Apple launches second iterations of HomePod smart speakers

Apple has launched a pricey new device to take on the likes of Amazon and Google. But some have wondered how new it really is.

Apple has launched a new version of its HomePod. Picture: Supplied.

Apple is known for launching products that wow customers – from iPhones to AirPods.

But the firm today announced that it is relaunching a gadget one tech website branded a “flop” after a rare consumer misfire in 2018.

The Apple HomePod is its top of the range smart speaker system, similar to the Amazon Echo and Google Nest ranges.

Available in Australia from February 3, it’s priced at $479 making it one of the more expensive speakers.

But the $3.1 trillion firm reckons it’s worth shelling out for it as it delivers “next-level acoustics in a gorgeous, iconic design”.

news.com.au was allowed to have a brief play with the HomePod in New York and its acoustics are impressive.

However, eagle eyed commentators have noticed one telling word the tech giant didn't utter as it was launched on Wednesday, US time.

And some are wondering if there’s enough that’s new about the HomePod to ensure it fares better than its first iteration.

App’s new version of its HomePod launched today. Picture: Supplied.

Released in 2018, version one of the HomePod was quietly axed in 2021 with no replacement. Although its stablemate, the cheaper and less flashy HomePod mini, has continued to be sold.

While reviewers loved the initial HomePod’s sound quality, it was seen as a fail in other areas. Some songs could only be played from Apple Music and it was expensive given limits to its smart functionality compared to rivals.

The first HomePod was even found to have stained some wooden surfaces much to the chagrin of users with expensive furniture.

Tech website Endgagdet said Apple had “given up” on the HomePod in 2021 adding teh device had seemed like a “work in progress”. FastCompany said it was a “flop” that brought nothing new to a crowded market.

The Apple HomePod had a habit of staining some wooden surfaces.

Yet now, it’s back. And Apple is insistent that the issues have been ironed out — it's smarter and HomePod 2.0 will succeed where HomePod 1.0 did not.

“With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing.

“Leveraging our audio expertise and innovations, the new HomePod delivers rich, deep bass, natural mid-range, and clear, detailed highs”.

The new HomePod is remarkably similar in look to the previous version released in 2018 (above). Picture: AFP PHOTO / NOAH BERGER

Full throttled sound quality

Looks wise, it’s essentially identical to the previous Apple smart speaker with a mesh fabric and a screen that pulsates in a myriad of ethereal colours when you holler “Hey Siri”.

It boasts a “high excursion” woofer and five tweeters (down from seven in the 2018 version) around the base which, combined with an S7 chip, offers a “groundbreaking listening experience,” says the company.

Sensors in the device mean it can work out of it’s in the middle of the room or by a wall and adjust where it beams its sound accordingly.

The HomePod comes in wiote or black. Picture: Supplied.

news.com.au listened to a bevy of quick fire tunes on the HomePod and the sound was crisp, full throttled and all-encompassing which is remarkable from a relatively small device.

At times during the short test it seemed like every element of a song was highlighted from the meaty bass to the lip smacking from the vocalist as they draw in breath.

If you have two HomePods you can play the same, or indeed different, songs through them at once. Or place them together for a stereo experience which Apple has said is more “immersive ” than traditional speaker pairs.

The guts of the HomePod with its big woofer and five tweeters at the base. Picture: Supplied.

One word Appel hasn’t mentioned

However, website The Verge has noticed that Apple has noticeably avoided one word when describing the device’s sound quality. It hasn’t said it’s as any “better” than the previous HomePod. Suggesting the sound quality may be similar.

The new HomePod is also still very much in the Apple ecosystem. You’ll need to have an iPhone to set it up and its only compatible with the iPhone 8 and later as well as fifth generation iPads and some other Apple tech.

Android users can instead use Siri to connect with HomePod or Airplay Spotify from any iPhone. There’s also no Bluetooth connectivity.

And it still might stain wooden furniture, with Apple saying it was “not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks”. Maybe take it off the family’s decades-old living room table.

The HomePod mini smart speaker has proved to be popular for Apple.

Where HomePod has got smarter

Apple has tried hard to make the HomePod’s functionality smarter, one of the main criticisms of the 2018 speakers.

It can now react to a multitude of commands. It can tell you the temperature outside but it can also tell you the temperature in the room you’re in.

Users can control others smart devices via the HomePod and create various mood settings. By saying “Good evening,” for instance, the device might lower your smart blinds and dim your smart lights.

It can also listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and alert you via your phone if you’re out and about so you can call triple-zero quick sharp.

Privacy concerns have plagued Amazon’s Echo device with worries it can snoop on users and that the audio might be saved forever and can be listened to by staff.

Amazon has said the privacy fears are overblown, its speakers only record when something is being requested and these recordings can be deleted.

Apple goes further and has said its HomePod doesn’t save any audio, not even for training purposes, unless the user specifically allows the company to do so.

The Amazon Echo Studio features Dolby Atmos. It’s also cheaper than the new HomePod from Apple.

Hefty price tag

The $479 price tag makes the HomePod costly, although its is around $70 cheaper than the first HomePod. The Amazon Echo Studio, its most expensive version, boasts five speakers, Dolby Atmos and comes in it $329. It puts Apple’s device closer in price to offerings from premium brands like Bose.

But Apple is adamant it’s worth it for people who want superior sound quality.

The second-gen HomePod looks like the first and may well sound like it. But it’s a smarter piece of kit with more functionality and a slightly lowered price tag. Apple will be hoping that will be enough to avoid another flop.

Originally published as Apple launches second iterations of HomePod smart speakers