I don't think the article is nonsense. That's simply MR reporting facts.
What is nonsense are the conclusions drawn by most of the commenters here. Without making an assessment of how it sounds. Apparently many here don't care too much about that.
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Old vs. New HomePod Buyer's Guide
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I don't think the article is nonsense. That's simply MR reporting facts.
What is nonsense are the conclusions drawn by most of the commenters here. Without making an assessment of how it sounds. Apparently many here don't care too much about that.
Or neither.... they drop the price.
Apple never has "sales" really but maybe black Friday, but the sale prices you see at third party retailers are technically Apple funded discounts in most cases (which is the stupidest thing - as they don't want a brand perception of discounting yet that's what they do all the time). I'll be money we will see Best Buy, Amazon, and others with $50 off deals QUICKLY.
2018
I'm also sure they learned and will not have a massive amount of inventory sitting around in warehouses this time like they did with the Gen 1. Gen 1 launched in 2018, when discontinued and fire sales started in 2021, they were still selling through original launch stock - 3 million total sales (most under the fire sale and heavy discounting through third party retailers). So that is telling in what their initial production run produced.
"to the divisive original model"
Sounds like they should have also made a Unity-themed HomePod too.
Sounds like they should have also made a Unity-themed HomePod too.
It's hilarious watching people whinge about the reduced WiFi spec of the new one.
Exactly how much network performance do you think a HomePod actually needs?
Exactly how much network performance do you think a HomePod actually needs?
A hard no buy:
The lack of a decent wi-fi standard on the new model tells me that Apple does not intend to bring new features that are critical to a fast and delay free communication protocol (eg desktop speaker usage; support for 4.0 or 4.1 hometheater setups )
I’ll stick to alternatives then.
- it can’t be used as a set of desktop speakers (airplay delay is horse..sh..t..)
- WiFi N standard is stone age technology
- No individual EQ
The lack of a decent wi-fi standard on the new model tells me that Apple does not intend to bring new features that are critical to a fast and delay free communication protocol (eg desktop speaker usage; support for 4.0 or 4.1 hometheater setups )
I’ll stick to alternatives then.
We only know the CPUs of S7 and S8 SiPs are the same. The GPU and RAM might be different. Also I think Bluetooth 5.3 support, new high-g force acceloremeter and high dynamic range gyroscope are embedded into S8 SiP which are not found in S7 SiP. Since you don’t need crash detection at home, S7 is used in the latest HomePod.
I think the difference between S6 and S7 SiPs is more mysterious.
FYI @MacRumors, you’ve reported the height of both devices incorrectly
HomePod Gen 2 is 6.6” tall (not 5.6”)
HomePod Gen 1 is 6.8” tall (not 6.6”)
HomePod Gen 2 is 6.6” tall (not 5.6”)
HomePod Gen 1 is 6.8” tall (not 6.6”)
That is because they switched from using an older iPhone SOC A8 to using a newer Watch SOC S8. The SOC chipset only includes 802.11n. The S8 is based on the A13 efficiency cores and is a much newer chip, but it did only include the older Wi-Fi chipset. It doesn’t look like Apple chose an older Wi-Fi spec but just that the older spec came as a result of the upgrade of the processor. It shouldn’t have much impact on the function of the speaker as the bandwidth is more than enough for audio. The newer SOC should improve Siri response (with more local process of commands) and overall responsiveness.
FYI @anthogag, @1BadManVan
I’ll hold off on concerns about changes to the speakers and microphones. Yes, fewer component could mean reduced audio quality, but they packed a lot of components in that v1 HomePod and it may turn out that they can get the same sound quality out of fewer components if they redesign how the components work together. Will keep an eye out for some more in-depth reviews once these get into people’s hands.
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I’m really curious how many penny’s apple saved just to downgrade wifi that far back. I was a little shocked to see that honestly
I’m in a bind, and it pertains to one of the key selling points of these HomePods.
I’ve got a great, great audiophile vintage stereo that I use for music—Node for streaming and a turntable for records. The speakers (KEFs) were originally $2500 in the late-80s and still sound like a million bucks.
