One week ahead of HomePod's launch date in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia on February 9, the first batch of pre-order customers have begun receiving notifications from their banks about being charged for their orders, many located in the UK. According to tips, customers have noticed a charge placed on their cards related to HomePod orders as of early this morning, one week after pre-orders initially went up last Friday, January 26.
Image via MacRumors forum member smr
As customers begin getting charged, shipment preparations are also gearing up for HomePod and some MacRumors forum members have shared that their orders are "preparing for dispatch" with the expected delivery date of February 9.
This places HomePod pre-order shipping schedules on track with previous Apple device launches, and more users should begin noticing charges and shipment preparation order updates throughout the day. Next, the first set of HomePods will likely begin shipping out this weekend or early next week.
Initial hands-on impressions of the speaker have been positive, with a few websites enjoying the design of the HomePod, a "fast and seamless" integration with Siri, and favoring the audio quality over rival speakers like Sonos One and Google Home Max.
Among those giving impressions was a user on the audiophile subreddit, who noted "significantly better" audio than Google Home Max, and summed up their post by stating, "A single HomePod, for the size and price, slaughters most speakers under $1000."
For those who haven't yet pre-ordered, HomePod orders placed on Apple.com today are still available for a February 9 delivery or pick-up date in both White and Space Gray.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
It was the same thing when the Apple Watch came out, I remember people telling me it was never going to be a success and that I’d just wasted my money, I’ve learned to just ignore those comments now.
Pretty much true. Ditto with AirPods.
Some people are so invested in tearing something down they haven't tried. Guess it helps them to feel good about themselves.
With Apple's 14 day return policy, it's easy enough to evaluate HomePod in your own listening environment - which is what really counts - and then decide if it's a keeper or not.
Probably the most controversial speaker ever. :rolleyes: So many people getting bent out of shape because they think everyone else should care about and agree with their opinion of this speaker. o_O
Probably the most controversial speaker ever. :rolleyes: So many people getting bent out of shape because they think everyone else should care about and agree with their opinion of this speaker. o_O
It was the same thing when the Apple Watch came out, I remember people telling me it was never going to be a success and that I’d just wasted my money, I’ve learned to just ignore those comments now.
$350? For a speaker? Apple, half of your userbase (probably more like 3/4) probably think this is just siri except not on a phone. You think they'll pay $350 for something they don't even understand?
I hear ya, bro... What's next, people paying $160 for wireless earbuds? Now that would be a real knee slapper!
