What’s Different in the New HomePod?

[@SlightlyMental]

"It's their way of always listening but returning the favor by giving you convenience" You nailed it!

[@kgeo753]

If Apple wanted to listen to you they're already in the homes and pockets of over half the people in the U.S. They're not listening. That's Google.

[@646mayank]

The sarcasm was on point😂.

[@benpaulik2327]

I've been literally reading your comment the moment he said that 🤣🤣

[@FortyDeuce]

But it’s toootally fine when Google has been doing the exact same thing for years, only with less benefit though, right? You guys man, any excuse to hate on this company 😂😂😂

[@vacc1001]

@@benpaulik2327 broooooo. The exact same here.

[@agoodgoodproduction864]

Spotify not working on the homepod natively comes down to spotify not implementing it. Apple opened up and gave them all the documentation and it’d be great if someone with a platform like yours called them out for their BS.

[@joe_mccarthy]

Had the exact same thought

[@StoriesByDighe]

It’s 100% on Spotify

[@jeremyg9305]

Right, Spotify should get a large customer base going on Apples homepod platform just like they did on the iOS platform before Apple altered that deal and they should just pray to the lord almighty Steven Jobs that Apple doesn't alter that deal further once a large amount of Spotify customers on on the homepod platform.. Fool me once.. Anybody??

[@ssing7113]

Or just let them burn. Why anyone would be using apple products and be on Spotify is beyond me. Apple one is the place to be

[@DevinGSquire]

it feels like Spotify was begging to get into apple’s walled garden but as soon as they finally got the key they didn’t actually want in anymore

[@evindrews]

I love how chill these podcasts have become, everyones just having a blast

[@darma8159]

Seems like Apple is putting good funding on marketing. Still not buying it.

[@GG-zv9ku]

Everyone being negative about everything is call having a blast now. TIL

[@darma8159]

@@GG-zv9ku Apple bots not liking criticism. Typical

[@bashirsfar3825]

I loved how you got everyone talking and putting input on this topic. It was really fun to hear from your whole crew

[@darma8159]

Input is what the speaker needs. I paid 350 for the first one and it’s as bad as it gets

[@Daku93]

The thing with no Spotify support is: It's missing because of Spotify. Third party music services DO work on it. I use Deezer with my Homepods. Spotify just refuses to add support.

[@GerardoBuenrostro]

True, Its sad how this video perpetuates the misinformation strategy that Spotify wants to proliferate.

[@SokalAgency]

Interesting discussion on gen. 2 of this product. The lack of spotify compatability is a major downfall, as you mentioned.

[@coralreef909]

Spotify refuses to natively support their app on the HomePod. You can’t pin this one on Apple.

[@JeskidoYT]

@@coralreef909 the airpods has integrated airplay no?

[@soulsergeant]

It’s made for APPLE MUSIC PSSST

[@yeshuarc]

@@coralreef909 do you know why Spotify isn’t supporting?

[@the.danielmason]

@@yeshuarc It's because Apple wants Spotify to give over 30% of transactions made in the iOS app. So things like Premium and their new audiobook features would take a huge cut, but that's been the rule for literally every other app/service. Basically, Spotify's salty that Apple wants them to follow their TOS even though it's been that way since the App Store launched in 2008.

[@Ha1frican]

4:19 as someone who works in Apple Store I have to disagree. I don’t think it’s going to do amazingly well but I have a hard time believing it’s going to flop. I heard nothing about the OG HomePod pretty much the whole time it was out but ever since the mini a LOT of people (myself included) bought in at the lower price point and wished they had gotten the bigger one. Now that it’s happening almost everyone in the store is planning to get at least one if not 2 for a stereo pair. Now yes that’s employees and we are enthusiasts but I’ve also heard a decent amount of people since the announcement ask about it in store which doesn’t even happen with the mini. The mini is the gateway drug and while I don’t think it has a chance of competing market share with the mainline Echo and Google Nests I do think this is going to do much better than the original one did

[@junrosamura645]

Worked at a store with no wifi so selling the OG homepod was impossible. People would always ask, "can a pair via bluetooth" and the minute I said no, off to the Google speakers they went.

[@Chapter7Certified]

I'm really considering buying a couple especially now with eARC support. What would seal the deal is if you could pair four for surround sound instead of just a stereo pair. Or even two full-size and two minis for surround. That would be fantastic.

[@clintroberts1]

@@Chapter7Certified original has eArc

[@the.danielmason]

The Spotify thing for me is also kinda dumb. It's not Apple's fault that Spotify isn't on HomePod/mini.They opened the Music API in late 2020 for other services to be used. Amazon and Pandora are on it but Spotify's being stubborn with HomePod support.

