First HomePod Orders Start Arriving to Customers in Australia and New Zealand

[MacRumors]

It is Friday, February 3 in New Zealand and Australia, which means it is the official launch day of the second-generation HomePod in those countries. Customers in New Zealand and Australia are always first to get new devices because of time zone differences, though one lucky MacRumors reader was able to get his speaker yesterday.

Customers who pre-ordered a HomePod when the device was announced on January 18 are starting to receive their orders, and photos and first impressions will soon be showing up across the web on Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, and the MacRumors forums.

New Zealand does not have official Apple retail locations, so customers in Australia will be the first to be able to purchase a new HomePod in an Apple Store. Available store stock in Australia will give us an idea of what we can expect in other Apple Stores worldwide. The new HomePod is expected to be readily available.

Priced at $299, the second-generation HomePod is similar in size, function, and sound quality to the original model, but it does feature a larger touch display at the top, humidity and temperature sensors, and a U1 chip. Reviews for the speaker have been largely positive.

Following New Zealand and Australia, sales and deliveries of the HomePod will begin in Asia, Europe, and then North America, and Apple Stores will be opening at their regular times for walk-in purchases and so customers can pick up reserved devices.

Article Link: First HomePod Orders Start Arriving to Customers in Australia and New Zealand

 

[kesenwangs]

Pre-ordered mine on launch day as well, estimated delivery is Feb 6 but still preparing for shipment. Why so long lol

Edit: Just got shipping notice via UPS for delivery tomorrow but online order still says processing. Weird.

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

People preordered these...what interesting times we live in! 🤔

 

[n0dragon]

Just got mine a few hours ago. Setup is smooth. I noticed that the new HomePod got an update from 16.0 to 16.3. Even though I enabled enhanced data protection it still went through without any issue.

 

[HandsomeDanNZ]

They're pretty pricey for what they are, here in NZ.
Be interesting to see how many they sell in this part of the world.

 

[henry72]

@Boardiesboi Have you got yours yet?

 

[Born Again]

Congrats to the 15+ HomePod purchasers!!

 

[svish]

Enjoy your new HomePods everyone!!!

 

[Rooster 🐓]

Looking forward to the first real world verdicts in the wild on sound quality vs the OG HomePods - may relegate mine to a bedroom stereo pair and get a new pair for the lounge. Wish Apple would make some IP67 ones with batteries for the garden!

 

[lk400]

People preordered these...what interesting times we live in! 🤔

The original was a great product with awesome sound quality. But it had reliability issues and failed. Lots of people snapped them up when they were cancelled, and loads of people have been paying above the old retail price for them after cancellation as they pop up from time to time. Certainly not for everyone, but I can imagine why people who loved the original and couldn’t get extras before stock ran out, or people who had failed items (and didn’t get so angry as to not want to give Apple any more money) might have jumped right on this.

I have 6 of the original and so am set. But 3 of those have already been replaced under warranty. I’m sure the day will come that some of these start dying.

 

[lk400]

Looking forward to the first real world verdicts in the wild on sound quality vs the OG HomePods - may relegate mine to a bedroom stereo pair and get a new pair for the lounge. Wish Apple would make some IP67 ones with batteries for the garden!

I honestly can’t see them sounding better. I’d speculate they have tried to get them to sound as good while using cheaper components to make more money (or sell for cheaper to move more products).

Unless your original HomePods are in the death throes, I’d stick with them.

 

[SoldOnApple]

Is the only way to use these with like an old WiiU console and monitor is to use an Apple TV and sound bar with HDMI audio passthrough? I really want a pair of these but only if I can use them with anything.

 

[Bunnings]

I went into a Sydney Apple Store (Broadway) today without a preorder and picked up a Homepod. There was a new white Homepod on display but the store was too noisy to test it out properly. Surpisingly the Apple store didn't have any Homepod minis on display to test.

Aftering purchasing a unit and bringing it home the Homepod sounds good but I don't think it has the room filling audio power to replace a good quality TV soundbar. For new TV purchases I will be purchasing a soundbar rather than relying on two Homepods. I was listening to music on my new Homepod at full volume in an open plan living room and wasn't feeling like I needed to turn the volume down. Based on this, I don't think it has the same power as a Bose (or similar) good quality soundbar.

The staff in the Apple store however suggested that the Homepod sound quality is better than the Studio display speakers (for those who are using a Mac Studio display for a Mac Studio or Mac Mini)

Having looked at the white and black versions, I felt the black version looked better. The white Homepod is a very hospital white colour and I dont think it would look as good with white or cream coloured furniture as the black unit does.

