HomePod in 2019

From the very beginning, we all had a hunch that HomePod wasn't going to do well. It's an over-priced speaker that can't compete with the functionality of other smart speakers. That being said, it's almost been a year since HomePod came out, and Apple's stance on HomePod seems to have taken quite the turn. In December, Alexa began supporting Apple Music, basically eliminating any reason to buy HomePod other than a few small features. In January, Apple began supporting third-party TV manufacturers to integrate AirPlay 2 into them, which can effectively replace HomePod and Apple TV. There are occasional murmurs about Apple creating a better follow up to the HomePod, but putting resources into that seems like a waste at the moment. A better solution would be to crank Siri R&D up to 11, as Siri is often seen as a joke compared to Google Home and Alexa. If Siri gets smarter, current HomePod owners will have more functionality. When Siri is made better, HomePod can have a better reputation and a next-generation HomePod could stand a chance in the smart speaker market.