[@Ha1frican]

@@the.danielmason I switched away from Spotify years ago in favor of Apple Music. They started making the user experience worse for free users and so if I was forced to pay I decided to go with Apple just to spite them and much prefer it. Just lucked into the fact that it worked better with HomePod by the time I got them 🤷🏽‍♂️

[@lawnmowerdude]

I have two 1st gen HomePods I keep as a stereo pair and I have been pretty happy with them thus far.

[@BlueSB017]

I have two old skool HomePods in my front room paired as a stereo pair on my home cinema system. They are great. I'm not attracted to this new gen. What you didn't talk about is the lack of the two tweeters in the new gen compared to the OG. It's hard to judge without hearing them but it sounds to me like a very gentle rehash and gearing up to more integration to a smart home. I am so happy to have snapped up the OG HPods for 150 quid/bucks each and unless there are some major hidden features have no intention of upgrading. What would be amazing would be to pair up some minis to the homes and start to get 5:1

[@johnvest4216]

Yeah I agree, I have 2 OG Homepods and love them for the sound quality. Have several minis scattered around and they're fine for adding music and Siri to other rooms. I'm interested to see what the sound quality difference is with this new large Homepod (if anything), I was hoping for a more revamped version, but we'll see when the reviews come in. Apple was able to make significant improvements in sound with the Airpods Pro simply with a new driver and chip/algos so we'll see.

[@NicsFix]

I really hope they fixed the hardware flaws from the old design. I’ve repaired over 400 first generation HomePods now for the same no-power issue caused by the same diode failing! Not to mention all the other issues (software bricks with no option to restore, “death farts”, bass issues etc). Hoping for self service parts availability, too

[@nickxander6052]

I want a surround sound system of Apple HomePods. Is that too much to ask for?

[@StoriesByDighe]

You can pair up 2 to the Apple TV

[@pedro.alcatra]

@@StoriesByDighe 2 spekers my TV cam do by itself. What i wanna is the rest of the channels

[@danieldaniels6371]

I think Apple implemented the whole fire alarm feature because Echo devices already have said feature via Alexa Guard, and they are competing in the same space. I imagine that the temp sensor could be used in the future via HomeKit so that you could set your thermostat’s default temperature sensor to any other room, which is nice because you wouldn’t have to buy additional sensors if you already had HomePods.

[@carbongrip2108]

I am personally really glad that HomePod 2 is here. You're missing the point, these aren't for just sitting somewhere and playing music, these are for Home Theatre setups. Gone are the days of audio receivers for me, just setup 2 of these in a pair and your audio is golden. I use these for AppleTV's, eARC supported, so you even get paired audio with all your other HDMI inputs.

[@Itsss_Nemo]

I agree these are made for more Home theater setups but Apple would have more of a product here if they allowed Bluetooth audio or allowing any device to connect besides Apple devices. That is it biggest hold back. The reason why this is a hard sell is because for a home theater you need to have an Apple 4k TV for ARC to work and Two HomePod which is about $800 all said an done. You can shop and pickup a nice pair of Bookshelf B&W speakers for ~$400 and a basic receiver for ~$300. You’d overall have a much better sound quality with more depth and the highs will have more clarity. Only thing this introduces is wireless and more minimalistic setup. Apple is also missing a small wireless sub to add to this and being able to use HomePod mini as surround speakers / allowing other generations to sync together. With all that being said the question comes to how long will these last? as they downgrade to WiFi 4 chip rather than using WiFi 6(today industry standard) WiFi 4 is enough for now but what about 15 years from now. Regular passive speaker last for decades as long as they are taking care of.

[@carbongrip2108]

@@Itsss_Nemo true, I guess the part about needing an AppleTV has never bothered me because I already have them and I can't stand the poor support of "smart tv" software once your tv's more than a couple years old. So I guess there not being an AppleTV present seems absurd...

[@andyzard7162]

I’d love to have this setup, but I also use a PS5 and PC for gaming in my living room. If there was a seamless way to use them in the same way, I’d love it

[@SurronRiding]

As a hearing person getting a notification doesn’t make sense but for anyone that is hard of hearing or deaf, then getting a notification is awesome and a long time waiting.

[@br4dl33y]

Wait wait wait... In the US HomePod supports Pandora and Deezer, implying it's the fault of Spotify, not Apple, that you can't tell HomePod to play music from Spotify directly. And remember when Spotify said they were pissed at Apple for not given them access to the HomePod?

