Years after Apple discontinued its original, larger and more powerful smart speaker a near identical second version is on store shelves for a whopping $479 AUD.
HomePod is back from the dead.
Years after Apple discontinued its original, larger and more powerful smart speaker a near identical second version is on store shelves for a whopping $479 AUD.
That’s a lot of money.
What’s more, you’ll need two for the best listening experience.
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Set up as stereo speakers, the new HomePods are undeniably impressive when listening to songs and videos optimised for Apple’s spatial audio.
There are technically fewer speakers inside the second generation HomePod yet with the right track – through Apple Music of course – they effortlessly fill a room with sound, intelligently enveloping you in waves that mimic cinema level surround systems.
Spotify isn’t optimised for this experience and you can’t even open the app with Siri.
For better or worse, this is an Apple centric device.
If you’re committed to iPhone, iPad and Apple Macs – you’re going to have a much better time with a HomePod.
They can be paired with an Apple TV as a substitute sound bar which is where you’ll get the most value for money.
Again, they sound impressive watching content optimised for spatial audio on Apple TV+ but audio is noticeably ‘flatter’ when watching anything else.
They also won’t work as speakers when watching standard TV.
I initially tried Apple’s HomePods with my Mac Mini.
Over AirPlay, they work great albeit with a fraction of lag that slightly affects lip sync.
Over Bluetooth, the delay when watching videos is much more noticeable.
Again, this is largely a problem for anyone without access to AirPlay.
If you don’t own an Apple device a HomePod is probably not the right smart speaker for you.
Matter – a new standard for smart home products that will one day make sure all Apple, Google and Amazon products play nice together – is coming, but without many of the devices that support that in Australia, it’s something I haven’t been able to test.
Do they sound amazing? Yes.
Will they sell? I’m not sure.
Siri is not the best smart assistant on the market and an inability to tap into major third party apps like Spotify – on a music focused device – will be a dealbreaker for many.
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Then there’s the price.
$479 is a lot to ask when there are much cheaper options available:
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$69 – Google Home Mini
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$125 – Google Nest
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$139 – Apple HomePod Mini
None of these sound as impressive as Apple’s new HomePod.
Time will tell if that’s enough to establish it as a living room staple or – for a second time – rare example of an Apple product too niche for to be appreciated.
