MacVoices #21057: MacVoices Live! - Is the HomePod Really Gone?

In the final part of our recent MacVoices Live! conversation, the panel takes a hard left turn to discuss Apple's cancellation of the HomePod. The panel of Kelly Guimont, David Ginsburg, Jeff Gamet, Frank Petrie, Jim Rea, Guy Serle, and Andrew Orr evaluate the HomePod and its competitors and speculate on successors. The discussion then transitioned to why all smart speakers are not created equal, Some examples of which ones do what well, a key point in the never-ending debate over Siri and Alexa, and something that Google's device does particularly well wrap things up.

This edition of MacVoices is sponsored by Smile, the makers of world-class software like PDFpen, PDFpen Pro, and TextExpander. Find out more at TextExpander.com/podcast and SmileSoftware.com/podcast.

Show Notes:

Guests:

Kelly Guimont is a longtime Apple geek, sitting down (on a telephone book) in front of an Apple IIe in 1983. She can still hear the ticking of the ImageWriter. Thanks to the miracle of the adjustable leg desk, she no longer needs the phonebook. Kelly writes for The Mac Observer, is the host of the Daily Observations Podcast, is co-host of The Aftershow, and yet still has more to say which she saves for Twitter and Micro.blog.

David Ginsburg is the President of the Suburban Chicago Apple Users Group, and is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users. Find and follow him on Twitter as @daveg65. You can also hear him share his knowledge on his podcast, In Touch With iOS.

Jeff Gamet is the author of Fresh Brewed Tales, a chronicle of Jeff's strange adventures at coffee shops. You can find his regular updates on Twitter.

Frank Petrie is an author and contributor to ScreenCastsOnline Magazine. Follow him on Twitter and check out his web site, ympnow.com.

Jim Rea is the brains behind ProVue, the developers of the Panorama X database. Follow him on Twitter as @provuejim.

Guy Serle, best known for being one of the co-hosts of the MyMac Podcast, sincerely apologizes for anything he has done or caused to have happened while in possession of dangerous podcasting equipment. He should know better but being a blonde from Florida means he's probably incapable of understanding the damage he has wrought. Guy is also the author of the novel, The Maltese Cube. You can follow his exploits on Twitter, catch him on Mac to the Future on Facebook, and find everything at VertShark.com.

Andrew Orr is a freelance writer and amateur photographer. He loves Apple products and enjoys writing and sharing all things tech. When he's not writing about Apple, you can often find him snapping photos with his iPhone. Read what he writes at The Mac Observer, and follow him on Twitter.

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