Apple’s $349 HomePod will launch in the US, UK and Australia on February 9! AND customers can preorder Apple’s home wireless speaker starting on Friday.
Even though the wait for the Siri speaker has been longer than expected after the launch was delayed from late 2017, we’re still pretty excited to see her in all her glory!
A direct competitor to Alexa and Google Home AI Assistant/speaker systems, HomePod promises to be everything you need from a home assistant. That’s some future words, right there. But will it stand up? With other companies already moving on to Video AI assistants ( Hi Alexa Show) some are wondering if Apple might be behind the ball a teeny tiny bit.
Either way, we’re excited to find out.
HomePod is configured through the Home app on an iOS device running iOS 11.2.5 (which is yet to be publicly released).
It will be available in two color choices, white or space gray. Order it from January 26 for $349.
Sprint is currently offering 1-Year Unlimited Talk, Text & Data for Free when you bring an eligible unlocked smartphone.
WHAT.
Yup, all you have to do is purchase a Sprint SIM card to take advantage of this offer (SIM card is $2.99 ea. and $10 shipping & handling + tax), plus have eBill and Sprint AutoPay ($5/mo./line discount applied within two invoices).
This excellent deal means that with the plan you get :
Unlimited data, talk and text
HD streaming:
Video at speeds up to 1080p
Music at up to 1.5mbps
Gaming streams at up to 8mbps
Unlimited 4G LTE data for most everything else. Data deprioritization applies during congestion.
10GB of high-speed data per line to use toward mobile hotspot, VPN and Peer-2-Peer usage. Once your 10GB is used up:
Continue at up to 2G speeds (32 Kbps) on our network for no additional cost, or
Purchase more on-network high-speed data for $15/1GB to tide you over for the rest of your bill cycle
A standard $1.99 admin fee, $0.40 regulatory fee and other taxes and fees apply.
You must be a Verizon, AT&T or T-Mobile customer bringing new lines to Sprint, and you must own the phone you’re bringing.
After the deal ends, pay:
Line 1: $60/mo.
Line 2: $40/mo.
Lines 3-5: $30/mo/line
Pricing shown with AutoPay. Add $5/mo./line without AutoPay
If this deal tickles your fancy, here is the list of eligible devices, but remember your phone has to be unlocked and compatible with Sprint SIM card and network:
Alcatel IDOL5
Apple iPhone 5c (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone 5s (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone 6
Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Apple iPhone 6s
Apple iPhone 6s Plus
Apple iPhone 7 (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone 7 Plus (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone 8 (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone 8 Plus (Verizon only)
Apple iPhone SE
Apple iPad
Apple iPad Air 2
Apple iPad Air
Apple iPad Mini 4
Apple iPad Mini 3
Apple iPad Mini 2
Apple iPad Pro
BLU VIVO S
Essential Phone
Google Nexus 5 (16 & 32 GB – black/white/red) (Verizon only)
Google Nexus 5X (all versions)
Google Nexus 6 (32 & 64 GB – black/white)
Google Nexus 6P (all versions)
Google Pixel
Google Pixel XL
Google Pixel 2
Google Pixel XL 2
HTC One A9 (Sprint Version only)
moto e4
moto e4 plus
moto g4
moto g4 play
moto g4 plus
moto g5 plus
moto g5s plus
moto x pure edition
moto z2 play
Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Special Edition
Samsung Galaxy S7 Special Edition
Samsung Galaxy S8 Special Edition
Samsung Galaxy S8+ Special Edition
Check eligibility and sign up here!
Apple recently faced some backlash after it revealed that as its phones’ batteries age, their software’s performance slows intentionally to prevent unexpected shutdowns. In response to said backlash, Apple lowered the cost of replacement iPhone batteries from $79 to $29 for the iPhone 6 or newer.
However. Unfortunately now Apple is telling customers that those $29 batteries? For the iPhone 6 Plus, they’re backlogged until late March, possibly early April. Bummer.
The smaller iPhone 6 batteries are looking more like a slim 10 days wait.
You can read Apple’s response to the backlash here, and how they’re responding to it. Hopefully if you’re waiting for a new battery, you don’t have to wait too long!