This morning my phone blew up with all sorts of notifications from various news outlets and tech websites that, at long last, Apple's HomePod would be available for pre-order this Friday.

I use the phrase "at long last" not because I have been eagerly awaiting to see Cupertino's latest but because, from a product marketing perspective, I am interested to see if Apple can effectively leverage its significant user base and substantial brand to shoehorn HomePod into an already-established...