It looks like the previous one, but smarter and more amazing. In any case, this is what Apple is promising by reviving its HomePod, a connected speaker trimmed down to highlight its Apple Music service in particular. But not only.
Released in 2017, the HomePod offered very good quality sound in a rounded template, with a touch control panel on top. Limited to the uses of Apple Music and Siri, the home speaker had quickly reached its limits, made even more evident with the arrival of the HomePod mini.
The slimmed down version took advantage of an advanced version of the voice assistant to facilitate connected home control, Thread technology to extend the connection between connected objects, close connection with iPhone to easily transfer songs, podcasts or calls from one device to another , the intercom function to contact home users on their different devices, etc. A versatility that made it more easily essential, at a significantly reduced price (99 euros). Now it is a thing of the past.
The same revised and corrected.
The second generation HomePod takes all the strengths of its little brother. It maintains its iconic design, in black or white (but in a new hue made with 100% recycled mesh fabric), and improves all existing ones. Apple promises an improvement in acoustic quality with advanced computer audio processing and the arrival of spatial audio in particular (for compatible songs).
“With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in the powerful acoustics that a larger speaker could deliver,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s director of global marketing. Therefore, the audio has been redesigned to offer more power than the mini version (there are 5 beamforming tweeters, a long-throw boomer, a microphone with bass EQ to properly manage the music-voice-Siri response balance).
Il devient enfin un allié pour la maison connectée avec la prize en charge de scénarios et routines pour automatiser la gestión à l’aide de Siri que pourra turn on the commandes, mais aussi notifier en cas de déclenchement d’alarme d’un détector de smokee or another. Because the speaker incorporates sound recognition. The HomePod has a temperature and humidity sensor to understand the accommodation and offer automation of use (raise or lower the heating, close the blinds, etc.). Obviously, it’s now ready to support the Matter protocol, which will standardize the use of connected objects, whatever their brand, and integrates Thread.
Smarter to Serve Everything
The Apple brand has endowed it with an S7 chip that equipped the Apple Watch Series 7. This will offer true management intelligence to the speaker and the versatility that it lacked. HomePod keeps its room-sensing technology to analyze reverberations and adjust the sound to your environment, whether you’re up against a wall or in a more open area.
It can work in stereo with a second HomePod, connected alone or in pairs to Apple TV 4K to output TV audio, or multiroom with the same song streamed across multiple rooms using AirPlay.
The HomePod also competes in intelligence. Not content with taking advantage of the advanced version of Siri, it also knows how to adapt to the home by offering recognition of six different voices and defining as many user profiles with playlists, reminders, calendars, suggestions, etc. Thanks to the voice assistant, it is also possible to locate your Apple devices or your relatives by sharing their position.
A HomePod that returns with more possibilities for improvement, always the emphasis on sound to use Apple Music, but also other streaming and radio services. And in the French invoice it arrives at the same price as the launch of the first model (later reduced to 329 euros) while in the United States it drops to 50 dollars (299 dollars compared to 349 dollars).
The HomePod (2nd generation) is on pre-order and will be available on February 3, 2023 at a price of 349 euros.
Source: BFM TV
