Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed this week in a handy bite-sized summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, but it’s cool if you want to read it during lunch or dinner hours as well.
Homework
This week I worked on the igamesnews review of Apple’s new HomePod and spoiler alert: it’s an attractive, well-made device with great sound. But it’s also quite confusing to assess. The question I keep coming back to is this: who is it for?
Famously and somewhat mysteriously, Apple discontinued the original HomePod in 2021 a few months after releasing the $99 HomePod mini. At the time, most pundits assumed this was an admission that the full-size model just wasn’t selling: it was expensive, after all, and didn’t play well with Android phones or Android phones. streaming services other than Apple Music. . It also had an annoying non-detachable power cord and a reported tendency to leave white circular marks on people’s furniture. The HomePod mini didn’t fix all of these issues, but it’s much easier to forgive the flaws when you pay $99 rather than $299.
If the sales figures were Trouble is, it’s a little confusing that Apple chose to release another full-size HomePod that looks almost identical to the original. There are a few changes, of course, and if you bought the first HomePod and gave it away, it’s possible your annoyances have been ironed out: the power cord is now detachable, while the base (like that of the HomePod mini) is a flat circle rather than a ring, and much less prone to leaving marks. But wider problems remain.
Despite priced slightly lower than the first HomePod at launch, it’s still an expensive smart speaker that’s not very smart (thanks to Siri’s lingering imperfections) and doesn’t work well with most products and services outside of Android. Apple’s ecosystem. And it’s hard to see that changing the minds of those who weren’t impressed with the original model.
Those like me, meanwhile — people who owned the first HomePod and rather loved it for all its flaws — probably won’t be pressured into an upgrade. The new model is better in some ways, with a bigger screen and more balanced audio output, but not enough to warrant a replacement. And it can’t be configured as a stereo pair with its 2018 counterpart. The upgrade path just isn’t very compelling.
There are possibilities that we may not have considered. It’s possible, for example, that the original HomePod sold well and was discontinued for other reasons; manufacturing issues during the pandemic, perhaps. It’s also possible that the new HomePod is part of a larger strategy to tackle the smart home and isn’t meant or supposed to make a lot of money on its own. Maybe Apple thinks the HomePod mini is more appealing when paired with a premium product at a higher price, or just thinks it’s silly to sell a mini product when there isn’t. nothing bigger.
Whatever the reasoning – and Apple usually knows what it’s doing – I’m not sure I follow it. But at the same time, I love the HomePod, which may give some insight into how hard it is to write this review. If you want to read it in full, tune in to igamesnews next week.
Foundry
Trending: Top stories of the week
Apple in the Super Bowl: Huge hype, big flops and the greatest advertisement of all time.
Apples war on leakers is truly a battle against the people who matter most.
The HomePod 2 beats the original HomePod in blind tests…except when heavy bass is a key factor.
ChatGPTMidjourney and More: Is Apple Passing Another Artificial Intelligence Opportunity?
Apple admitted that the game on Mac “will take some time”, while teasing the possibility of Annual iPhone-like updates for Mac.
What if… Apple’s next big thing never come? We walk through four scenarios that could spell the death knell for Apple.
Oh dear. Samsung’s S23 bloatware takes up more space than two integers macOS Ventura install.
Speaking of which, the Galaxy S23 Ultra still struggles to beat the iPhone from 2020.
Apple’s culture is what makes the Mac a bad gaming platform.
The rumor mill
THE iPhone 15 Ultra might be Apple’s biggest and most expensive iPhone.
Apple is still working on a charging feature that should have been in the iPhone 14 Pro.
Apple may leave the Mac Studio languishes for years, so more people are buying the Mac Pro.
We take a look at Apple’s plans for February. Will there be more surprises before the big event in March?
Podcast of the week
The Mac has a long and storied history, but video games play a very small role. In this episode of the igamesnews Podcast, we discuss the game status on mac.
You can watch every igamesnews podcast episode on Spotify, Soundcloud, Podcasts app or our own site.
Software updates, bugs and issues
iOS 16.3 seems to require some users to protect their accounts with 2FA.
The shoot house renovation is set to return in iOS 16.4.
And with that, we’re done for this week. If you want to receive regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Twitter or on Facebook to discuss the latest news from Apple. See you next Saturday, enjoy the rest of your weekend and stay Appley.
Table of Contents