[@ILoveGrilledCheese]

It is The fault of Spotify, don’t listen to the apple haters. Spotify doesn’t like having to bend the knee to Apple.

[@Dasbeerboots]

@Grilled Cheese Or just simply working with anyone, really. They pulled support from all DJ software. I had to subscribe to SoundCloud to get streaming capabilities on my mixer. I'm heavily considering dropping my Spotify subscription altogether. With SoundCloud having a much larger selection of music and now support on pretty much everything, it's just better for me.

[@yoann_m491]

I bought a Google home Max 4 years ago and that's one of the best purchase of my life. Imo the issue with this category of speaker is pricing. It's either too high for regular people, and not high enough for people really into music (and missing an audio jack for the homepod). I'm sure that it would be compelling at $600-700, in a bigger version.

[@MrBouvin]

Good video but also, could be good to get the facts straight. The lack of support for Spotify is down to Spotify not Apple. Apple did launch native HomePod support 2020, Deezer and Pandora supports it but Spotify so far doesn’t. Funny enough the feature came after Spotify wrote to the EU and said Apple was blocking their access to HomePod…

[@Brandon-ez6ej]

Maybe it was just petty move? That’s funny though lol

[@chrisgarciamsc]

Another thing, the HomePod originally launched at 399, then was dropped to 349. MKBHD sounding like a google fanboi here lol

[@ElAndresRodriguez]

@@chrisgarciamsc the man wears an apple watch and uses a Mac lmfao

[@chrisgarciamsc]

@@ElAndresRodriguez I know, that’s why I said he’s sounding like one. 😂

[@chrisgarciamsc]

@@ElAndresRodriguez actually, I’m not sure about the Apple Watch thing. I know he prefers Android, so that wouldn’t line up.

[@MNIU_]

It’s actually really important for homeowners to know the humidity bc your paint can crack … and the walls can warp from temperature change In the USAF we also had to report the humidity I’m not sure why for them but I do know when it’s too dry a lot of people would get nose bleeds

[@seapanda-117]

My family uses two of the original HomePods as our tv speakers. I took them down for a couple day and everyone complained haha. I will be getting at least two of these. Probably more.

[@pedro.alcatra]

Caw we have something like 5.1 channel with this??? I mean ai wireless home theater is so expansive

[@lilmanydj]

Just get a sound bar or an av receiver

[@cisa1622]

@@lilmanydj a sound bar will not give the all around music. It needs surround sound speakers + spacial and Dolby support contents. Then the price will double up more than two HomePods. Also you need more space+ calibration and all that cable arrangement. I’m sure if you spend on good sound system the experience will be better just because the different driver will separate the sound and vocals. But for 600$ what two HomePods + Apple TV can do is just amazing . It gives you a movie experience and great music experience for a regular home use. Plus 15 secs plug and play. No calibration and no headaches . One can keep moving around these things and it does all the calibration. So ease and good product.

[@lilmanydj]

@@cisa1622 lmao, I forgot about the price lol

[@Shahaaim]

Isn't it connected via AppleTV? What if you want to switch to the Playstation?

[@gwaddles]

I have two HomePods set up as a stereo pair connected to my Apple TV 4K. I use it every day.

[@csy897]

HomePods support dohby atmos 7.1 or 5.1 not just stereo

[@The_MEMEphis]

There are better speakers for the money you spent on those home pods

[@ethan_t35]

@@The_MEMEphis you could get a sonos sound bar 5.1 for 650-700, but not Dolby Atmos

[@The_MEMEphis]

@@ethan_t35 bruh those are Dolby Atmos standards

[@The_MEMEphis]

@@ethan_t35 I can literally download Dolby Atmos on my laptop it doesn't mean anything

[@hand-jobs]

The smoke detector feature could be great for a detached garage, office away from home, pole barn, etc. places you may want to know are burning down apart from your house. If you have all of these places to worry about, it’s easy enough to get a bunch of used HomePod minis for cheap and just update them to get some peace of mind.

[@alejandronopasanada5302]

But why not just put one of the cheaper smart smoke alarms that also works with HomeKit and plays music. I have 2 and a bad habit of burning eggs. Goes to my watch every time.

[@TommasoPaba]

Just get a Nest Protect... It's cheaper and sends you notifications directly, instead of having to rely on a sound recognition which might work or not.

[@TheSeanSaid]

Demand for the original HomePod skyrocketed when they added the E-ARC capability to AppleTV. Since they were discontinued they were selling second hand for $300. It was like the most requested feature to be able to use them as primary television speakers and is probably one of the cheapest dolby atmos solutions if you're already using an AppleTV.

