So…was that really creepy, or really cool?

Last night during the Loyola-Chicago vs Michigan NCAA Final Four game a very strange thing happened.

We were watching the game on our flat panel TV with the new Apple HomePod sitting just in front of it.

With about three minutes left in the game, Apple broadcast a TV commercial in which the voice said… “Hey Siri, remind me to watch the NCAA final game on Monday.” At this point the Apple HomePod came to life and said, “OK, I have scheduled a reminder for you on Monday.”

Wow! Is this cool technology when your television can program your computer “appliance” (the Apple HomePod) to set a reminder for you? What’s next? What could this mean for the future? Will the furniture store TV commercial tell Siri (who is always listening) to remind you that the sale of the century (the one held every other week) is Tuesday and be sure to be there at 10 AM when the doors open.

Or, how about the clever politician on TV who asks Siri to remind you that you need to remember to vote for him or her on Tuesday when the polls open at 7:45 AM. Or…

Is this “Big Brother” watching, listening, speaking or commanding?

OK Apple, it was cute the first time. But the second and the third?

And I’m sure it would work in a similar way on Amazon’s Alexa.

Sheesh… what will they think of next?

What’s an Apple HomePod? Do Seniors NEED one?

Apple just introduced the HomePod. Its Apple’s idea of a “better mousetrap” than Amazon’s Alexa, and Google’s Home smart speakers. You can buy an Amazon Alexa Echo Dot for $39.95. An Apple HomePod is $349.00.

All three devices are SmartSpeakers (a new buzzword). They do the same thing – provide music through their speaker systems and are digital assistants – like asking them, “What’s the weather like outside right now?” Or, “What are the Olympic standings right now?”

To “hear” the difference an additional $310 gets you, you need to listen to the HomePod. Apple engineers spent over 7 years developing the HomePod and the result is exceptional sound. Music (and voice) is clear, crisp, not muddled or dampened. It almost seems that you can hear or sense the different layers present in the most well-recorded music. The HomePod has seven tweeters, a 4″ sub-woofer, and 6 microphones – that can pick up a whispered “Hey Siri” command from across a room – even with rock music turned up high.

In the next few months, Apple will release a software update for IOS devices that will enhance AirPlay to AirPlay 2. This software will allow multiple devices to play to multiple speakers with variable volume levels and additionally play your favorite music throughout the house or just in specific rooms. Apple will license AirPlay 2 to other speaker and headphone makers.

Now for the elephant in the room – Siri. The good news is that Siri works well, especially with music commands, questions, and information about the song, album, track, and even “Siri, who is playing drums on this track?” type questions. As mentioned above having 6 microphones and her ability to pick your voice – even softly – or at a distance is really amazing. Of course, she knows the answers to millions of questions and dozens of commands. Home automation electronics like door locks, thermostats, lighting – all work with Siri spoken commands if the device supports Apple HomeKit software.

HomePod works best if you are an Apple “person.” If you have an iPhone, or iPad, or Apple TV you are going to have no problems with setup and day-to-day use. To select and listen to music you need to have a subscription to Apple Music.

As always Apple will provide over-the-air software updates that increase the value of HomePod and add new features that will make us drool.