Apple officially announced the new HomePod, priced at RMB 2,299, bringing a new generation of acoustic experiences to users.
For users who have bought the first generation of HomePod, it seemed like a good choice to buy a new HomePod to make up stereo sound. However, Apple has officially confirmed that the two generations cannot be paired in stereo.
Apple said in an official press release that forming a HomePod stereo combo requires two HomePod speakers of the same model, such as two HomePod mini, two HomePod (second generation), or two HomePod (first generation), and cannot be mixed and matched.
In addition, the new HomePod’s sound recognition feature will be rolled out later this spring via a software update, which is not yet available to those who purchase it.
The new HomePod has built-in temperature and humidity sensors, and the sound recognition feature detects smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and sends notifications to users when they are identified. Sound recognition should not be relied upon when the user is in a potentially harmful environment or in high-risk or emergency situations. Sound Recognition requires an updated version of the Home architecture, which will be available in a separate update to the Home App. It requires that all Apple devices connected to home accessories use the latest version of the software.
In terms of design, the new HomePod’s exterior consists of a seamless, sound-transparent mesh and a backlit touchpad, available in white and a new midnight color, which is made of 100 percent recycled fabric and comes with a braided power cord in the same color.
For acoustic performance, HomePod features a custom-developed high-amplitude woofer, a 20mm amplitude motor-driven cone, a built-in bass equalizer microphone, and an array of five beamforming tweeters surrounding the bottom to create an acoustic experience. the S7 chip combines software and system sensing technology to deliver more advanced computational audio.
The HomePod (2nd generation) supports iPhone SE (2nd generation) and successors or iPhone 8 and successors running iOS 16.3 or later; iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation) and successors, iPad Air (3rd generation) and successors or iPad mini (5th generation) running iPadOS 16.3. iPad mini (5th generation) and later.