[@AAM1987bh]

Marques: I care about sound quality. Also Marques: I use Spotify.

[@Jushwa]

yeah that one has me scratching my head too😭

[@LennyLaserdisk]

Your iPhone and iPad already has sound recognition which can be used in conjunction with shortcuts to create useful automations

[@ccramaster7496]

The little extra outros on these clips are worth it. 😆

[@95yashsheel]

How is sound quality compared to professional Audio speakers (Book shelf )?

[@BobbyGsCorner]

as an apple music user the spotify portion does not matter to me, the price tag for the quality of product you get is also not bad. but as always, to each their own

[@JustinCachopo]

For the studio pair can you use 2 new homepods by the TV and then 2 HomePod minis as surround sound? Using 4 total?

[@robocobrabot]

Temperature and humidity are used in acoustical calculations for beam forming.

[@supersyked1]

Pre-ordered 2, cannot wait. Hope it sounds as great as the original.

[@jta7]

The sound recognition feature is especially helpful for people who are hard of hearing.

[@mistabaka]

This.

[@tmjappah1425]

Is the new homepod power cable braided?

[@Proteus846]

7:39 That’s interesting, because my HomePod mini has activated by accident like once or twice since I got it over a year ago. My Google Nest mini activates itself ALL THE TIME.

[@richardsimpson2439]

Yeah. I own two OG HomePods, and they accidentally activate once in a blue moon. Seriously, it's incredibly rare.

[@deans7538]

I think part of the issue is that Apple, Google and Amazon only allow for 2 speaker connection for Home Theater. If they allowed more than 2 then they would all sell a ton more to individual houses.

[@NoLoseJustLearn]

I really like these HomePods. Much more sound than the little ones, perfect to blanket my apartment in sound.

[@gabrielacevedo9279]

I have a question guys, is it better to buy two HomePod mini or the latest HomePod?

[@bsd107]

The problem with this is not so much that Spotify isn’t integrating with HomePod. It is that it won’t even work reliably over AirPlay from an iPhone or iPad to a HomePod Mini. It works for a while, but is incredibly flaky. Hence, playing music from Spotify through a decent Bluetooth speaker “just works”, is reliable, and sounds fine enough. This alone keeps me from getting a new HomePod. I say this as someone who already has two HomePod Minis, and in some room would prefer a better sounding speaker, but I can’t justify the new better sounding HomePod when it won’t work reliably with Spotify.

[@SylonzRadio]

This clip was hilarious, gotta watch the podcast more.

[@IH0EZAY]

Anyone know the wattage and frequency response specs That sun looks like it has a ton of xmaxx

[@CarusinKid]

I just got a HomePod mini and I can use the “beam” feature from my phone while playing Spotify and it works great

[@Eric-g9c5o]

Thanks for the clip Waveform team. I don't comment often but I'm a very satisfied Homepod Mini customer and thought I'd share some perspective. I plan to get at least 1 stereo pair of the HomePod Gen 2, as soon as I'm able, for our home's "main TV". Right now, the HomePod Mini pair is doing great, but I've been waiting for this product for awhile to hopefully deliver some more booming, theatrical sound when possible. We used to be a Google Assistant home, with several Gen 1 speakers, a couple of Google Mini's, and 1 Hub display. The devices were fine but I find the Google Assistant to be very annoying and overly suggestive for ways I should interact with it. I also feel Google has fallen short on delivering an assistant that actually uses my data to get better. Google has a continuously updating data point on just about every aspect of my life, but the Google Assistant NEVER got better. Last, I disagree a bit with the take in this clip that this product will be a "flop", or that it even needs to be the pre-eminent voice-assisted Speaker in the entire market place. Just like any Apple product, this one has it's quirks, but it will inevitably delight anyone that's already in the Apple Ecosystem, which includes using software like Apple Music. My read on Apple's product strategy here with HomePod Gen 2 is similar to AirPods Max. AirPods Max aren't dominating the can-style headset space, but they certainly resonate with the right user base.

[@ahambhramasmii]

my interest is only on spatial sound, hope you can compare it with sony ht a9 and 2 homepad speaker (atmos content)

[@DanKetteringham]

I feel like you guys have missed the point of Apple’s strategy somewhat here - or at least what I think their strategy is. The original HomePod was/is a fantastic sounding speaker, but people weren’t buying it at those price points because they were comparing them to things like the Echo Dot, which is great if you want a virtual assistant in every room but has awful sound quality by comparison. Apple brings in the Mini and discontinues the OG. Okay, it doesn’t sound as good because of the smaller form factor, but the point is they’re just close enough on price to start appealing to the on-the-fence customers. Even die-hard Apple fanboys would struggle to afford a house-full of OGs, but Minis? Kinda in reach over time. So now you have a bunch of people who bought Minis, loved them, and are committed to the HomePod setup. So they relaunch the full-size speaker, starting near the lowest price the OG got to, with a few additions (and some taken away - fewer tweeters and mics, presumably to make it a more profitable device). Now they’ve got an audience way more likely to “step up the ladder” and treat themselves to the full-size speaker. Those of us who bought the OGs know how good they sound, but it’s not enough for most of us to want to upgrade. But at least now if the ones we have go kaput, there’s a replacement model we can buy.

