Michael Simon, Macworld:

Apple is betting big on HomePod as an audiophile device.

I’m going to post separately on this, but suffice it to say that I think audio quality will make or break HomePod. From everything I’ve heard and read (from people who either worked on the tech or have heard it in person), it sounds like HomePod audio is impressive as hell, surprisingly so.

And that’s not likely something you’ll be able to go out and listen to in a crowded Apple Store. If the sound is as impressive as it sounds (sorry), you’ll be reading glowing praise in the blogosphere, it’ll be a grass roots effect.

After more than three years, the best way to stream your music library inside your house is still through your television. HomePod will change that with full Apple Music integration, complete with support for Siri commands and playlists. Apple also says it will learn your tastes based on the songs you like (by saying, “Hey Siri, I like this”), and adjust your playlists and recommendations accordingly.

To me, the friction of teaching Apple Music my likes/dislikes, of tuning my musical preferences, is a big problem. While I would love to be able to edit my model in some way, being able to like/dislike without having to dig through an interface, is a terrific step forward.

There’s a lot more to Michael’s article, well worth the read.