After discontinuing the HomePod Apple has today announced a new 2nd generation HomePod. This HomePod is on sale now and comes in a choice of white or midnight, retailing at £299.
What’s New with the 2nd Generation HomePod?
The HomePod (2nd gen) features enhanced audio quality and support for spatial audio. It also has Matter support for HomeKit accessories and can act as your home hub.
The updated chips inside will provide better quality audio and faster responses from Siri.
It will also feature a new temperature and humidity sensor however, with this feature also being available on the HomePod mini it’s likely that these sensors have already been there but will be enabled through a software update.
What else can the HomePod do?
The HomePod can still work with Siri to control your smart home devices, offer enhanced privacy and play music from a variety of sources with a ‘tap to play’ handoff feature for your iPhone.
The key features of the HomePod are:
- Siri integration for voice control and commands
- High-quality audio with a seven-tweeter array and a four-inch upward-facing subwoofer
- Automatic room-sensing technology for optimal sound
- Multi-room audio support
- Integration with other HomeKit-enabled devices
- Ability to control smart home devices using voice commands
- Automatic on/off and volume control based on proximity to the device
- Support for streaming music, podcasts, and other audio content from Apple Music, iTunes, and third-party apps
- Handoff feature to seamlessly transition audio from other Apple devices to the HomePod.
Summary
In conclusion, it’s nice to see the HomePod mini have a big brother again and, with the introduction of Matter, the HomePod could easily become the go-to voice assistant for smart homes thanks to Apple’s enhanced security.