[@themellowhost]

Brother, we really need more humour like this! Lovely!

[@Ra-Hul-K]

does it support atmos? like you can pair 4 or more of them to work as an atmos system

[@datdudeinred]

Atmos needs height speakers not just surround ones. And don't think you can connect more than 2. For wireless atmos i think you should look into wisa enabled speakers

[@Scottieb1031]

Pretty sure just 2, which is really frustrating. If I want to drop $1200 on apple speakers, help me out

[@xsleep1]

I think you only need two. But, like a sound bar, you better have a fairly small room to get the effect.

[@rickypelletier363]

You could use 2 homepods in the front and homepod minis in the back but it wouldn't be surround sound. They do not dedicate the sound from the scene you are watching.

[@somnia3423]

wow that sucks

[@creative_studios]

I love these group videos so much.

[@tomwalshaw1881]

I have 4 gen 1 homepods in two stereo setups. I do love them, they are great for parties and I also use two of them with an apple tv as the main speakers for my TV. However I bought all 4 used for one third of the price. Not sure I'd feel the same way about them if I paid $1200 or more. I think any new homepod should be priced about $150 with the mini at half the price. I also can't see any significant difference I personally would take advantage of going from gen 1 to gen 2.

[@earlfenwick]

I’m hoping the new units will tempt me to sell the Klipsch Fives and send the Sonos Beamer to the kids lounge.

[@ryanmalone2681]

I have one and the sound is good, but it’s a bit flaky with Airplay and all Siri can really do is set a timer when I’m cooking. Can’t really find another use for Siri. Useless.

[@ThatCreativeRc]

I don't have computer speakers or anything so I use my Home pod mini for an extra speaker when I watch movies on my iMac. The mini is lacking bass because it's small but it's decent for its size. Whats really dope is when I'm watching a movie on my iMac, I pair my MacBook, home pod, and apple tv as speakers to create surround sound. lol

[@cvillan5]

LOL. the two dudes staring at the camera got me to hit the thumbs up

[@jflamb-jr]

I have an automation that turns my ceiling fan on and off when the room temperature goes above/below a certain threshold.

[@mrblog47]

I really want better audio quality. Major selling point for me.

[@timtamothy]

You know. CO alarm sensor for your loved ones, especially elderly, is a really great feature.

[@Rezn8d0utlaw]

I use two home pod minis with My AppleTV. Is it worth going to the new Home pod? Do I have to get 2 for the same effect?

[@andrewdavidson665]

I'm currently using the 2x Homepod Mini specifically and really only for my AppleTV for viewing. I don't think I have ever used them for music. Not interested. However because of my use case I am still thinking of getting the new Homepods. Times two. Yeah.

[@OfficialTechMinute]

8:01 The “Huh?” In Siri is really freaky when everything is quiet 🤐

[@texasnativr4550]

humidity and temp is fairly important to some new parents, we would definitely take advantage of those features since babies can be sensitive to both.

[@thomastewksbury39]

and automatically turn on the aircon if it gets too hot

[@darma8159]

My HVAC sensor has this. Unnecessary addition.

[@JohnHorneGuitar]

As a guitarist, I would love to be able to monitor the humidity in a room. Humidity affects the playability of any wooden instrument and too dry of an environment can actually damage a guitar. Still, I don’t think I have a use for a HomePod.

[@hiteshraj7872]

So you can ask what's the humidity in this room? Y would you do that?

[@mrlowkey]

Can the temperature and humidity reading be used to activate AC, etc.

[@MotherFlo]

yes home auto

[@paulhawkins95]

I agree most people don't care about good sound quality, or have truly heard good sound. There are a decent amount of people that do care and portable speakers really don't sound great, including Sonos. I have a couple mini's in my house to play background music but if I'm actually listening to music or watching TV I'm using my surround stereo.

[@InfamousAmanda]

I LOVE that he is using a chromebook!

