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#1409: HomePod vs. Amazon Echo and Google Home, PencilSnap, WWDC, Apple education event

We’re getting very close to rolling out the new TidBITS infrastructure, and Adam Engst provides a heads-up on the timing and a sneak peek at the new look. In other Apple-related announcements this week, Apple has announced a surprise education event for March 27th and revealed the early June dates for this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference. Returning to more practical topics, Adam reviews Twelve South’s PencilSnap, which helps keep your Apple Pencil where you can find it, and Julio Ojeda-Zapata digs deep comparing the HomePod’s smarts against competition from Amazon and Google. Notable software releases this week include OmniFocus 2.12.1, Retrospect 15.0, Microsoft Office 2016 16.11, and Slack for Mac 3.1.

Julio Ojeda-Zapata 2 comments

Beyond Music: Comparing the HomePod to Amazon Echo and Google Home

Not every HomePod owner is a music addict, and even those who are will likely want their speakers to do other stuff. Julio Ojeda-Zapata has explored ways to tap the HomePod and Siri for information consumption, personal management, and other uses. For context, he compares the HomePod’s capabilities and Siri performance to equivalent features in competing Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers.