In the presentation dedicated to the iPhone 12, Apple also introduces the new home gadget – Apple HomePod mini. This is a small version of the smart speaker with voice assistant Siri. In shape, it resembles a small apple with a cut off the top, on which the control buttons are located. HomePod mini has two colors: black and the famous white. The HomePod mini will be half in size of the modern HomePod and it will charge three times cheaper – only $ 99.
What’s new in HomePod Mini?
The new product is covered in a pleasant fabric that Apple claims will improve sound quality. At the top is a backlit touchpad. It is activated when you launch the Siri voice assistant.
The HomePod mini received a U1 chip – the same as in the iPhone 11. The gadget will be able to adapt to the environment. It will be able to very accurately determine the location of the owner of the iPhone indoors. All this works on the S5 chip – the same was in the Apple Watch Series 5.
The speaker can also work together with other speakers throughout the house or form a stereo pair. The main feature of the HomePod Mini is Siri.
Three microphones help the assistant to listen to the user’s speech. The fourth microphone has the task of isolating the sound that comes from the speaker. Apple assures that the new product will be very confidential – no data will be sent to the Network, although some users, after such information, are still in doubt.
With the help of Siri, users will also be able to play music by track title or line from the lyrics. For each family member, the assistant will offer personalized content. And the results of the issuance can be automatically sent to CarPlay.
Inside the cabinet can be found a full-range speaker and passive radiators that provide 360-degree sound reproduction. There is a suspicion that the speaker will not be very loud due to the size and number of speakers inside. HomePod mini still has the same computational audio technology as the first version of HomePod.
Apple also announced a new feature called Intercom. It allows users to communicate in different rooms throughout the home using multiple HomePods. In fact, now you do not have to shout through the whole apartment to hear what a relative said.
What the user says will also be broadcast on the connected iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. At the same time, such messages will not be immediately played, as happens on the HomePod Mini. Among other things, soon, the HomePod will be able to work with third-party streaming services – Pandora, Amazon Music, and iHeartRadio.
HomePod mini price
The original 2018 HomePod was priced at $ 349. It is much more expensive than Amazon Echo or Google Home. Now, of course, you can buy it for $ 199, but it’s still expensive. The new HomePod mini should change this situation. The cost of the speaker in black and white is $ 99, it will be available on sale from November 16, pre-orders on November 6.