New HomePod Available

Cmaier

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Other changes - tweeters drop from 7 to 5 vs the original. Mics drop from 6 to 4. Has support for detecting smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sending a notification. Screen on top looks bigger than on the original (though it’s still not a real screen).
 

fooferdoggie

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great now my wife will have to come up with a different name other then dumb ball. our work so poorly its a joke. they seldom respond where our phones will misunderstand way to often on the same thing over and over. wont recognize my wife anymore.
 

Nycturne

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Looks like the top now uses the same setup as the mini. Also suspect that it will be able to do Handoff more consistently like the mini can.
 

Cmaier

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great now my wife will have to come up with a different name other then dumb ball. our work so poorly its a joke. they seldom respond where our phones will misunderstand way to often on the same thing over and over. wont recognize my wife anymore.
Well, to be fair to Siri, I don’t understand either :)
 

fooferdoggie

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Well, to be fair to Siri, I don’t understand either :)
my wife argues with Siri all the time and tells her off. well Alexa and google some too but Siri is far worse. she is blind she she uses it more then most of us.
 

Cmaier

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Looks like the power cable on the new HomePod will be detachable.
 

Citysnaps

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Looks like the power cable on the new HomePod will be detachable.

I've never understood the outrage at the other place about HomePod not having a detachable power cable. I guess it supports the on-going narrative there about Apple always sticking it to their customers.

In many decades of living with many AC power cords attached to this-n-that consumer products, I've yet to have a power cord fail on me.

I might be a little bugged if Apple desktop computers and displays went non-detachable - just because. But life would go on.
 

Andropov

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I've never understood the outrage at the other place about HomePod not having a detachable power cable. I guess it supports the on-going narrative there about Apple always sticking it to their customers.
I mean, it's not a deal breaker, but it's nice for power cords to be detachable by default. Even if only for easier cable management when you set it up the first time.
 

Cmaier

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I've never understood the outrage at the other place about HomePod not having a detachable power cable. I guess it supports the on-going narrative there about Apple always sticking it to their customers.

In many decades of living with many AC power cords attached to this-n-that consumer products, I've yet to have a power cord fail on me.

I might be a little bugged if Apple desktop computers and displays went non-detachable - just because. But life would go on.
For me, it was not about reliability but about length and flexibility. Being able to replace the wire easily opens it up to more mounting options, etc. Not that it made a big difference for me, since I pretty much just scattered mine around the house on various end tables and shelves.
 

Citysnaps

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Not that it made a big difference for me, since I pretty much just scattered mine around the house on various end tables and shelves.

Same here. I set them on a table and plug them into an outlet behind the table. Job done, don't even see the cord.

From an aesthetics standpoint, IMO, a standard IEC three prong receptacle (with socket mated to a cord) on the back of a HomePod would look a little chunky and weird. Similar to how table and floor lamps with receptacle and matching detachable cord would look, around the house.

I do like the braided cords - a nice touch. But that only "sparks joy" when removing the HomePod from the box. Once it's sitting on a table, it usually not seen.
 
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casperes1996

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Very curious to see if it will have noticeably worse audio quality. Slightly smaller than the original, weighs slightly less, two fewer tweeters, and fewer microphones might also lead to worse speech recognition. It's got a new chip but I am also not sure S7 is really any better than A8. Generations apart but the Apple Watch chip is also using older IP cores than its name would suggest and well, it's an S series not an A series.
I don't mind that they can't be stereo-paired with original HomePod. I have neither so I shouldn't be the one to complain either way, but if they do sound noticeably different with the different hardware they wouldn't be a good fit for stereo-pairing either way.

This new one is also releasing here in Denmark, which the original HomePod never did, though I did listen to it in the US and was simultaneously impressed by the audio quality given that it's a small smart speaker, but also disappointed because it's a small smart speaker and you can still get better quality speakers at a similar price point if you go for something more traditional, and the smart stuff doesn't appeal that much to me
 

Andropov

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This new one is also releasing here in Denmark, which the original HomePod never did, though I did listen to it in the US and was simultaneously impressed by the audio quality given that it's a small smart speaker, but also disappointed because it's a small smart speaker and you can still get better quality speakers at a similar price point if you go for something more traditional, and the smart stuff doesn't appeal that much to me
I’ve never quite gotten what the target demographic of these smart speakers is supposed to be. I’ve always felt like it’s a solution in search of a problem.
It’s not that I don’t find the smart stuff useful. It’s the focus on the smartness as a central part of what the product is what I find a bit bizarre.
 

Cmaier

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I’ve never quite gotten what the target demographic of these smart speakers is supposed to be. I’ve always felt like it’s a solution in search of a problem.
It’s not that I don’t find the smart stuff useful. It’s the focus on the smartness as a central part of what the product is what I find a bit bizarre.

We use the audio all the time in our house, but the “smarts” rarely. Mostly I use it to control homekit devices.
 

Citysnaps

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We use the audio all the time in our house, but the “smarts” rarely. Mostly I use it to control homekit devices.

We do the same. I look at them as offering (along with Apple Music) all you can eat music of almost any genre, anywhere in our house, with no muss no fuss. They just work and they sound really good.
 

casperes1996

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We do the same. I look at them as offering (along with Apple Music) all you can eat music of almost any genre, anywhere in our house, with no muss no fuss. They just work and they sound really good.
But when is "sound anywhere around the house" even really that useful? Maybe it's just me but when I have something I listen to, it's generally at my desk. If it isn't then it's some podcast or similar where audio quality isn't as big a concern and just having it come out of my iPad or the telly is fine. Maybe it's because I just live in an apartment. I'd be more inclined to buy Apple hi-fi speakers battling with studio monitors and the best of floor speakers than I would HomePods that emphasise small, smart and being able to be placed anywhere and dynamically fill a room rather than requiring a fixed listening spot. When I eventually upgrade from my AudioEngine A5+ I'm thinking of getting something along the lines of these:

Obviously a very different type of product to HomePod and I'm not saying one should compare them. But of the two product categories I see less appeal in the type of product that HomePod is. If it were 99% audio 1% smarts I'd be more into it. But as I see it, it's more 50/50. Where something like an Alexa seems way less appealing being only 20% audio and 80% smarts from what I've heard
 
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