Hurray, Ordered Two HomePods for $100 off on EACH at Best Buy!

I’ve been struggling between getting HomePods or the Sonos One speakers per my previous post. I just stumbled upon a big sale at Best Buy for $100 off EACH HomePod. This means that what would have cost me $700 “only” cost me $500. I also ordered two more Echo Dots, also on sale at Amazon for under $30.00, giving me a total of three. I’ve been vascilating between going HomePod or the cheaper Sonos with Alexa integration. But, I have decided that because most reviews say the HomePod has better sound, since I’m deep into the Apple Ecosystem including a subscription to Apple Music, since I saved $200 on the HomePods, and since I have three Echo Dots I can use with Alexa when desired/needed, I believe I have the best of both worlds without spending much more. This means that I can take advantage of the vast cross-platform capabilities of Alexa enabled smart home devices, music services, as well as Home Kit, etc., while having the advantages of Apple HomePods in stereo. I’m expecting Apple to upgrade HomePod software and Siri capabilities this coming year. I’m pretty excited about this. I hope I made a good decision. I can always add Sonos Ones if/as desired. :slight_smile:

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The $250 price seems to be available lots of places. I wonder if Apple will just change the default price of it in 2019. I definitely think $350 is way too much, but it did make $250 looks like a “deal” so I bought one. Not sure if I’ll buy a 2nd one.

Anyway, here are some links to Best Buy in case anyone is in the market for last-minute Christmas gift (to yourself or others):

Space Grey: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-homepod-space-gray/5902410.p?skuId=5902410

White: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/apple-homepod-white/5902411.p?skuId=5902411

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I guess my mistake in not realizing that these were on sale is that I always default to the Apple Store for Apple products. It looks like I need to expand my horizons! :slight_smile: Given the sale price and the uncertainty as to whether or not it will last, and my desire to have the stereo enhancement, I went ahead and sprang for two. That way, I only have to ask my wife for forgiveness once, not twice. :slight_smile:

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Yeah, I always find it strange when deals are not available on the primary site where items are sold.

I think the $250 deal has been fairly common since around Black Friday, although they’ve often sold out fairly quickly.

From all reports, a stereo pair does sound fantastic, so I’m sure it will be worth it.

Enjoy!

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Great sound is such an important part of the music - enjoy your new purchases!

I just got three Sonos Play:1’s (not the ones with Alexa microphones) and a pair of Totem Kin Minis with a matching subwoofer.

The two Play:1’s in a stereo pair is really sounding so much better than the single one. I am holding off on the aging Sonos Connect Amp and waiting for the new Amp to become available in February.

As I don’t use Apple Music, Sonos or Bluesound was my main contenders. As I got the Totems for the best sound, I figured the Sonos streaming system would be the least hassle for my wife to get used to. Also, native support for a LOT of streaming services.

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It used to be verboten to offer sale prices on Apple gear. Looks like Apple is losing their cachet and lowering prices.

I don’t know if they are losing their cache but I think they are having a hard time moving HomePods given the steep price or Best Buy and others are selling them as loss leaders.

Well, either way, you just cost me $250. :slight_smile:

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Well, I’m sure I’m way behind @MacSparky in costing you money! :rofl:

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There have been third-party discounts on Apple hardware for a long time. Usually it’s older stuff or stuff towards the bottom of their lineup, rather than the latest and greatest, so it’s the sort of things that MPU listeners are less likely to be interested in.

The HomePod would seem to be the exception.

Not that much of an exception. The big discounts this year seem to be on the HomePod and the 9.7" iPad. These are two of the least expensive products that Apple makes (the only cheaper ones that come to mind are the Apple TV and the Series 3 Apple Watch).

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I agree on the bottom of the line point. I was thinking more of the older stuff. In this case, Apple seems to be discounting the HomePod which obviously is not older, but it is on the lower price side of their other products. Regardless, I am delighted to have gotten the discount right as I was doing a lot of research on which way to go regarding smart speakers. For me, the timing was perfect. :slight_smile:

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Yes, I think you and I both bought our HomePods from B&H. (I also ended up buying a 2nd one as a gift.) Dan Moren of Macworld/SixColors just bought himself a 2nd HomePod and said on the latest Rebound podcast that the stereo sound and separation was impressive.

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