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Apple surprised consumers around the world with the early launch of its second-generation HomePod smart speaker. Now, much to the delight of Indian consumers the premium smart speaker will go on sale in India starting today. The latest version of the HomePod has gained some features while dropping down its price. Here is everything you need to know about Apple’s smart speaker.
Apple’s latest HomePod smart speaker will be available for Rs 32,900. While it has been available for pre-order since Apple announced the device in January, it is now officially available on sale starting Friday, February 3.
Even though it was not a commercial success, Apple’s original HomePod earned plaudits for its excellent sound quality. On that front, the second-generation HomePod might seem like a bit of a downgrade since it only comes with five tweeters compared to the seven tweeters on the original version. Also, the second-generation HomePod only has four microphones, down two from the six microphones available with the previous generation.
But, the company has added a new 4-inch high-excursion woofer to the HomePod, which should provide the smart speaker with added bass capabilities. Also, the second-generation HomePod’s S7 processor is an upgrade over the A8 processor found in the original, which means that the new edition should have improved computational audio.
The previous generation HomePod speaker used its microphones to listen to the reflections of audio coming off surfaces in the room it is placed in so that it could automatically adjust the audio. This feature should also work with the HomePod 2. Also, the new HomePod speaker supports Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos audio and will also support multi-room AirPlay and stereo pairing. The stereo pairing feature can be used to connect two HomePod speakers to form a stereo setup.
At first glance, the HomePod 2 looks almost identical to its predecessor. It comes with the same spongy materials around the outside. The touch panel on the top of the HomePod 2 is similar to the original but is now slightly recessed like in the HomePod mini.
One major issue with the first-generation smart speaker was the fact that it came with a non-detachable cable built into the unit. Apple fixed that issue with the HomePod 2 by giving it a detachable cable that can easily be replaced if the need arises.
Also, many users reported that the original HomePod sometimes left a permanent mark when it was placed on wooden surfaces for a long time. While 9to5Mac reports that this issue has been somewhat resolved, the new generation HomePod can still leave a mark on wooden surfaces.
Another upgrade that the HomePod 2 comes with is support for Matter, the smart home connectivity that is also supported by Amazon, Google, Ikea and others. It also supports Thread, a new low-energy smart home connectivity technology for use with appliances like smart lights.
Other connectivity features on the HomePod 2 include WiFi and BlueTooth 5.0. It also comes with the Ultra Wideband technology that was featured in the HomePod mini. This allows you to hand off media from your iPhone to the HomePod. For example, when you reach home, you can transfer a song playing on your iPhone to your HomePod 2.
What about the temperature and humidity sensors on the Apple HomePod 2?
Another key new update for the HomePod 2 is that it gets temperature and humidity sensors that were absent in the original HomePod. Interestingly, the much cheaper HomePod mini already has these features, but it was never enabled by Apple until the HomePod 16.3 software update.
Apart from allowing you to easily gauge the temperature and humidity in your room, you can also create automatic tasks that get triggered based on certain temperature and humidity values. For example, you can set the Apple Home app to automatically turn up your smart air conditioner if the temperature in your house goes above a certain level.
