Apple HomePod Review: Super Sound, but Not Super Smart

With the Apple HomePod, the cotton that has been in our ears since the arrival of the first smart speaker has been removed. The HomePod sounds far better than the popular smart speakers from Amazon, Google--and even Sonos. That's what I've been asking myself during my week testing the HomePod, which goes on sale Friday for $350. In the last three years, Amazon Echo and Google Home have set tens of millions of us at ease with speakers that listen for our commands. Of course, Apple has a long history of crushing incumbents--see MP3 players and smartphones.