Apple’s HomePod is their initial foray into the rapidly growing smart speaker market. Initially designed as a high-end assistant, Apple has since shifted focus towards competing against Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Nest products at lower price points.
After four years on the market, Apple has worddocx officially discontinued the original HomePod and will focus on developing the smaller HomePod mini.
Though the new HomePod sounds impressive, it lacks some of the innovative features that made people gravitate to the original model and has several key shortcomings. Its price point is too high and it doesn’t support all of Apple’s other hdxwallpaper hardware and services such as Siri.
Unfortunately, it lacks some of the most desirable features found in other smart speakers, such as multi room support that lets telesup multiple HomePods play identical audio in different rooms without needing additional hubs.
However, it’s an excellent sounding device with some interesting tech and is easy to set up. All you need is an iPhone or iPad and then sync the speaker via iCloud Keychain on your device.
The HomePod’s audio system is impressive, featuring a custom-engineered high-excursion woofer and powerful motor. Additionally, it has happn five tweeters working together in beamforming mode for deep bass and crisp highs. Inside the HomePod is an S7 chip along with software and system sensing technology designed to maximize its acoustic potential.
This design is stunning, boasting a seamless acoustically transparent mesh fabric and backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge roobytalk to edge. Available in white or “Midnight,” Apple’s new favorite color for recent products such as the M2 MacBook Air.
This version of the HomePod is powered by Apple Watch Series 7’s S7 chip, giving it a major performance upgrade over its older model.
Apple has recently introduced a skill on their HomePod that allows you to hear alarms from smoke or carbon monoxide detectors. This is an intriguing addition, as it could provide valuable peace of mind while you’re away from home.
A newly announced “Intercom” feature on HomePod lets you communicate directly with other owners using only your voice. This function works similarly to Alexa’s “announce” feature and allows for the rapid exchange of messages between smart speakers in various ways, from asking for recommendations to configuring automations on-the-spot.
You can also manage all your smart devices and make adjustments to them by syncing with the HomePod using iCloud. While having this feature is beneficial, it’s not essential for its role as your personal assistant.
You can use the HomePod to monitor temperature and humidity in any room, acting as a central hub for Apple’s HomeKit smart home system. We’re eager to test out this promising feature!
