Brief news items and worthy reads from around the web: Apple’s HomePod has taken lots of criticism since it launched. And while many of those issues are ones for either the company or consumers to take seriously, the smart speaker does have some positives to offer. Ben Lovejoy wrote an opinion piece in 9to5Mac about the oft-maligned HomePod, refuting the arguments that it is overpriced and is the “dumbest” of the available products. Podnews tipped us off to a new service that essentially offers SEO for podcasters. Discovery is always a challenge for listeners, and Podr promises to help shows o ..read more

The major tech companies making voice assistants all faced consumer backlash in the past several months over privacy issues. While many took steps to give users more control over participating in human review programs, the exposés also revealed that many smart speakers record their users at times when the individual hadn’t uttered a wake word. New research from a group of universities explored the extent to which popular TV shows can accidentally turn on a smart speaker’s microphone. The researchers from Northeastern University and Imperial College London played 125 hours of Netflix content fr ..read more

Apple was already slow out of the starting gate when it belatedly launched the HomePod, but the company may be looking to revise its approach to be more competitive in the smart home segment. Bloomberg reported that Apple has been making hires for new projects in smart home software and hardware. This new strategy would involve encouraging more third-party developers to make products that would connect with the Siri voice assistant and with its HomeKit platform. The report claimed that Apple may also be looking to make additional smart home devices in-house besides the HomePod. In typical Appl ..read more

Apple usually shares a lot of hardware updates in the fall, and it appears that the company’s smart speaker will be getting a few new features. The HomePod was not discussed at all during the Apple keynote event this week, but its product page was updated with news that the device would be getting radio streaming on September 30. This update will see the HomePod get access to 100,000 global radio stations through iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Radio.com. The stations will be available through Siri voice commands. HomePod is also getting a few additional new functions at an unspecified date later thi ..read more

Apple’s is expected to make a lot of product announcements this fall, and one may be give a boost to its tentative efforts in smart speakers. Bloomberg reported that the tech company is planning to release a less expensive version of its HomePod smart speaker to hit the market in 2020. The cheaper model would contain just a pair of tweeters, compared with the seven that give the HomePod its omnidirectional sound. Apple has struggled to make noteable inroads into smart speaker sales, with Amazon and Google holding court in the sector both domestically and internationally. Although the HomePod i ..read more

Apple’s HomePod has not been a fast mover. It has been slow to make inroads with U.S. consumers, and it has also been gradual with reaching new markets. The latest development will bring the smart speaker to Japan, although later than originally expected. The HomePod was first rumored to roll out in Japan last year, but its new anticipated release is this summer. Apple has not provided a date, but it does have a site up for orders. It will retail for 32,800 yen (about $300) and will have models in white or space gray colors. At launch, the smart speaker was well regarded for its technical achi ..read more

Apple has reduced the prices for its HomePod smart speaker in several markets. For the U.S., the cost has been cut from $349 to $299. The HomePod now costs $399 in Canada instead of $449, while it retails for £279 in the UK instead of £319. The new prices appear to be a permanent adjustment rather than a temporary deal. Apple’s usual policy has been to only decrease the list prices for products when the company is about to or already has announced a successor. It is possible that Apple is working on either a new refresh or a totally separate take on smart speakers to be released in the near fu ..read more

Consumer Intelligence Research Partners has shared its latest research into smart speaker ownership in the United States. The total install base for smart speakers in the country at the close of 2018 is 66 million, up from 36 million in 2017. A growing share of the install base has more than one smart speaker, up to 35% in 2018 from 18% in 2017. Of that U.S. audience, Amazon is still a decisive market leader with a 70% share. Although Google has been posting solid numbers globally, CIRP found it with a market share of just 24% in the U.S. The Apple HomePod trails even farther with a 6% share ..read more

The week is kicking off with a pair of updates for the Apple HomePod. First, the smart speaker’s international footprint is growing. The HomePod will launch in China and Hong Kong on Friday, January 18. It will face competition from regional tech companies that have established solid footholds in the market, but the HomePod does have a few distinct features, such as support for both Mandarin and Cantonese languages, that could set it apart. The other development is a shift in how many places the same Apple Music account can be playing. Since launch, many users were able to have music playing o ..read more

Just how smart are smart speakers? Loup Ventures has released the results of its annual Smart Speaker IQ Test, and the report found that Google Assistant is currently the brainiest of the bunch. In a test of 800 questions, Google’s voice platform answered 88% correctly. Apple’s Siri had 75% correct answers, Amazon’s Alexa had 73%, and Microsoft’s Cortana had 63%. All of the voice assistants reported near-perfect comprehension. Google Assistant understood 100% of the queries, and the other three understood at least 99%. Nearly every misunderstood questions included a proper noun, such as the na ..read more