[oidar]

They haven't lost yet. Alexa is still the top conversational system appliance for most households right now. A smart speaker is almost an essential device among my group of friends. Siri on HomePod is still subpar for basic kitchen tasks like setting timers, adding items to shopping lists, and creating reminders. I don't even think Google has a current device that competes in this space.

I really want HomePod to be better at household tasks such as managing shopping lists, timers, and reminders, but it's not there yet. As soon as the HomePod can replace my Alexa devices, I'll be all in. I have a HomePod right next to every Alexa device in my house, and I'm just waiting for Apple to turn on their "Apple intelligence."

[sporedro]

Does siri/homepod not just directly connect to your iPhones calander/notes/reminders?

I honestly ask this because I never tried though… I use my homepod as a glorified timer, alarm clock, and speaker. I’m just sitting here in the apple ecosystem hoping one day things will actually feel connected.

[oidar]

It doesn't "directly" connect - it changes things on iCloud - it just doesn't work well. It takes more than a few seconds for it to add things to reminders. It has to verify your voice to add things to reminders - god forbid if you are sharing a shopping list with another person in your household. That nearly doubles the time it takes to add something to a shopping list. With Alexa, adding things to a shopping list is instant, it doesn't verify if you are authorized to add things to the shopping list, Alexa just adds them.

[datpiff]

> A smart speaker is almost an essential device among my group of friends.

You live in a bubble

[GJim]

> A smart speaker

Can we give these things their real name: Smart Microphones

Alexa = Amazons microphone.