Ewen Cluney posted:

I think it depends a lot on what you mean by "open this up." Apple usually starts letting devs have access to hardware features a while after they've been on the market, and for iPhone they have let devs get into Siri integration (albeit with a lot of restrictions, resulting in relatively few apps using it). HomePod has powerful enough hardware that it has plenty of room to grow its capabilities with software updates, but apart from announcing their intention to add the stereo pairing feature, they've given zero indications about what they're planning to do with that.

My experience with AirPlay is that it's a lot faster and more reliable than Bluetooth, but non-Apple devices that support it are pretty rare. It's apparently possible to get AirPlay going on Windows or even a Raspberry Pi with the right software, which opens up some interesting possibilities, but it sounds like I'll be sticking with my Samsung sound bar thing for most stuff that isn't Apple TV or Apple Music.