 

[Thomas Weber]

Congrats to the 15+ HomePod purchasers!!

Picking up two today at the local Apple Store. Excited and can't wait 16+ HomePod purchasers!

 

[Snotver]

My Homepod will be delivered today (in the Netherlands)!

 

[obamtl]

Brian Tong's review seems to suggest they're not quite as good as the OG, which is no surprise, given they've degraded some of the hardware, while upgrading the display on top and adding a U1 chip and temperature sensor. Bought the OG second hand recently (costing almost as much as these new ones) and I think I'll stick to those.

 

[SurferPup]

I like mine. It sounds much better than the Sony Bravia TV built in speakers. I am very happy for an inexpensive wireless solution that seamlessly fits into the Apple ecosystem. HomePod provides a louder and more robust sound solution for television. HomePod minis are best suited for extending the range of music into the more remote parts of a house.

 

[Rooster 🐓]

I went into a Sydney Apple Store (Broadway) today without a preorder and picked up a Homepod. There was a new white Homepod on display but the store was too noisy to test it out properly. Surpisingly the Apple store didn't have any Homepod minis on display to test.

Aftering purchasing a unit and bringing it home the Homepod sounds good but I don't think it has the room filling audio power to replace a good quality TV soundbar. For new TV purchases I will be purchasing a soundbar rather than relying on two Homepods. I was listening to music on my new Homepod at full volume in an open plan living room and wasn't feeling like I needed to turn the volume down. Based on this, I don't think it has the same power as a Bose (or similar) good quality soundbar.

The staff in the Apple store however suggested that the Homepod sound quality is better than the Studio display speakers (for those who are using a Mac Studio display for a Mac Studio or Mac Mini)

Having looked at the white and black versions, I felt the black version looked better. The white Homepod is a very hospital white colour and I dont think it would look as good with white or cream coloured furniture as the black unit does.

You really need a stereo pair to get the best atmos sound and then they are truly great, and in my opinion properly placed give the best spatial separation which I much prefer to any Sonos or other soundbar I have used. Just wish Apple would allow two minis to be used also.

 

[Felix01]

About 15 minutes ago, my UPS tracker shows (Eastern US):

On the Way
Loaded on Delivery Vehicle

 

[tubular]

Welcome back.

 

[SBlue1]

You really need a stereo pair to get the best atmos sound and then they are truly great, and in my opinion properly placed give the best spatial separation which I much prefer to any Sonos or other soundbar I have used. Just wish Apple would allow two minis to be used also.

Having two big in front and two minis in the back or side would be great!

 

[TracesOfArsenic]

The original was a great product with awesome sound quality. But it had reliability issues and failed. Lots of people snapped them up when they were cancelled, and loads of people have been paying above the old retail price for them after cancellation as they pop up from time to time. Certainly not for everyone, but I can imagine why people who loved the original and couldn’t get extras before stock ran out, or people who had failed items (and didn’t get so angry as to not want to give Apple any more money) might have jumped right on this.

I have 6 of the original and so am set. But 3 of those have already been replaced under warranty. I’m sure the day will come that some of these start dying.

Wow, that's a scathing record for Apple's production quality. I hope you just got extremely unlucky and that's not indicative of the whole run (and was part of the reason they canned the first gen).

 

[lk400]

Wow, that's a scathing record for Apple's production quality. I hope you just got extremely unlucky and that's not indicative of the whole run (and was part of the reason they canned the first gen).

I’m quite confident there was some production issue that came to light only after the rumoured sole production run was complete, and so couldn’t be fixed. I’m a little skeptical of the cancellation of the product (leading to a run of fomo purchases to move old stock) followed by the reintroduction of the same product, with original purchasers left holding the bag.

I’m not one for unfounded speculationC and generally am very pleased apple’s quality. I still use a 2012 27imac as my daily machine. But this particular product seems a little fishy.

 

[ErikGrim]

Not sure what happened to mine, but stereo pairing was a nightmare. Even after I had reset one of the HomePods, it kept playing at a much lower volume than it's stereo companion. Only after I'd reset them both a few times and manually adjusted both of them to 100% did they seem to be in sync.

 

[ErikGrim]

Looking forward to the first real world verdicts in the wild on sound quality vs the OG HomePods - may relegate mine to a bedroom stereo pair and get a new pair for the lounge. Wish Apple would make some IP67 ones with batteries for the garden!

Sound quality I can't tell the difference between the new and the OG homepods. They sound just as brilliant, full, volumetric and bassy as before.