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Journalism of Courage
I am convinced the stress of the lockdown and the unending hours of work that came with it took most of the music out of my life. Music has always been a great stress buster for me. My most creative times are when I’m walking in the open with my favourite playlists on a loop. Over the past few months, trying to bring back my old routines I have also tried to fill the gaps with as much music as possible. The new Apple HomePod too tries to do that in a way, fill your home and leisure time with music, podcasts and everything in between.
The new Apple HomePod looks and feels like the earlier version. But there are some important changes this time. Inside, the HomePod has what Apple calls a high-excursion woofer sitting on top of five beam-forming tweeters. The fabric design is similar to the earlier model and accumulates as much dust as before in Indian conditions, so you have to keep wiping or vacuuming it to make it look clean
The HomePod now comes packed with Apple’s new processor and system sensors that take computational audio to a new level and optimises music for the exact location you have placed the HomePod in. Wherever it is kept in the room, the audio output feels the same and fills the room with the same impact.
There are temperature and humidity sensors too inside and the HomePod gives real-time readings in the Apple Home app. In fact, for those with automation at home, you can use this to trigger maybe the AC to switch on or the heater to change temperature.
The new HomePod can be paired with another HomePod, but not the older versions. In fact, soon after you set up a second HomePod you get a prompt on the phone asking if you want to pair the two. Since I had two units for review, this was clearly the experience I wanted to test.
But keep in mind that both the HomePods and the phone from which you want to control the music should be on the same Wi-Fi network. At home, I have two Wi-Fi networks, another remnant of the lockdown era when one network worked as a backup with three people working from home all the time. In fact, this combo got so irritating that after a while I switched off the backup router so that the devices did not keep switching at their own will.
While playing your music on the speaker pair is easy — you just need to the combo from Airplay — I realised that if the network is weak this is not a great experience, especially when you are streaming a show on the Apple TV and the HomePod is trying to give you a cinematic experience.
The Apple HomePod has one of the most soothing audio profiles I have experienced recently. The sound signature is rounded, with the right mix of highs and lows. But when the need arises, it can push both to the extreme. And when a tabla suddenly springs to life in a Shubha Mudgal composition you turn your head in surprise at where the flourish is coming from.
Where the HomePod is different from other speakers of this kind is in the sense of space it is able to create in the room, even when not playing as a speaker pair. You can hear different parts of the orchestra in different parts of the room, especially if you are playing a Spatial Audio file.
As I start my day with the slow Kahani Suno 2.0, the vocals seem to slice through my living room like a layer hanging in the air. Then with a number like Wood Trees by Begin, it’s almost like a soundscape has been turned on inside my home, filling every part of my living room, despite the drill going on somewhere on the apartment floor and the buzz of kids playing in the Badminton court below. The soundscape effect is even better when listening to Sum Clouds by Sum Wave thanks to the extra bass that lets the HomePod show off its lows.
For a night show of Sharper, the HomePod, placed on two corners of my living room and playing with the Apple TV, create the perfect movie surround experience with a superb sense of movement. In the opening scene, showing a watchmaker at work, I could hear the second hand tick across the room, recreating the cinema you are not sued to at home. Also, in a Noida apartment block with sensitive neighbours, the HomePod has the perfect volume to ensure you are safe.
The HomePod has become smarter now that it can even tell you the temperature in the room in which it is placed. Earlier, Siri would just have the weather it could pull up for your location. Interestingly, I loved how Siri replies with a very Indian “Haan” at times making you feel more at home while using the smart assistant for all sorts of things.
But, yes, I have to confess that I am still more comfortable playing music off my Mac or Apple TV and almost always forget that I just need to ask Siri from wherever I am in the room to play the episode of the Empire Podcast or answer a quick query to help with my son’s revision.
In India, since most of the HomeKit accessories are still not available, there is only so much you can ask the HomePod to do. But it is actually a very capable hub for all compatible smart devices in your home which can all be controlled by voice or with Shortcuts.
Yes, if you are well entrenched in the Apple ecosystem like me and have a host of devices that can make use of the superb sound profile and smartness of the HomePod. This makes even more sense if you use the Apple TV for watching movies with family as even a single HomePod can amp up that experience. At Rs 32,900, the new Apple HomePod is the perfect audio component for Apple homes.
