Listen to a recap of the top stories of the day from 9to5Mac. 9to5Mac Daily is available on iTunes and Apple’s Podcasts app, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play, or through our dedicated RSS feed for Overcast and other podcast players.

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One popular saying in basketball is that you can’t teach height. Short players can work on fundamentals, but once they’ve finished growing, they can never grow taller.

However, basketball fundamentals can be improved and enhanced over time. Unlike height, fundamentals can be acquired through hard work.

The HomePod is similar in that a strong hardware foundation has been laid at the outset. You can’t go back and retrofit it with better internals, so Apple made sure that the HomePod had the hardware to sound superb out of the gate.

Likewise, Apple is betting on the fact that over time the hard work of its engineering team can help shore up the device’s most glaring deficiency — Siri… more…

Each month on our YouTube channel we give away Apple-related products, usually items that we’ve covered in the past on 9to5Mac. For example, in January we gave away the CalDigit AV Pro 2, and in February we gave away the Akitio Thunder3 Quad X. For March, we’ve upped the ante a bit and are giving away a massive box of Apple-related kit with spring cleaning in mind. Items include the Akitio Thunder 3 Quad Mini, LaMetric Time, Samsung Gear 360 (2017 version), Mantiz Venus eGPU enclosure, and much more. more…

We are now one month out since HomePod was released, and I’ve been using Apple’s smart speaker every day since it launched. First on the road while traveling, then at home with a variety of other smart speakers.

My thoughts on HomePod have shifted over that period, but my key takeaway is this: HomePod is the best smart speaker for Apple Music subscribers in the Apple ecosystem, but the experience needs to evolve before it’s ready for the masses.

The bottom line for me is that I really enjoy using HomePod myself — for hours at a time every day — but I wouldn’t gift HomePod (or any other smart speaker) to a family member just yet. HomePod just isn’t that straightforward yet. Apple Watch crossed the family friendly threshold for me with version two, and AirPods were gift-worthy from day one for comparison.

HomePod instead feels more like the fourth generation Apple TV. That product debuted with new capabilities like Siri control and an app platform, but took a few software updates over several months to feel closer to complete with a proper remote app and basic features like dictating text in search boxes and app folders.

HomePod has a lot of that low hanging fruit just waiting to be picked — not to mention major feature additions that could dramatically improve the experience for mainstream customers — all without requiring new hardware.

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The most annoying thing about digital assistants is that you have to say a trigger word after every request, with few exceptions. Whether it be “Hey Siri”, “Ok Google”, or “Alexa”, it can become increasingly tiresome, especially if you’re trying to have a fluid conversation.

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As seen in new photos taken outside the work site, familiar cube-sized scaffolding has risen above the construction barriers at Apple’s flagship Fifth Avenue store in New York City.

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In case you missed our announcement, we’ll be selecting a winner to receive one space gray Apple HomePod and a $500 gift card courtesy of our sponsor Caseco. On top of our grand prize for the HomePod and $500 gift card, Caseco will be giving away a second $500 gift card to a runner-up. Head below for your chance to win, and get 30% off Caseco accessories with promo code “9to5Mac30off“ for a limited time.. 

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Barclays has released its latest analyst report. The analysts, who have a mixed track record of accuracy, indicate continued iPhone 8 and iPhone X ‘weakness’ is being partly offset by continued sales of iPhone 7. Most interestingly, the report says to expect new AirPods in early 2019 with noise cancelling features.

Due to the small form factor of AirPod earbuds, noise cancelling is very unlikely to rival bigger cans with active noise cancellation like the Beats Studio 3. However, Barclays suggests that there will be design changes and improvements over the current AirPods.

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A new article today from L2 takes a look at an excerpt from the NYT bestseller, The Four: The Hidden DNA of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Among the takeaways from the chapter, the author shares some interesting ideas on Apple’s success as it has moved from the dominating tech world to becoming an icon in the fashion industry. However, even though Apple could be the first tech company to have a good shot at multigenerational success, it has some serious competition to overcome from Amazon and its Alexa platform.

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The Crave Plus is a portable charger with an iPhone-like design that packs in an impressive 10,000 mAh battery to charge your iPhone and other devices up to 3 times. Thanks to our sponsor Crave, 9to5 readers can get an exclusive 40% off for a limited time.

Get Crave Plus for 40% off with promo code 9to5Mac $47.99 (Reg. $79.99)

But it’s not just the size of an iPhone. The designed-in-America Crave Plus also takes a lot of design cues from Apple’s phones with its aluminum finish and rounded corners. That makes it a perfect companion to slide in your pocket next to your iPhone 7, 8, or X. With our 40% off discount, you can get the Crave Plus for its lowest price ever, $47.99.

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