What’s up PL Tech Reviews’ fans and welcome back for another blog! In this post, I’m going to tell you all about Apple’s 2nd Generation HomePod — which was announced on January 18th 2023 — and tell you whether or not it’s accessible and high tech enough for you to buy it.
What is new with the 2nd generation Apple HomePod?
The Second Generation HomePod is a powerful new smart speaker developed by Apple that delivers next-level acoustics, and comes in a gorgeous iconic recycled mesh fabric design that is available in a White and Midnight colour.
Packed with better Apple innovations and improved Siri intelligence, the next generation of HomePod offers advanced computational audio for a groundbreaking listening experience, along with support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks, which makes the audio you’ll be getting with it better than the previous generation, thanks to the custom-engineered high excursion woofer, powerful motor, built-in EQ mic, and the beam forming array of five tweeters.
With room sensing technology, HomePod can also recognise reflections from nearby surfaces to determine whether it is standing against a wall or freestanding, and then adapts to sound in real time.
Apple users who get the new HomePod also get convenient ways to manage every day tasks and to control their smart home, since it comes with the ability to create smart home automations using Siri, to get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm goes off, and to check the temperature and humidity of a room, completely hands free.
And you can also listen to a catalog of over 100 million songs with Apple Music, which the HomePod lets you listen to with Spatial Audio. or to create a captivating home theatre experience with an Apple TV 4K (though you will have to pay for all of those separate).
If you have more than one HomePod in the house, you can set them up to play the same or different songs or programmes in different places, as well as complete integration with the rest of Apple’s ecosystem.
In the box, you get the HomePod you’ve ordered, along with documentation, and a braided power cable that is identical in colour to whatever colour you go with.
Should you buy it?
People who know me are aware that I am a really passionate Apple fan, and to an extent, that is also pretty clear on here. While I’m sure Android and non Apple products are good for the people who have them, I just know that the tech I have just works better for me, and I can categorically say the only things I have which aren’t by Apple is a Samsung Smart TV, an Amazon Echo Dot (2nd generation) — because I think the current generation is too big — and an Amazon Echo Show 5.
With the HomePod, however, I feel like this is a different scenario, since both the Amazon Echo and Google Home smart speakers work with more technology. Even though I have a lot of Apple technology, I can’t think of too many things I would use it for in a way of turning the other devices on — other than launching / turning on my Apple TV 4K box — which is something you can still do with the original HomePod and HomePod Mini — which I plan to test for a month soon by giving up my Amazon smart speakers and seeing how well the HomePod Mini works.
So therefore — if I’m to answer the question above — how would I Answer it?
Well, if you are an avid Apple user and you’re happy to only get Apple products — which to a large extent I am — then it’s the right product for you. I’m also happy that there’s more smart home technology coming out that work with HomeKit (although the new Matter system might have something to do with that). And if I didn’t have any smart speakers already, I would certainly consider a HomePod as I am someone with a lot of Apple technology — though I would still want Apple to add more to the list of technology that you can use with it, even if they are made by their competitors.
But speaking from the point-of-view of someone who has a couple of Amazon Echo devices in the house anyway and would only be looking at bringing another smart speaker in, I can’t find any reason to replace my HomePod Mini (which I still have to check out), with another Apple Smart Speaker which I think doesn’t come with too many new features (but I will admit, it has improved in some ways).
The new HomePod can be bought in the UK for £299. The HomePod Mini — meanwhile — (sorry not a new one), is available for £99.
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