[@MaximusRS3]

I think they have notifications enabled for the fire alarm or carbon monoxide alarms is for those of us who are deaf and have significant hearing losses. For example I can’t hear high pitched noises above a certain level. So things like phones smoke detectors sirens and such I am completely oblivious to.

[@alysonmarie]

This is a great point that I had never considered - thank you for calling it out! I imagine as well if you’re in a rental unit you sometimes have limitations on how you can make your immediate environment more accessible and comfortable.

[@nathankean7968]

Does anybody know the name of the outro song?

[@Dongrayblack]

I wish more people would give the HomePod a chance, and take it seriously. I have two of the original ones, and two minis. I do only use Apple Music, but I do use them for my Apple TV speakers. I think if you’re someone who really really enjoys sitting down and listening to music, two HomePods are hard to beat. Two sonos 5’s cost the same as 4 HomePods. As far as listening experience goes, considering their size, price, and integration in the apple ecosystem, I can’t be convinced any other “sound system” has a better value. I understand people who aren’t immersed in the apple ecosystem not finding them a good fit, obviously. But I don’t think it’s entirely fair to analyze them as a smart speaker first. I love their soundstage and sound signature.

[@Niels_f2704]

I'm honestly thinking that Apple might make more 'Homepods' and other smart products at some point. Perhaps they could make a soundbar that's both an Apple TV and a Homepod in one, and you could pair it with for example Homepod Minis in the back for the 5.1 experience. A Homepod Max to compete with the Sonos Play 5 wouldn't sound stupid either. I really get the point what they said about the bigger Google and Alexa speakers not selling well, because in that case, people rather buy Sonos, Harman Kardon or whatever that features their voice assistants. When it comes to Apple, there's no other speakers that has Siri built in, so I think this can actually be beneficial for Apple if they want to do a complete line-up of smart speakers.

[@Dongrayblack]

@@Niels_f2704 yeah I feel like this is going to happen. I have always understood what apple was going for with the HomePod. Most people just really aren’t super picky about listening to music. I hate to sound like that guy, but I’ve listened to many premium speakers, from Sonos to a pair of $5,000 custom speakers my neighbor had in his house, he was a fart smeller type of audiophile. Those super high end speakers sounded amazing! But I’m a normal dude, with normal dude money, who also cares more about the listening experience than the average person, so I’ll take my $600 stereo pair of HomePods any day! I think apple understands this, but also has to market the HomePod to as many people as possible for it make economic sense. I’ve listened to the big Google and Amazon speakers and to my ear, there’s no comparison, but to the average person in sure it’s fine.

[@epap1375]

2 homepods in stereo still can’t compare to the thunderous power of a sonos 5. It is nice for spatial audio/Dolby atmos music but most people just want a loud speaker with big built in bass. Most atmos songs are not using the spatial capabilities to there advantage either. I hope recording studios step up and it catches on because when it’s done right it’s breathtaking.

[@Dongrayblack]

@@epap1375 that is my conclusion also. I’ve never needed anything louder than my two HomePods. To me speakers like the Sonos feel two directional, whereas with the HomePods feel like it’s staging the music more dynamically. Like hi hats and piano can feel elevated and spatial. If I have them on either side of me while I’m cooking, or doing dishes I literally can’t place a direction or source for where the music is coming from. And that’s not even with spatial audio tracks/Dolby Atmos. Closest I’ve come to hearing the same thing is when I made my own set of DML speakers, or “panel speakers”.

[@_sims_8377]

The part where they were talking about being a block away when their home is being burned down and MKBHD turns around and points and says yup killed me

[@ethanmenzel]

Does the price make up for the lack of internals

[@ethanmenzel]

@Phillip Banes the homepod 2 has fewer tweeters and mics. Is that what brought the price down?

[@ethanmenzel]

@Phillip Banes I did not say it would perform worse. Asked if the lower price came from fewer tweeters and mics “internals.”

[@mateusvahl5072]

I would use the humidity all the time, whether really sucks where, we try to keep the house dry due some instruments.

[@therisashow]

I think the alarm detection is good for those who are hard of hearing.

[@CommodoreFan64]

You can get a "Smart Life" branded smart smoke alarm on eBay for $30, connect it to your 2,4Ghz WiFi through their app, pay the $2 yearly fee, and it will send you an SMS Text if it ever goes off, I have one, and it works, as last year while i was at work, it got set off by someone burning toast, I called the house to make sure everything was okay, and if 911 needed to be called, thankfully it did not need to be. So no need to spend $300 on an Apple homepod to get that function which might not work if it can't hear the smoke alarm, or hears it incorrectly like one going off on a TV, when there are actual smart smoke alarms for far cheaper!

