Apple HomePod 2: The original Apple HomePod was one of the best wireless speakers on the market until it was abruptly discontinued in March 2021 in favor of the smaller and less expensive Apple HomePod mini.
But, with Apple’s spatial audio-enhanced music now a year old and the recent release of Apple Music Sessions, which is available in Spatial Audio, it appears highly likely that a new HomePod with Spatial Audio support is on the way… and it’s even been spotted in the wild. Though we don’t expect to see it until an October event, assuming Apple holds one.
Mark Gurman’s June 2022 missive rekindled our hopes and dreams for a new HomePod, in which the noted analyst states:
In his most recent Power On update, Gurman claims that Apple has “at least four new smart home devices in its labs, but not all will see the light of day.” So, perhaps an updated Apple HomePod and a refreshed HomePod mini? It appears to be very likely.
The Apple HomePod mini is a fantastic speaker in its own right, and its small size and low price put it squarely up against some of the best smart speakers on the market, such as the Amazon Echo Studio and the Sonos One – but the HomePod is Apple’s first flagship wireless speaker, and the only one that supports Apple Music’s much-lauded Lossless and Spatial Audio content.
Since Apple discontinued the HomePod, we’ve seen a number of patents that could indicate that the company is working on a new HomePod model – the so-called Apple HomePod 2 – with a tablet-like display, according to some rumors. When it first appeared in the new iOS 16, people took notice – and some members of the team couldn’t be happier.
So far, Apple has not confirmed the existence of the HomePod 2, but this is nothing new. Respected tippers have mentioned it, and iOS 16 beta users have discovered it, so we’re pretty sure it’s true.
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Apple HomePod 2 Design and Features
So far, we have heard a few Apple HomePod 2 rumors that could reveal details about the next smart speaker.
Smarter than your average smart speaker
The next HomePod, whether it’s a smart display or a regular smart speaker, has the potential to be extremely intelligent. According to a newly discovered patent, Apple intends for its smart speakers to work alongside its rumored Apple MR headset and Apple Glasses.
The patent describes an audio speaker system with extra microphones and depth-sensing cameras. They’d be able to pinpoint a user’s position in a room while also tailoring a 3D audio experience to what’s seen in a virtual reality environment.
According to the patent, a user with one or more HomePods could enjoy adaptive and surrounding audio without the need for headphones or on-device speakers, similar to the Meta Quest headsets. Assume you have a virtual cat in your VR experience; walking towards it, for example, may increase the volume of its meow from a HomePod Mini.
This would also be useful in two-way communication applications: a user with a similar setup elsewhere could send spatial audio information to another user in VR with the same setup, and both would be able to identify sound coming from the other in 3D space.
The patent also describes how this could be used commercially, including how a recording and transmission system could be set up at a live music event and the resulting spatial audio information beamed to a VR headset.
As with any patented technology, there’s no guarantee that these features will be implemented, but they do provide an intriguing glimpse into the future of Apple speakers. The Apple HomePod mini may also provide some hints about the features of the next HomePod.
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A HomePod with a screen
One of the most intriguing rumors is that the HomePod 2 will include a screen, similar to the Amazon Echo Show 10 and Google Nest Hub 2. Mark Gurman recently refuted this slightly, claiming a “updated display on top” rather than an extra screen.
That “multi-touch functionality” Gurman mentions, on the other hand, could very well echo the Google Nest Hub’s functionality, implying waving across the display to skip tracks rather than the tap-tap-tap required today.
Furthermore, as MacRumors’ Steve Moser(opens in new tab) discovered in the tvOS 14.5 beta code, Apple has added FaceTime and iMessage frameworks, as well as a new AVFCapture framework for image capture.
Apple’s HomePod software is based on tvOS rather than iOS, which means messaging and video calls could be added to a future HomePod smart display.
A built-in temperature sensor
The hidden sensor in the HomePod mini can measure temperature and humidity, potentially unlocking new and exciting features for the device in the future.
Bloomberg(opens in new tab) recently highlighted the previously unknown feature, describing a sensor that could allow “internet-connected thermostats (to) adjust different parts of a home based on current conditions.”
