[hypercluster]

Well, maybe it's just a price thing. A bigger speaker would probably have cost too much.

And while I agree that with speakers like Dali Zensors or Denon MC41s affordable solutions exist.. you'd still need an amp with airplay, calibration etc.

Also you can't just put stereo speakers on your table in the middle of the room. If there would be a good spot for them something like the airSOUND AS 30 (active speakers) would be an alternative. Plus subwoofer you'd be at the same price point.

[thirdsun]

Yes, that's probably all true. I just wanted them to aim slightly higher, but let's not forget that this needs to have appeal to the masses that already consider a $300 speaker expensive. Most audio people see that as the minimum to get anything worthwhile and I'd have loved to see what Apple can do with larger, more expensive speakers.

[criddell]

They have to appeal to the portion of the masses that are Apple customers and for them, $300 isn't terribly expensive.

It is expensive compared to what Amazon sells and that's why Apple is smart to have focused on the speaker rather than the smart.

When you compare it to their previous speaker system (the HiFi), it's a huge step up for the same amount of money.

[thirdsun]

> They have to appeal to the portion of the masses that are Apple customers and for them, $300 isn't terribly expensive.

Maybe, but as indicated before I think if that’s the case and sound quality is the focus those customers could very likely do a lot better with a pair of bookshelfs.