[@joerobinnettebiden4723]

@@CommodoreFan64 The HomePod mimi also supports it you don’t need to spend 300 bucks.

[@becomology]

Interesting. I love my home pod and have been dying to get another one. I don’t use Spotify though, so maybe that’s why I don’t care. But the audio quality from such a small package is clutch. I don’t want a massive woofer or sound bar right on/by my desk but I can easily have the home pod in one corner.

[@grizzlypaws461]

Wait, you can only play Apple Music on it? I can’t use Amazon Music or KZbin to play music on the HomePod?

[@investoman007]

I definitely care about audio quality in my music. It’s the most important thing to me actually in these speakers. That’s why I love Apple’s high resolution lossless audio quality. Airplay is better than bluetooth for the quality also.

[@nickmurphy3374]

Great Clip.

[@adampavese6895]

Ok this is rare, but I'm going to disagree with MKBHD on this one. I have two Home Pod Minis and two Home Pod first gens, and I LOVE the big ones way more. I use them as speakers to watch movies, I play music from them, they're part of my home automations, I use them for everything. I think now that Apple has a smaller, affordable smart speaker, the Home Pod Gen 2 will do better. (I also understand that I'm not the average user they're talking about, but I'm excited for the new one!)

[@joshking7012]

I’m from the uk what is thread

[@RobertNuttmann]

I bought two Home Pods about three years ago and use them with my TV. I also use the Apple TV system. The system works well and sounds quite good for the size and cost. I bought these because it seemed like my old style TV audio receivers would blow up and not be fixable after about 4 years and I got tired of replacing them. Plus I got tired of the old Bose 5 speaker system. If Apple came out with a more expensive Home Pod that sounded better I would buy them.

[@suhaboncukcu3075]

I’m considering doing the same. Is there a delay in stereo via apple tv? Or any problems?

[@YukiNdoit]

Apple can make a quality sounding speaker, for example the Hi-Fi. Crossing fingers they made the HomePod 2 sound as great.

[@Jlaubster]

I like the mini home speakers because I am using it for conveince and I am in a small space.

[@eraldway]

Apple has stated that HomePod can support any third party service using Siri. Apple has provided the APIs. It’s up to the service to write the software to be compatible with HomePod. Spotify and YT Music are one of the two major services not to support it. Both of witch are the two companies who cry that apple is anticompetitive.

[@sergiojoshua4681]

Interesting review. I’m not in the music industry but I like my music quality to be the best. Also I’ve never used Spotify or other cause Apple Music has everything I need. I don’t really understand why it needs to have other streaming services?

[@jeffgriffith7003]

My HomePod mini has occasionally said “Huh?” to me in a quiet room before too. Lol

[@realeatham]

When you said hey Google it triggered mine lol

[@MrMcReeties]

Maybe I’m in the minority, but if the price was around $200-$250 I’d buy it. Also, coming from a Spotify user(prefer Spotify because it works well for music in my office building and playing games on my PC), the fact that HomePod still neglects Spotify, is basically a deal breaker. Again, if it were $200-$250, I’d probably grab one. But at $300, ehhh I’ll just stick to Sonos. Sonos = equivalent audio quality, way cheaper, better assistant(Google), and freedom of platform(Spotify, KZbin, Apple Music, Netflix, etc.). HomePod just doesn’t make sense at its price point. Apple has already “gotten” people with iPhone from the early days, so pricing/feature ratio is something they can get away with. When entering a new market, you’ve got to come in with something different or innovative or affordable. Can’t just come in more expensive, with less features, with an Apple logo. Imagine if the iPhone never existed, so it was just Samsung, OnePlus, Google, etc. as the big dogs. Then Apple released the first iPhone(with iPhone 14 PM specs). It’d do decent, but wouldn’t make a dent in market share. Androids do all the same things, plus a lot more, for around the same price, without the eco system handcuffs. Only reason iPhone is hugely popular and still “amazing” today is due to Apple being early in the smartphone game. This is all coming from (basically) an Apple fanboy; I have: iPhone 14PM, iPad Pro, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch Ultra, and Apple TV. It all works amazing, but lacks so much. But I’m already locked in. If things don’t turn around with Apple, I’ll bite the bullet and slowly switch over to android(Pixel, Pixel Watch, Nvidia Shield, and probably dell or Razer laptop).

[@richardsimpson2439]

Sonos neglects the HomePod, not the other way around. It's on Spotify to implement. HomePod is open to third party music streaming services.

