The Mac mini M2 and the new MacBook Pro were not the only novelties that Apple had prepared for this week. The company today introduced a new HomePod, the 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 hidden differences between the two generations which deserves to be detailed. Let’s put the features of this new model next to the old one and compare.
HomePod outside, HomePod 2 inside
|
original home pod |
home pod 2 |
|
|---|---|---|
|
dimensions |
17.2cm tall 14.2 cm wide (diameter) |
16.8cm tall 14.2 cm wide (diameter) |
|
mass |
2.5Kg |
2.3kg |
|
CHIP |
AT 8 |
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 atmosphere |
Yes (requires Apple TV 4K) |
Yes (requires Apple TV 4K) |
|
screen |
LED, 19 RGB LEDs arranged in a circle |
LED, 19 RGB LEDs arranged in a circle |
|
TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY SENSORS |
No |
Yes |
|
CONNECTIVITY |
WiFi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 |
WiFi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 Question Thread Ultra Wideband Chip accelerometer |
|
others |
ambient sounds detachable power cord |
|
|
price |
349 dollars originally, 329 dollars later |
349 dollars |
The design is the same as the original HomePod, only slightly shorter and weighing 200 grams less. It’s not something we’re going to notice too much, but it’s because we have two less tweeters. Apple had to review the whole sound system and maybe decided to simplify it since it can be optimized with fewer speakers. And the same thing may have happened with the microphones, because we went from six to four.
It turns out that now the new HomePod has temperature and humidity sensor, with which we now have this data integrated with Siri and HomeKit. And compatibility with Matter also integrates this home automation standard with the rest of the devices in the ecosystem.
Beyond that, the new HomePod is sold for $299 in the United States (the price applied by Apple after the discount) and 349 dollars in USA (the price Apple had before the discount). Unfair, yes, but inflation is what it is. It will now be time to see if the speaker is successful and therefore justifies its relaunch: the HomePod 2 will be in stores from February 3.
Imagen | the explosion
