Federico Viticci 
New HomePod!
Looks the same, but it's got a temperature and humidity sensor, Matter support, new ambient sound features, and new confirmation tones for some Siri requests.
Also: perfect tagline from Apple 😂
And here's our story on the new HomePod and where it differs from the original one: https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-announces-second-generation-homepod/
Apple Announces Second-Generation HomePod
Over the weekend, Mark Gurman said that Apple would be releasing a new HomePod soon. As it turns out, he was correct because today, Apple released a new second-generation HomePod. According to Apple’s press release, With convenient new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home, users can now create smart home automations
We've used the Internet Archive to compare the specs of the original HomePod VS. the new 2nd gen one, and there are some interesting differences.
I wonder if the new HomePod is going to sound worse than the original one. 🤔
https://www.macstories.net/news/apple-announces-second-generation-homepod/
Apple Announces Second-Generation HomePod
Over the weekend, Mark Gurman said that Apple would be releasing a new HomePod soon. As it turns out, he was correct because today, Apple released a new second-generation HomePod. According to Apple’s press release, With convenient new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home, users can now create smart home automations
Dave DeLong@viticci (I think you have the old and new weights swapped)
Jonathan Ruiz@viticci for the same price as the old one I really hope not 😅
Dan Moren@viticci Psst. Not that I want to give away my secrets, but we’re all friends here, so here’s a tip: Apple’s site still has the specs for gen 1. No need to go to the wayback machine for that (or any other Apple specs of recent years). (Cc @johnvoorhees) https://support.apple.com/kb/sp773?locale=en_US
Gui Schmitt@viticci Maybe they are changing it to be "less bass-heavy" out of the box? The original HomePod was near unplayable over 50% sound if you live in an apartment - you'll hear from neighbors 😂
Quinn Nelson@viticci I wouldn’t be worried about the quantity of speakers as much as I’d be worried the OG HomePod’s amazing BMR tweeters seem to be more standard looking cones now.
Sloan Studio
herid@SloanStudio @snazzyq @viticci Totally agree. I have the original homepod. Its many shortcomings have been often discussed and the fact that Appple decided not to address **any** of them is kind of nuts. not having any inputs is one such shortcoming IMO.
Alessandro@viticci I was about to order it (loved the first one) but this article convinced me to wait for reviews.
Jon Kit@viticci did the original have wireless ac as well?
Rob Mathers@viticci maybe you can follow up with Apple about the 802.11n? That’s from 2008 (now rebranded as Wi-Fi 4), and the first gen had ac (Wi-Fi 5).
So if true it’s actually a downgrade, although maybe not a meaningful one from a practical sense.
Dagaloni
Yossi@viticci the touch area is recessed like on the HomePod mini. On the OG HomePod, it’s flush with the top of the mesh fabric.
tgt@viticci I'm not sure why beam forming isn't mentioned in the tech specs as it is mentioned on the Overview page.
Any idea why Wi-Fi has been downgraded from 5 to 4?
Olivier Parfait
Josh Calvetti ⛰@viticci I’ve expected a replacement would sound worse, but I also expected the replacement would be maybe $200. This seems like the worst of both worlds.
Johnn T@viticci It has an accelerometer?! 🤔
Tion@viticci 802.11n seems to be a downgrade. The 1st gen had 802.11ac with MIMO.
Trager@viticci Isn’t it a little weird that the new HomePod only supports 802.11n? I feel like the rest of their devices have supported wifi 6 for quite some time now.
Mike Wiebe@viticci I bet it sounds $49 worse. 😎
Shane Qi@viticci “The new HomePod is also getting a WiFi upgrade with 802.11n support.”
Was the use of the word “upgrade” a sarcasm?
Josh Withers@viticci it’s not that clear in the artifice. Is an S7 chip and the new sensors the only difference?
Nicolas Rizcalla
Andreas Hausberger
Nick Heer@viticci Will it still mess up your furniture, though?
@nickheer this is the most important question (not kidding Silvia would kill me if I ruin the new furniture with this)
Andrew Smit@viticci what’s really interesting that it appears that the HomePod mini has had a temperature and humidity sensor all along.
Aaron Vegh@viticci do we know if it can form a stereo pair with a first-gen HomePod?
@viticci never mind, it can’t! 😭
@Aaronvegh doesn't seem like you can unfortunately
masukomi@viticci "get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their home" That _seems_ silly but it's actually great for deaf folks. if i was deaf i'd only know mine was going off because of the dogs loosing their minds.
smellythief@viticci Is AirPlay still the only way to connect to it? Will it still disconnect every few days from the Apple TV that it’s supposedly paired with?
John Conway@viticci Could it be a smart thermostat with right software?
Joel@viticci I’m glad it’s back. Wish they could’ve gotten to $200 or at least $250. Wondering if 5 tweeters vs original 7 will make a practical difference. I’d still love to see the HomePod line expanded. I went with Sonos arc + sub + 2 Sonos one for new home theater setup.
Yury Molodtsov@viticci Apple low key retconned the original Homepod with this naming.
Joe 📷 🖖🤨@viticci Have then confirmed whether the new ambient sound features are tied to the new HomePods? It says that it’s arriving via a future software update.
@viticci the mini is also now listed to have temp/humidity sensor, which was initially reported as ‘hidden’.. maybe will be enabled with 16.3?
iBanks@Yannis my HomePod Mini’s are on the 16.3 beta and I just tested it out and when asked what’s the temperature in here, Siri responded “It’s currently 76 degrees in the hallway”. Unsure why the hallway was mentioned as I am in my Loft but I had no idea it had temp sensing until I read it on the HomePod page on Apple.com.
Reinald Freling@viticci I know someone who’s gonna be very excited by this news. @marcoarment 👀
Brian King@viticci SO happy with this film. The HomePod launch videos always go hard.
Jiří Fiala Total Landscaping
Panos Korros@viticci did the mini got updated too? Cause I see this in the comparison table but it's not listed anywhere in the HomePod mini specs page.
Gracjan Nowak
AJ@viticci as soon as I saw this I thought about your quip on the HomePod Mini and what was it a Mini version of if Apple no longer sold the HomePod? 😆 While I like that they lowered the price a smidge, and the new sensors are good, kind of meh that they didn’t do any more than that. But at least they’re continuing the line 🤷♂️
gh0sti 
@viticci is there a new mini with with temperature sensor?
Robert Petersen 
@[email protected] that with 9to5 mac that’s awesome b
Matt Downey@viticci liking the fact that the existing minis have a temp and humidity sensor
LearningXP 
Peter van Broekhoven@viticci Do I need to buy 15 before it starts working?
Adrian Schönig 
@viticci Did they stumble across a warehouse of half-assembled HomePods?
@devinprater @viticci You'll love that. Our new echo gen 5 ahas a room temp sensor and we love it.
Tanya Harrison
Philip Mallegol-Hansen@viticci And you said it was dead 🥲