[@MrMcReeties]

@@richardsimpson2439 in what ways does Sonos neglect the HomePod? Spotify is indeed air playable to the HomePod, but HomePod and HomePod mini(to my knowledge) do not allow Spotify to use the normal *device linking* feature within Spotify. Also, Spotify is one of the few music service “apps” that Apple doesn’t allow to be controlled via voice. Example: “Hey Siri, play Joe Rogan podcast on Spotify.” Or “Hey Siri, Play Taylor Swift on Spotify.” Back when I had my OG HomePod, that never worked. Have they changed that? Also, could not set Spotify as the default music player. All of that at the time, was addressed by Spotify saying that Apple is not allowing them to be controllable via Siri and would not allow device linking with HomePod via Spotify. So Spotify said that when Apple is ready to play ball with them, they would integrate everything. Again, this was a few years back. Maybe things have changed and my info is old/wrong? Back then, it “made sense” for Apple to not allow Spotify for those things. So that it would push Apple users to switch to Apple Music; technically still makes sense for Apple to do that today. But that comes at the customer experience cost. But again, maybe Apple has changed there stance and is now allowing Spotify to fully integrate with HomePod?

[@richardsimpson2439]

@@MrMcReeties it’s changed and your old info is wrong. HomePod has been open to third party music streamers since 2020, but Spotify has neglected to implement it. This despite the fact that they were complaining before hand that HomePod was inaccessible.

[@MrMcReeties]

@@richardsimpson2439 so it seems that Apple was blocking Spotifys ability at first, and Spotify is now holding a grudge? Spotify wouldn’t willingly not support a product like the HomePod without reason; it would drive Spotify subscribers to Apple Music so HomePod users could have a better experience. So it has to be Spotify just holding a grudge due to Apple blocking Spotify integration in the beginning. It’s public knowledge that Apple did indeed not allow Spotify integration and voice integration with HomePod for the first couple years. Kind’ve a shit move by Apple, as they allowed basically every other music platform to integrate. Spotify hinted back then, that Apple was doing it to get Spotify users to become Apple Music users, which makes sense. Also makes sense as a business move, although a slimy one. If I were Spotify, of course I’d just integrate at this point; but hey, they have enough money to neglect it and hold a grudge due to Apple’s initial move. Also Spotify knows there’s people out here like me; HomePod doesn’t have Spotify integration, so I won’t buy HomePod. So Spotify, in a way, is returning the favor. But I’d assume, at a loss compared to Apple.

[@domiusdom7883]

Temperature and humidity sensors is next level, live it!

[@mjsabie8517]

I agree. I have a mini in my home office and have set up automations to turn my room heater off and on based on the temperature in my office now

[@lostgleammedia]

Should have a decent battery so you can unplug it snd take it outside in summer, screen on top with whats playing for glancing.

[@ambismagee3207]

Can’t wait for sound quality review. I have a large room that I’m not satisfied with even 2 minis.

[@shahidyt]

I wonder how 2 HomePods for a Mac desktop setup would perform

[@TakticalTekniq]

2:26 Is that a Chromebook with a framework sticker, or a framework with a Chromebook sticker?

[@jonathansaindon788]

I actually learned through the radio that my appartment building was on fire while at work. The more they described the place, they more I said to me… Ohh ohh, that my place…

[@foxygrandpa.69]

I was honestly surprised by the new homepod

[@jakubklima9002]

I like Andrew's Onyx sweatshirt flex

[@ueuezaza]

ehm, the most important differences (downgrades) haven't been mentioned: 4 microphones instead of the previous 6, WiFi 4 instead of WiFi5, 5 horn-loaded tweeters instead of 7.

[@slavodzuricko]

Thumbs up for that Chromebook! 🔥🔥🔥

[@MrGusto24]

Hmm. I do have 4 big HomePods and 1 HomePod mini. I really am annoyed by the terrible sound quality of the mini, I have it in the bathroom so that is somewhat ok. The double Dolby atmos setup on the tv is pretty dope and I enjoy the sound quality every time. I will buy one big one for the bedroom so we have temperature measurements in there.

[@Spencer.M.]

I’m sure Austin Evans is on board with the smoke detector feature

[@benmccarthy2568]

tims best thumbnail

[@mbizozo6271]

If they bring it to SA, I am definitely getting it.

[@lossless4129]

Literally the best speakers haha like the tech inside them is far better than most….if you’re in the Apple echo system

[@das_eisenherz]

I'm shocked to be in such a minority but audio quality if the #1 factor for any music device I buy, and I went out of my way to buy the old HomePod (after it got discontinued) because I found no other (looking at you Sonos) that sounded this large, crisp and defined. In my mind Apple consumers are usually precisely the ones willing to pay more for this kind of quality.