Sonos Ones or HomePod

First off you can get two Sonos Play:1’s for the cost of a single HomePod. That’s a bonus right off the hop.

I’m huge into the Apple ecosystem which is what drove me to Sonos. Apple Music is trouble free on Sonos, and you have to option of all the other streaming services.

While I suspect Apple will allow other streaming services with HomePod, I’d expect that to roll out slowly.

Once AirPlay 2 is released, using Sonos with Apple is going to be even better.

These were the basis for my decision to invest in Sonos rather than to wait for HomePod.

I agree with jjayf. It nice not being locked in with Apple. With Sonos One you Sonos, Alexa, upcoming Google, and upcoming Apple. All in one. Versus a HomePod which Apple dictates what it is ever capable of. And there is no way two Sonos Ones don’t blow away Homepod in sound.

Apple Music isn't full featured on Sonos even today because it lacks the Like/Heart feature that is there in the native app that still cannot be used with Sonos. For some, this is a big on going miss. With HomePods, this will be available from day 1. And it will be interesting to see if the voice control is better integrated than for Sonos at this time with Alexa that is still clunky.

And Apple claims a different approach to getting better sound from a HomePod pair in a room than conventional stereo pairing. It would be interesting to see if these claims hold up in actual user tests.

As a long time Sonos user, I see no reason to switch to HomePods, but in the OP boat I would be waiting to evaluate it before making any calls. As to all in one versus not being locked in, the same argument would have applied to the iPod on its launch in 2000. We know what happened then. As I wrote, another good reason to wait and watch for someone making a first time call.

Well when I say Apple In This instance I mean airplay2 which is more full Apple experience.

A couple of more points about Apple - as far as HomePod goes, the true measure of its sound quality IMO would be in comparison to a pair, compared to a 5 pair. At a price slightly below a 5 pair, but both quite expensive. One could even argue that the HomePods look better with a smaller footprint and the 360 degree arrayed 7 tweeters sound interesting and worth giving a whirl. Audiophiles would violently disagree of course.

As to planned obsolescence I have a mixed experience of Apple - my 2011 wireless Time Capsule basestation and Express extenders from Apple work flawlessly even today in the manner of a generic product, and firmware was seamlessly upgraded just a month ago. I also have no issues with two MacBook Pros - one from 2010 and one from 2014. On the other hand, my 2011 iPod touch, while fully functional, now cannot be used for hosting a Sonos controller because the iOS versions no longer are accommodated on it. But it works fine as a dedicated to music bluetooth source even today.

As with Bose, if one picks and chooses, good results can be obtained. It is not necessary to either shirk all their products or be a 100% adherent, for best outcomes.

PS: the other thing to evaluate would be stability of Airplay 2 running HomePods versus Sonos on Sonos net. Music play stability trumps everything else.

I bought my wife an Apple Watch this Christmas because it just made sense to complement her iPhone versus another smart watch.
There is nothing like the touch/feel of Apple products even today. I use an Android phone because iPhones don't meet my value for money benchmarks and I don't need most of the features. But using an old iPhone that my son has discarded, as a Sonos controller and bluetooth audio source, is a pleasure. It is a lot slicker than my newer Android phone in the way it feels and responds akin to the difference between Macs and clunky PCs. It isn't a surprise that Sonos emulates Apple in many ways, down to package designs.
I would not be surprised to see a usable integration of the Apple Watch and HomePods...that, if it comes, will take some time coming to Sonos. Another reason for some patience:-).

The HomePod gained FCC approval yesterday so should be available within a month.

Available February 9th.

Available February 9th.
Rats too late to edit, of course you need Apple Music and other Apple devices to work it. So does leaves Android users out and severely limited with the choice of music service.

And... major fail on launch no synced multi-room music.

What!? No synched multi-room? So it's just a months delayed glorified Airplay speaker?

Bwahaha, way to go Apple! :8