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 š
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 Appleās 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. š¤
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 Appleās 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 š
Dan Moren@viticci Psst. Not that I want to give away my secrets, but weāre all friends here, so hereās a tip: Appleās 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 š
Quinn Nelson@viticci I wouldnāt be worried about the quantity of speakers as much as Iād be worried the OG HomePodās 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? Thatās from 2008 (now rebranded as Wi-Fi 4), and the first gen had ac (Wi-Fi 5).
So if true itās 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, itās 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 ā°@viticci Iāve 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?! š¤
Tion@viticci 802.11n seems to be a downgrade. The 1st gen had 802.11ac with MIMO.
Trager@viticci Isnāt 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. š
Shane Qi@viticci āThe new HomePod is also getting a WiFi upgrade with 802.11n support.ā
Was the use of the word āupgradeā a sarcasm?
Josh Withers@viticci itās 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 whatās 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 canāt! š
@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 itās supposedly paired with?