Apple’s HomePod is a strong smart speaker with next-level acoustics and a stunning, iconic appearance. It provides superior computational audio for a revolutionary listening experience, including support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks. Users can now establish smart home automation using Siri, receive notifications when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their house, and check the temperature and humidity in a room all hands-free thanks to handy new methods to handle everyday activities and operate the smart home.
The new HomePod is now available for pre-order online, with delivery starting on Friday, February 3.
“By using our audio experience and breakthroughs, the new HomePod produces rich, deep bass, a natural middle, and crisp, detailed highs,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “With the success of the HomePod mini, there has been significant demand for larger HomePods with even more remarkable acoustics,” says Apple. “We’re delighted to bring the next edition of HomePod to consumers across the world.”
Premium Design
The new HomePod has a gorgeous design that matches any room, with a seamless, acoustically transparent mesh fabric and a backlit touch surface that lights from edge to edge. HomePod comes in white and midnight, a new colour made of 100% recycled mesh fabric, with a colour-matched woven power cable.
Sound Powerhouse
HomePod delivers incredible audio quality, with rich, deep bass and stunning high frequencies. A custom-engineered high-excursion woofer, a powerful motor that drives the diaphragm to a remarkable 20 mm, a built-in bass-EQ mic, and a beamforming array of five tweeters around the base all work together to achieve a powerful acoustic experience. The S7 chip is combined with software and system-sensing technology to offer even more advanced computational audio that maximizes the full potential of its acoustic system for a groundbreaking listening experience.
HomePod uses room sensing technology to detect sound reflections from neighbouring surfaces in order to discern whether it is against a wall or freestanding and then modifies the sound in real time. The beamforming array of five tweeters’ precise directional control isolates and beams direct and ambient music, immersing listeners in crystal-clear vocals and rich instrumentation.
New HomePod detects sound reflections from neighbouring surfaces to identify whether they are against a wall or freestanding and then modifies the sound in real-time. Its beamforming array of five tweeters, with precise directional control, separates and beams direct and ambient music, immersing listeners in crystal-clear voices and rich instrumentation.
Users may listen to over 100 million songs on Apple Music, enjoy spatial audio with a single HomePod or as a stereo pair, and create a stunning home theatre experience with Apple TV 4K. Siri allows users to search for music by artist, song, lyrics, decade, genre, mood, or activity.
Increased Immersion with Multiple HomePod Speakers
A range of powerful functions is unlocked by pairing two or more HomePod or HomePod small speakers. Users may utilize multiroom audio with AirPlay by saying “Hey Siri” or touching and holding the top of the HomePod to play the same music on various HomePod speakers, different songs on separate HomePod speakers, or even use them as an intercom to broadcast messages to other rooms.
Users may also use two New HomePod speakers in the same room to form a stereo pair. A stereo pair not only separates the left and right channels but also plays each channel in perfect harmony, resulting in a larger, more immersive soundstage than standard stereo speakers for a really exceptional listening experience.
Integration with the Apple ecosystem is seamless
Using Ultra Wideband technology, customers can send anything they’re listening to on their iPhone — such as a favourite song, podcast, or even a phone conversation — right to a HomePod. Anyone in the house may bring an iPhone close to HomePod, and suggestions will appear instantly, allowing them to simply manage what’s playing or receive personalized music and podcast recommendations. HomePod can also recognize up to six different voices, allowing each member of the household to hear their own unique playlists, request reminders, and arrange calendar events.
HomePod effortlessly links with Apple TV 4K for a powerful home theatre experience, and Apple TV 4K’s eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) compatibility allows consumers to make HomePod the audio system for all connected devices. Furthermore, consumers may manage what’s playing on their Apple TV using Siri on HomePod.
Find My on HomePod allows customers to locate misplaced Apple devices, such as an iPhone, by playing a sound on the device. Users may now use Siri to find the position of friends or loved ones who have shared their whereabouts via the app.
A Smart Home Requirement
HomePod can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and deliver a notice directly to the user’s iPhone if one is detected. The new built-in temperature and humidity sensor can assess interior settings, allowing users to design automation that automatically closes shades or switch on fans when a particular temperature is achieved in a room.
Customers may use Siri to operate a single device, build scenarios like “Good Morning” that activate numerous smart home accessories at the same time, or set up periodic automation like “Hey Siri, open the curtains every day at sunrise.” When a Siri request is made to operate an item that may not change visually, such as a heater, or for accessories situated in a separate room, a new confirmation tone is generated. Ambient sounds, such as the ocean, forest, and rain, have also been remixed and improved, allowing users to add new sounds to scenes, automation, and alarms.
The updated Home app, which contains new categories for climate, lights, and security, provides quick setup and operation of the smart home, and has a new multicamera view, allowing users to explore view, and organize accessories in an intuitive manner.
Matter Support
Matter debuted in the fall of last year, allowing smart home goods to function across ecosystems while retaining the highest levels of security. Apple, along with other industry leaders, is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance, which maintains the Matter standard. HomePod links to and manages Matter-enabled accessories, as well as serves as a vital home hub, providing consumers with access even when they are not at home.
Customer Information Is Private Property
One of Apple’s basic values is the protection of its customer’s privacy. All smart home communications, including camera recordings with HomeKit Secure Video, are always end-to-end encrypted, so Apple cannot read them. When you utilize Siri, the audio of your request is not saved by default. These features provide customers with the assurance that their privacy is maintained at home.
The Environment and HomePod
HomePod is made with 100% recycled gold—a first for HomePod — in the plating of several printed circuit boards, as well as 10% recycled rare earth components in the speaker magnet. HomePod satisfies Apple’s stringent energy efficiency requirements and is devoid of mercury, BFR, PVC, and beryllium. The new packaging eliminates the outside plastic wrap, and 96% of the packaging is made of fibre, putting Apple closer to its goal of eliminating plastic from all packaging by 2025.
Apple is now carbon neutral for worldwide corporate operations and expects to be carbon neutral across the full manufacturing supply chain and product life cycles by 2030. This implies that every Apple item sold will have a net-zero environmental effect, from component manufacture to assembly, delivery, customer usage, and charging, all the way through recycling and material recovery.
Pricing and Availability
- HomePod (2nd generation) is now available to order for INR 32900 at apple.com/in/store, with delivery beginning on Friday, February 3.
- HomePod (2nd generation) is compatible with iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later, iPhone 8 and later, or iPhone 8 Plus and later, all running iOS 16.3 or later; or iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation) and later, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, or iPad mini (5th generation) and later, all running iPadOS 16.3.
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