple's YouTube support channel, introduced back in November, is where Apple shares tutorial videos that are designed to provide users with tips on using their iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other devices.
Along with the new HomePod videos, Apple has in the past shared quick tips on features like 3D Touch, iCloud backups, editing videos, sending emails, signing documents, taking screenshots, deleting photos, and more.
There are many commands that Siri can understand on the HomePod that make it super simple to take quick notes and set up reminders for later, which all sync to any iOS device connected to the smart speaker. As long as you allowed the HomePod access to Contacts, Messages, Reminders, and Notes in the initial pairing process, you'll be able to ask Siri to do the commands in this guide.
First, make sure that your iOS device and HomePod are on the same Wi-Fi network, so that the Notes and Reminders apps get synced to the requests you make to Siri on HomePod. Then, check out the commands below that you can speak to Siri so you can create new notes and reminders on your iPhone or iPad.
Siri Commands for Reminders
The basic starter command for the Reminders app when speaking to Siri is "Hey Siri, remind me to..." After that, you can follow up with essentially any everyday task that you want to be sure to remember.
Reminders can be more specific, as well. You can add a specific time of day or future date when you want the reminder to appear as a push notification on your iOS device, and use places that are in your Contacts to set off a reminder.
"Hey Siri, remind me to clean the kitchen."
"Hey Siri, remind me to tell Sam happy birthday tomorrow at 10:00 a.m."
"Hey Siri, remind me to pack for the beach Monday afternoon."
"Hey Siri, remind me to text Dad when I leave the house."
"Hey Siri, mark take out the trash as complete."
If you have some pre-set lists in your Reminders app, you can also ask Siri to add items to it. One of the most common lists to create is one for "shopping," and if HomePod is in your kitchen Siri can help you quickly build your shopping list. Siri can also help set up a new list if you want.
"Hey Siri, create a new shopping list."
"Hey Siri, add bread to my shopping list."
"Hey Siri, what's on my shopping list?"
"Hey Siri, remove milk from my shopping list."
"Hey Siri, mark coffee as completed on my shopping list."
Siri Commands for Notes
Similar to Reminders, Siri can create you a new Note through simple voice commands when you're near your HomePod. If you already have a Note created, you can also add new text into it through Siri.
"Hey Siri, add a note called birthday present ideas."
"Hey Siri, add iTunes gift card to my birthday present ideas list."
"Hey Siri, create a note called shows to watch."
"Hey Siri, add Parks and Recreation to my shows to watch note."
At any time, Personal Requests can be deactivated on your HomePod by navigating to the Home app, tapping the arrow button in the top left corner, tapping your name, and then toggling off Personal Requests. When it is on, remember that as long as the HomePod and the iOS device are on the same network, anyone near the HomePod can create a Note and Reminder when speaking to Siri.
Apple's new HomePod smart speaker is designed primarily for Apple devices, and it's heavily tied to the Apple ecosystem. Natively, you can only stream music on the HomePod through an Apple Music subscription, iTunes purchases, or iTunes Match content uploaded to iCloud Music Library.
It might sound like you're out of luck if you subscribe to a third-party music service like Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music, Tidal, or another option, but it's not impossible -- you can still play content from these services to HomePod, you'll just need to use AirPlay to do it.
With most music apps, you can start up a song and then choose a device to play to right from within the app. These instructions will be specific to Spotify.
Open Spotify and choose a track to play.
On the main screen that shows song details, tap on "Devices Available."
Choose "More Devices."
Tap on the icon for your HomePod, and music will be streamed directly to it.
Here's an alternative method that works with Spotify and all other music apps:
Start a song in Spotify or another app.
Open the Control Center on the iPhone or iPad.
3D Touch or long press on the music widget.
Tap on the AirPlay icon in the upper right side of the widget.
Select the HomePod icon.
It will take a few seconds for the iPhone or iPad to connect to HomePod, but once it's connected, your music will be streamed to HomePod from your iPhone.
You generally need an Apple device to stream music to the HomePod because it requires AirPlay functionality, but some HTC phones support AirPlay, and there are unofficial third-party Android apps that work with AirPlay, so these devices may also work with the HomePod. You can't, however, connect devices to the HomePod over a Bluetooth connection.
When streaming music to HomePod through AirPlay, you're not going to have full Siri support, but you can use Siri to play/pause music, change the volume, and change music tracks.
As a smart speaker, HomePod comes with built-in Siri support, so you can use it without ever touching it, but Apple did include a touch panel at the top of the device that supports several gestures.
