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
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now.
According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature.
According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
Google made waves yesterday by showcasing a set of lightweight smart glasses featuring deep Gemini integration and an optional in-lens display. The demo has reignited interest in Apple's own smart glasses project, which has been the subject of rumors for nearly a decade. Here's a recap of where things stand.
Current Development Status
Apple is actively working on new chips specifically...
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube.
During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
The Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple's annual developer and software-oriented event, is less than three weeks away. We haven't heard a great deal about macOS 16 ahead of its announcement this year, so we could be in for some major surprises when June 9 rolls around. Here's what we know so far about the next major update to Apple's Mac operating system.
macOS 16 Name?
Every year ...
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report.
Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...
