Apple’s original HomePod sounded incredible and brought some genuinely surprising new features to the all-in-one home speaker world.
So,why the reboot?
Almost nothingbut it may not matter.
Apple
“This strikes me as a risky launch.
Siri has not improved since then, and Apple has not added an audio-input jack to the HomePod 2.
The pricehasdropped, but only from $349 to $299.
Apple
There are a few improvements.
The new units have temperature and humidity sensors inside for home automation use.
They also have a Thread radio to support Matter, the new standard home automation protocol.
But in terms of audio hardware, the new version seems to be a downgrade.
“However, this model doesn’t really seem like the future.
Didn’t the original model fail to sell mainly because it was overpriced?”
The original HomePod packed in seven tweeters; the new one has only five.
It also ditched two of the six microphones found in the original.
But none of this may matter.
Home HomePods
According to early reviews, the HomePod 2 sounds as good as the original.
But as mentioned, the price is really not much different from that of the original.
What is different is the world of home audio and home automation.
And more importantly, privacy is only getting more critical.
Apples HomeKit has one massive advantage over the rest of the home-automation world.
It protects your privacy.
If you want to get into Apples HomeKit, youll need a home hub.
But for just a couple hundred bucks more, the HomePod suddenly looks pretty compelling.
If only it had a 3.5mm jack to hook it up to older, non-AirPlay audio sources.
And would it kill Apple to make it in colors other than black and white?