HomePod gestures can activate Siri, control the volume of what's playing, skip to the next song, pause/play and more. All of the touch gestures you can use with the HomePod are below.
Volume
Volume up - Tap on the "+" button to raise volume by one level, or touch and hold to increase the volume by several levels.
Volume down - Tap on the "-" button to lower the volume by one level, or touch and hold to decrease the volume by several levels.
Playback
Pause or resume playback - Tap in the middle of the HomePod to pause your music and tap it again to unpause.
Go to the next track - When a song is playing, double tap in the middle of the HomePod to skip a song.
Replay the previous track - When a song is playing from a playlist or an album, triple tap in the middle of the HomePod to go back to the previous song that was playing.
Siri
To activate Siri, place a place a finger on the top of the HomePod and hold it there until the visual Siri waveform appears. From there, you can speak your Siri command.
Other Available Gestures
Dismiss an alarm - If an alarm is going off on the HomePod, tap in the middle of it to stop it.
Activate VoiceOver - If you have VoiceOver enabled in the Accessibility settings, double tap to activate it. With VoiceOver enabled, all other gestures will require one extra tap, so pausing, for example will require two taps.
Switch calls - If you're using HomePod as a speakerphone on a call and a second call comes in, you can touch and hold on the green light to put a hold on call. Switch between calls by double tapping.
If you're new to HomePod and don't regularly use the "Home" app for HomeKit devices, you might be wondering how you get to the HomePod's settings, because it's not immediately obvious.
HomePod is controlled entirely through Apple's Home app, much like any other HomeKit-compatible accessory. Accessing HomePod settings is simple once you know where to go, so here's how:
Open the Home app.
You'll see a main page that says "My Home" or "[Your Name]'s Home," with either a series of cards or just the HomePod card if it's your only HomeKit device.
Tap the HomePod card.
Scroll down past the media playback controls, alarms, and timers to see the available HomePod settings. You can also tap the cog icon below the timers section.
When you're done looking at the settings of your HomePod, you can get back to the main Home screen by tapping the X in the top-right corner of the screen.
Available HomePod Settings
In a HomePod's settings, you can change the name of your HomePod (tap where it says HomePod), change the room it is assigned to, add it to your Home favorites, manage automations, change your Siri settings, activate Accessibility features, turn off your Listening history, and more.
Secondary HomePod Settings
Confusingly, there are actually two separate settings sections for the HomePod in the Home app, so if you want to get to options like accessing software updates, you need to go to another section of the app. This split will actually make more sense when there are more AirPlay 2 speakers on the market, which will also be controlled through the Home app, and it also makes sense if you have multiple HomePod speakers. Here's how to get to the other settings:
On the main page of the Home app, tap the ellipsis button (three encircled dots) in the top-right corner.
Tap Home Settings in the dropdown menu.
Choose your home by tapping on it if you have more than one.
In this section of the app, you can see your list of home hubs, which includes the HomePod, and access the Software Update feature for downloading new software to the HomePod.
Even more settings are available if you tap on your HomeKit profile, which should be under your name. This is the area where you need to go to be able to turn off personal requests if you don't want HomePod to be able to do things like read your messages, create notes, and more.
VideoLAN on Friday released VLC 3.0 "Vetinari", a major update to the popular media player that is rolling out across all platforms, including macOS, iOS, and tvOS.
Version 3 includes a huge number of new features and improvements to the app, including automatic hardware decoding for 4K and 8K playback, support for 10-bit HDR, 360-degree video and 3D audio, and Chromecast streaming with support for non-native formats.
VLC now works with Blu-Ray Java menus and features network browsing support for local network and NAS drives, including those with SMB, FTP, SFTP, NFS filesystems. The iOS app has also been optimized for iPhone X displays, while on Mac, Chromecast streaming to supported devices can be found in the menu bar under Playback -> Renderer.
Among many other changes and improvements in VLC Vetinari, further standout features include: a redesigned and resizable fullscreen controller; a new status bar icon which displays metadata and play controls; support for keyboard blacklight dimming during fullscreen video playback; significant performance improvements in playlist handling; and a simplified preferences window. Check the online changelog for the complete list of updates.
VLC 3.0 is a free downloaded for Mac from the VideoLan website. (Note that version 3.0.0 of VLC removes support for OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and requires Mac systems to run OS X 10.7 Lion or later.) VLC 3.0.0 is already available on the tvOS App Store, but the iPhone and iPad update still appears to be rolling out as of writing.
