Apple Announces Smaller HomePod Mini For $99

Apple has announced a new version of its HomePod smart speaker, the $99 HomePod mini -- a smaller version of the speaker that shrinks down the original model into a more compact size. The Verge reports: Like the full-size HomePod, the HomePod mini still features a mesh fabric exterior in both black and white colors, along with a small display on top to show the Siri waveform and volume controls. The new model is more of a short, spherical shape, however, instead of the oblong design of the original. The HomePod mini features one main driver, two passive radiators, and an "acoustic waveguide" on the bottom. The new HomePod mini also features an Apple S5 chip, which Apple says allows for "computational audio" processing to adjust how your music sounds 180 times per second. Multiple HomePod mini speakers can play music in sync and "intelligently" create stereo pairing when placed in the same room. Apple is also using the U1 chips that it debuted in last year's iPhones to create a better Handoff experience later this year. Apple said third-party support is coming later this year for Pandora, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.

There's also a new "Intercom" feature that allows for customers with multiple HomePod devices in different rooms to communicate throughout the house. "Intercom messages will also appear on connected iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches (although they won't immediately play out loud like they do on the HomePod mini)," adds The Verge. Preorders for the HomePod Mini start on November 6th and shipping begins on November 16th.

Things were better in the old East Germany

[PolygamousRanchKid]

Back then, the Stasi (Secret Police), would sneak into your home and plant surveillance devices for free.

Now, in this capitalist swine world . . . you have to pay Apple $99 to spy on you!

Re:

[zenlessyank]

Now you can CHOOSE to not be spied on though.

Re:Things were better in the old East Germany

[WankerWeasel]

Compared to Google Home and Amazon Alexa, the HomePod offers far more privacy. Apple gives you a good deal of control over what data is sent, how it's retained, and they anonymize all requests sent. This is due to the difference in motives for the products. Google and Amazon cut the price of their hardware to nearly nothing in order to get it into peoples homes, because they make their money off the information these devices provide. Apple makes their money on the hardware and by keeping you in their ecosystem where you'll likely buy other products from them.

Re:

[NateFromMich]

Compared to Google Home and Amazon Alexa, the HomePod offers far more privacy. Apple gives you a good deal of control over what data is sent, how it's retained, and they anonymize all requests sent. This is due to the difference in motives for the products. Google and Amazon cut the price of their hardware to nearly nothing in order to get it into peoples homes, because they make their money off the information these devices provide. Apple makes their money on the hardware and by keeping you in their ecosystem where you'll likely buy other products from them.

And we know all of this is true because Apple is completely transparent and open about all aspects of their business.

Re:

[WankerWeasel]

You can read things like the privacy policy and license agreement and see how the information is used. They're certainly more transparent about it than most are. You do realize you can do that with any company before choosing to give them your data, right?

Re:

[WankerWeasel]

Not at all. I just read the user agreements, know what data is and isn't sent and stored, and make choices based on real information about what's shared. But keep living your scared life of ignorance.

Missing feature - integrate with existing TV

[sl149q]

The one missing feature is to allow the Homepod (standard or mini) to take a feed from an existing TV/Receiver.

Apparently, you can setup Homepod as speakers for Apple TV 4k, but I don't think you can get TV to send sound through Apple TV to the Homepod.

Re:

[ceview]

yep, if it included a 3.5mm aux-in port that would be ideal.

Re:

[Midnight Thunder]

The one missing feature is to allow the Homepod (standard or mini) to take a feed from an existing TV/Receiver.

Apparently, you can setup Homepod as speakers for Apple TV 4k, but I don't think you can get TV to send sound through Apple TV to the Homepod.

I suspect they can do that because it supports AirPlay, so they can talk to each other. If this is the case, then a TV would need to be able to transmit to AirPlay receivers, though I am not aware of any TVs that do.

Plain truth

[Quatermass]

"acoustic waveguide" - Oh you mean a hole.

Mehtampons

[ElitistWhiner]

Apple had stage and eyeballs which it chose to steal your anxious attention to schlep a follow-on gap filler for a product line that hasn’t lived up to Apple audio cred.

SteveJobs learned that objectification by design is organic. His much love for cube was not received well by consumer or pro’s. Steve would have thrown the “Tampon” symmetrical edge molded pod design under the Apple bus. Adding more doesn’t make the design work, making it smaller still leaves tampons around.

So

Me too!

[samwichse]

Me too!

--Apple