Apple Reintroduced the HomePod a Year Ago Today
Apple relaunched the HomePod one year ago today, debuting a second-generation model almost five years after the original model's introduction.
The HomePod was announced at WWDC in 2017 and launched in 2018 after a heavily delayed launch. The device was met with mixed reviews; critics praised its outstanding sound quality but pointed out its high price, missing features, and limited functionality compared to rivals.
Apple dropped its price from $349 to $299 in April 2019 and, in March 2021, the company announced that it was discontinuing the first-generation HomePod, instead shifting its focus to the HomePod mini, which launched the previous year. The decision left a gap in Apple's product lineup for a full-sized smart speaker until the company introduced the second-generation model via a press release on January 18, 2023.
The second-generation HomePod looks virtually identical to the original, although it is 0.2 inches shorter and has a larger edge-to-edge LED touchscreen on top. It also boasts a range of upgrades and changes compared to its 2018 predecessor:
| HomePod (second-generation, 2023) |
HomePod (first-generation, 2018) |
| Refined design with acoustically transparent mesh fabric |
Design with acoustically transparent mesh fabric |
| Larger backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge |
Backlit touch surface |
| S7 chip from 2021's Apple Watch Series 7 |
A8 chip from 2013's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus |
| U1 ultra wideband chip |
– |
| Five horn-loaded tweeters |
Seven horn-loaded tweeters |
| Four far-field beamforming microphones |
Six far-field beamforming microphones |
| 6.6 inches tall |
6.8 inches tall |
| Weighs 5.16 pounds |
Weighs 5.5 pounds |
| Removable power cable |
Fixed power cable |
| Wi-Fi 4 connectivity (802.11n) |
Wi-Fi 5 connectivity (802.11ac) |
| Thread support |
|
| Temperature and humidity sensor |
|
| Sound Recognition |
|
| Available in White and Midnight |
Available in White and Space Gray |
While Apple's potential plans for a third-generation HomePod are unclear a year after the current model was introduced, there are a multitude of rumors surrounding a HomePod with an LCD touchscreen display arriving as soon as 2024.
Popular Stories
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app.
Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action.
Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
Apple today adjusted estimated trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models in the U.S., according to its website.
Some values increased, while others decreased. The changes were not too significant, with most values rising or dropping by $5 to $50.
We have outlined some examples below:
Device
New Value
Old Value
iPhone 15 Pro Max
Up to $630
U ...
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features.
Notification Summary Changes
Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines.
For...
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr.
The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models:
iPhone 16
iPhone 16 Plus
iPhone 16 Pro
iPhone 16 Pro Max
iPhone 15
iPhone 15 Plus
iPhone 15 Pro
iPhone 15 Pro Max
iPhone 14
iPhon...
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass.
In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory.
A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June.
The original AirTag was announced...
For the last several months, we've been hearing rumors about a redesigned version of the iPhone 17 that Apple might call the iPhone 17 "Air," or something along those lines. It's going to replace the iPhone 17 Plus as Apple's fourth iPhone option, and it will be offered alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
We know the iPhone 17 Air is going to be super slim, but...
