Los Mac mini M2 and the new MacBook Pros They have not been the only news that Apple had prepared for this week. The company has presented today a new HomePodthe second generation of the original model that stopped selling in March 2021.
At first glance it seems that we are in front of a reissue of the original model, but we have some hidden differences between both generations which is worth detailing. Let’s put the features of this new model next to the old one and compare.
HomePod on the outside, HomePod 2 on the inside
|
homepod original |
homepod 2 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
dimensions |
17.2 cm tall 14.2 cm wide (diameter) |
16.8 cm high 14.2 cm wide (diameter) |
|
weight |
2,5 Kg |
2,3 Kg |
|
CHIP |
A8 |
S7 |
|
internal speakers |
Four-inch long-excursion woofer Seven horn-shaped tweeters |
Four-inch long-excursion woofer Five horn-shaped tweeters |
|
microphones |
6 |
4 |
|
dolby atmos |
If required Apple TV 4K) |
If required Apple TV 4K) |
|
screen |
LEDs, 19 RGB LEDs arranged in a circle |
LEDs, 19 RGB LEDs arranged in a circle |
|
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY SENSORS |
No |
Yes |
|
CONNECTIVITY |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 |
Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 Matter Thread Chip Ultra Wide Band accelerometer |
|
others |
ambient sounds detachable power cord |
|
|
precio |
349 euros originally, 329 euros later |
349 euros |
The design is the same as the original HomePod, only slightly shorter and weighing 200 grams less. It is not something that we are going to notice too much, but it is because we have two fewer tweeters. Apple must have overhauled the entire sound system and may have decided to simplify it seeing that it can be optimized with fewer speakers. And the same may have happened with the microphones, because we have gone from having six to having four.
It stands out that now the new HomePod has temperature and humidity sensor, with which we now have that data integrated with Siri and HomeKit. And the compatibility with Matter also integrates this home automation standard with the rest of the devices in the ecosystem.
Beyond that, the new HomePod goes on to be sold for $299 in the United States (the price that Apple applied after the discount) and 349 euros in Spain (the price that Apple had pre-discount). Unfair, yes, but inflation is what it is. Now it will be time to see if the speaker is successful and therefore justifies its relaunch: the HomePod 2 will be in stores from February 3.
Image | The blowup