But my video setup is a 4K projector, located on the opposite wall about 20 feet away. Running cable from the projector to my stereo receiver is not an option, so I‘ve been sending audio wirelessly from my 4K AppleTV to the Node. This works, but I annoyingly have to menu-dive in AppleTV to select the Node as an audio output device every time I want to use it, because the nice engineers at Apple refuse to allow me to select the Node as a default audio output. Additionally the sound levels are always wonky relative to my settings for music. It’s a major First-World PIA.
So I’m thinking of picking up a used pair of OG HomePods and just using them as dedicated speakers for the AppleTV, because it’s really the only option that doesn’t involve switching to a Roku/Bluetooth setup.
What’s my point? Yeah, these HomePods kinda suck but if there’s one thing Apple are still good at, it’s handcuffing their customers.
I’ve got a great, great audiophile vintage stereo that I use for music—Node for streaming and a turntable for records. The speakers (KEFs) were originally $2500 in the late-80s and still sound like a million bucks.
But my video setup is a 4K projector, located on the opposite wall about 20 feet away. Running cable from the projector to my stereo receiver is not an option, so I‘ve been sending audio wirelessly from my 4K AppleTV to the Node. This works, but I annoyingly have to menu-dive in AppleTV to select the Node as an audio output device every time I want to use it, because the nice engineers at Apple refuse to allow me to select the Node as a default audio output. Additionally the sound levels are always wonky relative to my settings for music. It’s a major First-World PIA.
So I’m thinking of picking up a used pair of OG HomePods and just using them as dedicated speakers for the AppleTV, because it’s really the only option that doesn’t involve switching to a Roku/Bluetooth setup.
What’s my point? Yeah, these HomePods kinda suck but if there’s one thing Apple are still good at, it’s handcuffing their customers.
But, they’re just as “locked down” as every other Apple device you own. All Apple devices are dependent on the “smarts” Apple imbues them with, and they can (and do) obsolete devices whenever they see fit.
Upgraded WiFi is not required to support higher quality music. As a delayed playback protocol, AirPlay can have devices buffer an entire high quality version of a song at a time if needed, so it just comes down to whether or not the device can play it, not how fast the network is. (On a slower network, AirPlay just buffers longer prior to starting to play)
“Because, good sir, my takes are the hotttest and the frrrresshest before actually listening to these devices. And, since they’re even spicier if I never own the device, you can be assured that I’ll never own one!”
/s
I ordered one (thanks to a friend at Apple’s 25% off) and will put it in my bathroom. now I’ll have an OG stereo pair in my living room / kitchen and the mini in my bedroom.
idk wth Apple was thinking with this “new” model, but I’m looking forward to it none the less. not ashamed!
idk wth Apple was thinking with this “new” model, but I’m looking forward to it none the less. not ashamed!
I think they stopped because of the high failure rate, which is believed to be due to a design flaw, not really because of sales.
It's amusing how many people are using "inflation" as their defense for the pricing not being the same. The point is that the OG HomePod was sold for $299 from 2019 until it was retired in 2021. That's two whole years and sales still didn't seem to pick up. I mean, yeah I suppose the new one is technically "cheaper" than the OG when you consider inflation, but not many people think about it that way.
It's not much different than how the iPhone Pro stayed at $999 from when it was introduced in 2019 to now. If you really care about inflation, you won't complain if Apple increases the iPhone Pro prices to $1,149, will you? After all, $999 in 2019 dollars is $1,160 today, so $1,149 is still "cheaper"...
It's not much different than how the iPhone Pro stayed at $999 from when it was introduced in 2019 to now. If you really care about inflation, you won't complain if Apple increases the iPhone Pro prices to $1,149, will you? After all, $999 in 2019 dollars is $1,160 today, so $1,149 is still "cheaper"...
The article states as fact it’s worse because the number of tweeters is different.
I have never cared about inflation until the last few years when it went bonkers. Now I think about it all the time
Really? I must have missed their critical listening evaluation/testing comparing sound quality between 1st and 2nd generation HomePods. Or that MR even had a 2nd gen HomePod in their possession for evaluation.
Perhaps you can point that out.