Apple Relaunched the HomePod Two Years Ago Today

Apple relaunched the HomePod two years ago today, debuting a second-generation model almost five years after the original model's introduction.

2 Years HomePod Feature
The original ‌HomePod‌ was announced at WWDC in 2017 and launched in 2018 after a heavily delayed release. The device was met with mixed reviews; critics praised its outstanding sound quality but pointed out its high price, missing features, and limited functionality compared to rivals.

Apple dropped its price from $349 to $299 in April 2019 and, in March 2021, the company announced that it was discontinuing the first-generation ‌HomePod‌, instead shifting its focus to the HomePod mini, which launched the previous year. The decision left a gap in Apple's product lineup for a full-sized smart speaker until the company introduced the second-generation model via a press release on January 18, 2023.

The second-generation ‌HomePod‌ looks virtually identical to the original, although it is 0.2 inches shorter and has a larger edge-to-edge LED touchscreen on top. It also boasts a range of upgrades and changes compared to its 2018 predecessor, including the S7 chip, a U1 ultra wideband chip, a removable power cable, a temperature and humidity sensor, and sound recognition. However, it features two fewer microphones and horn-loaded tweeters.

While Apple's potential plans for a third-generation ‌HomePod‌ are unclear two years after the current model was introduced, there are a multitude of rumors surrounding a smart home "command center" product with an LCD touchscreen display arriving this year as Apple looks to rethink its smart home lineup.

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Top Rated Comments

firstcitazen Avatar
2 weeks ago
Wonderful speaker use it as my primary for our TV in our main hall. But Siri is terrible, fix that and I would buy more
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jimmy Bubbles Avatar
2 weeks ago
My Gen1 is still going strong!
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
2 weeks ago
My original pair are still amazing in my living room for my tv/music. So glad I bought them on day 1.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Digital Dude Avatar
2 weeks ago
I have nine of the original HomePods, and since I got them in 2017, they’ve worked so-so at about 70% reliability. Unfortunately, over the past year and a half, that dropped to around 50%. Meanwhile, my three Google/Nest devices are running at about 90% reliability. I want to stick with Apple, but Tim Cook is making it incredibly difficult. ?‍♂️
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rawweb Avatar
2 weeks ago
I’d buy it if I could have used it as a lag free speaker for my Mac. Maybe someday…
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wwchris Avatar
2 weeks ago
This is quite possibly the most unreliable product apple has ever released. Constant network issues. Constant misunderstanding of requests and songs and least functionality of any of the smart home speakers. Sounds good when it works though.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)