The hardware could also allow the HomePod mini to automatically engage in other actions based on temperature, such as activating a fan, implying that the device will receive a slew of functionality upgrades in future software updates. If Apple decides to include these sensors in a future model, these functionality upgrades could make their way to the HomePod 2.
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A battery-powered HomePod
According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his PowerOn newsletter(opens in new tab), Apple planned to release a portable battery-powered version of its HomePod, which could have competed with our favorite portable speaker: the Sonos Roam.
Apple recently discontinued the only Bluetooth speaker in its subsidiary Beats’ lineup, the Beats Pill+, implying that it may be making way for a new portable option.
Despite this, it appears that the portable HomePod plans have been shelved for the time being – but we’ll have to wait and see what comes out if a HomePod 2 is unveiled.
What we expect from the new HomePod 2
While details on the Apple HomePod 2 are scarce, there are a few things we’d like to see from the rumored smart speaker.
Bluetooth connectivity
Sure, smart speakers are all about voice controls and the fact that they’re stand-alone devices that don’t require a connection to another audio source to play music and podcasts. However, a few extra options are sometimes just convenient – especially if you’re trying to play back a track that, for whatever reason, isn’t available on the smart speaker’s preferred streaming service.
It may not be cutting-edge in the world of smart speakers, but there are times when a Bluetooth speaker is useful, and it’s a feature introduced with the HomePod mini.
If the HomePod 2 is also linked to Apple Music, it will be especially useful for anyone who wants to access, say, Spotify streaming. This leads us to our next point.
Better Siri performance
Apple’s HomePod performs admirably in terms of sound, but it falls short in terms of intelligence. In comparison to Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa, Siri’s capabilities as a smart home hub are somewhat limited. This isn’t ideal given that it’s one of the most expensive smart speakers on the market, and Siri is the only way to control it.
With that in mind, we’d like to see improved Siri performance in a new HomePod iteration when it comes to quickly and accurately perform commands.
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Open access to other music services
If you purchase one of the current Apple HomePod speakers, you are essentially committing to Apple’s audio ecosystem. So, excluding iTunes purchases, that’s $9.99 per month for a single Apple Music streaming account, $14.99 for a family account, or a slightly cheaper Apple Music Voice subscription if you just want to holler tune requests at Siri.
That’s fine if you’re an iPhone owner from Cupertino, and Apple Music is a great service worth investing in. However, if you’ve already signed up for Spotify or one of the numerous smaller streaming services, this could be a frustrating limitation.
By letting other services into its walled garden, Apple could give any new Apple HomePod a user base boost – and it could be paired with incentives to jump to Apple Music if Apple played a smart long game.
Apple HomePod 2 release date
There is no official word on when the Apple HomePod 2 will be released – or even if it exists – but it has appeared in iOS 16, so it must be quite far along.
Still, we may have to wait a while to see the HomePod 2. Mark Gurman stated in a Bloomberg report (opens in new tab) that “Before the larger HomePod was discontinued, the company was working on an updated version for release in 2022. It has also been working on new speakers with screens and cameras, but a release is not imminent.”
However, Gurman has recently appeared far more optimistic about a new HomePod release, stating that the new HomePod (code-named B620) will run the same S8 chip that will be used in new Apple watches and will be closer to the original HomePod in terms of size and audio performance – i.e. rather than a new HomePod mini.
It remains to be seen whether Apple’s new speakers will take over the HomePod mantle, but it now appears that we may have to wait until early 2023 for their release.
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Apple HomePod 2 price
There’s no word on a potential price for the Apple HomePod 2, but if it’s another full-sized – or close to full-sized – HomePod rather than the HomePod mini, we’d expect it to be around the same price as the original smart speaker.
The Apple HomePod cost $349 when it was released in 2018 (after being unveiled in 2017), making it one of the most expensive smart speakers on the market – and certainly the most expensive mainstream option.
That’s why we were surprised when Apple released the HomePod mini in 2020 for $99. We are hoping that the next HomePod will be a full-size model, but that Apple will find a happy medium between the two price points.
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