My first HomePod was a gift for my birthday back in 2018. I unpacked it, set it up in my kitchen, and turned it on. I can still remember how big the smile on my face was when it played the first song. The sound was more than good, it was incredible.

I’m not an audiophile or a music hobbyist, but there was something about the sound. It was as if the artist was in my kitchen, playing a private show. It got loud (very loud!), and had the ability to fill not only the kitchen, but other adjacent rooms as well. We enjoyed dinner with nice music filtering into the dining room.

My original intention was to have the HomePod be my kitchen assistant. Sure, Siri was terrible (and still is), but the ability to play music, set timers, and answer my phone was perfect for my use case.

Fast-forward almost three years, and I now have four HomePods and two HomePod minis. My original HomePod sits on my desk and makes work more enjoyable. A second sits in my kitchen. HomePods three and four are a stereo pair providing home theater-like experiences with my Apple TV. This is an incredible feature which adds to my delight.

I have a HomePod mini on my bedside table that provides soft music during my reading time in the evening, as well as serving as my alarm clock. The final HomePod mini is in the dining room, a necessity given the layout of our new home.

Six HomePods is a lot, but each has a role to play. The minis do an okay job playing music in a single room. However, when compared to the original HomePod, it’s hard to believe that they share the same product family name. The minis are small and do the job, but an element of delight is missing. Also missing are certain other features, like the ability to provide a home theater setup when combined with an Apple TV.

I’m certain that Apple has done their homework, and I hope that a larger, more full-featured HomePod is in the cards down the road. Many people made fun of the HomePod’s size or disagreed with its price tag. Fair enough, but it was the first Apple device in years that brought that lasting smile to my face and delight to my home.