Today's the official launch day of the HomePod, Apple's new Siri-powered smart speaker. As of now, the HomePod is available in all three launch countries -- the United States, UK, and Australia.
The first orders have gone out to customers who purchased a HomePod starting on January 26, and Apple retail stores also have plenty of supply for walk-in purchases.
We picked up a couple of HomePods this morning, and MacRumors videographer Dan has spent the last few hours testing out the sound quality, the Siri integration, the HomeKit controls, the touch gesture integration, and more.
Design wise, the HomePod is deceptively small, but it's also heavy and has a solid build. It's covered in a soft, pliable mesh material meant to enhance sound, and there's a fabric-covered cable at the back.
After a bit of a snafu with the setup process, which appears to be related to HomeKit and iCloud keychain and is something we'll need to investigate further, we had the HomePod up and running with an alternate Apple ID.
Sound, as previous reviews and impressions have suggested, is incredible. Music is crisp and clear, with the HomePod highlighting and separating every element of a song. Even if you're not an audiophile, you're going to notice the high-quality sound of the HomePod right away.
We tested HomePod with Apple Music, which is how HomePod is meant to be used, but you can also play music from other third-party music services like Spotify using AirPlay.
HomePod's voice detection works impressively well, with Siri able to pick up a "Hey Siri" command from across the room even with music playing loudly. Siri is useful for playing content from Apple Music and controlling your HomeKit devices, but if you're used to something like Amazon Alexa, you're going to notice a few shortcomings.
Siri on HomePod is basically like Siri on the iPhone, and the personal assistant has almost the same feature set on both devices. Apple didn't make major improvements to Siri for the HomePod, and that's definitely one of the most disappointing aspects of the device.
For HomePod owners out there, how are you liking the HomePod so far? Let us know in the comments. Make sure to check out our HomePod roundup if you're new to HomePod or planning to purchase one -- it's got everything you need to know about HomePod along with a running list of our HomePod how tos.
Earlier this week, source code for iBoot, a core component of the iPhone's operating system, leaked on GitHub. The code was old, for a version of iOS 9, and it was quickly pulled from GitHub after Apple issued a DMCA takedown notice, but it left many wondering how such sensitive code ended up publicly available.
To answer that question, Motherboard got in touch with unnamed sources who were involved in the leak and investigated screenshots, text messages, and more, to determine just how it happened.
As it turns out, the code originally came from a low-level Apple employee who took the code from Apple in 2016 to share with friends in the jailbreaking community. This employee wasn't unhappy with Apple and didn't steal the code with malicious intent, but instead was encouraged by friends to obtain the code to benefit the jailbreaking community.
The person took the iBoot source code--and additional code that has yet to be widely leaked--and shared it with a small group of five people.
"He pulled everything, all sorts of Apple internal tools and whatnot," a friend of the intern told me. Motherboard saw screenshots of additional source code and file names that were not included in the GitHub leak and were dated from around the time of this first leak.
The original group of five people who were provided with access to the code didn't intend to share it, but it somehow got out. From one of the original people involved:
"I personally never wanted that code to see the light of day. Not out of greed but because of fear of the legal firestorm that would ensue," they said. "The Apple internal community is really full of curious kids and teens.I knew one day that if those kids got it they'd be dumb enough to push it to GitHub."
The code began circulating more widely in 2017 and picked up in popularity late in the year before ending up on GitHub this week. Many in the jailbreaking and iPhone research communities attempted to stop sharing, but the major public leak couldn't be avoided.
According to the unnamed people who spoke to Motherboard, what leaked wasn't the "full leak." "It's not the original leak-it's a copy," said one source.
Following the leak, Apple confirmed the authenticity of the code in a statement to MacRumors and pointed out that it's for a three-year-old operating system that's been replaced by iOS 11 and is in use only on a small number of devices.
"Old source code from three years ago appears to have been leaked, but by design the security of our products doesn't depend on the secrecy of our source code. There are many layers of hardware and software protections built into our products, and we always encourage customers to update to the newest software releases to benefit from the latest protections."
The iBoot code leak should not be of concern to the average user because Apple has many layers of protection in place, like the Secure Enclave, and does not rely on source code secrecy alone to keep its users safe. The leak could, however, make it easier for people to locate vulnerabilities to create new jailbreaks.
Google's upcoming software update for its Android smartphone operating system will "embrace" an iPhone X notch-like design, according to people familiar with the company's plans speaking to 
