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I still think something like this would be a massive hit…..call it the TravelPod. HAve a cool magsafe base for it. Battery that lasts 8-10 hours. Sell it for $149.
 
Nah. Not everything needs to be wireless. Like keyboard and mice. Why do they need to be wireless? They don’t go anywhere. Just another thing to charge.
 
Apple should just license Siri. It’s pretty ridiculous that the only option available to Apple/Siri users is homepod mini. They should have lowered the price of HomePod to $199 and introduced a HomePod Max at $299.

Homepod mini is overpriced for a smart speaker and too low-fi for anyone who wants a decent speaker for music. It’s not a bad value all things considered, but we need a lot more options in this space, not less.
 
The HomePod mini currently requires at least 18W from the USB C supply to even boot up, so don't hold your breath on a MagSafe option as they seem to max out at 15W.

I just attached a small backup battery that outputs 18W on USB C to the bottom of the HomePod mini so that it looks like a square base for the speaker. Works well and is cheap - make sure your backup battery can support at least 18W and ideally can be charged whilst discharging on USB C.
 
The plan: a battery-powered HomePod Mini 2 that sits atop a flush MagSafe station. With a rubber bottom to make sure the MagSafe puck doesn’t move around, it would be perfect.
You’ve described a Sonos Roam, assuming you’re also making it waterproof, adding Bluetooth, and giving it a more functional shape.
 
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Interesting that Apple wouldn’t want to offer something that competes with the Sonos Move. That’s a decent sounding speaker that works over WiFi (and Bluetooth when away from home) that also offers a smart assistant.

I’m sure if they had a competitor to that at a similar price point, Apple fanboys (myself included) would buy it.
Bluetooth away from home would be great! I’m spending two weeks in a hotel for work and I can’t use the HomePod I brought with me on their network
 
the only way for us customers who want functionality for a battery-powered hompod is if Apple's marketing team are convinced to create an ad of a happy family around a campfire listening to music on their homepod. Courage people....
 
Is this a safer form of prognostication? I'm sure they did think about it, but they hog tied the thing to a power cord, defying the norm. They could have put a port in it (maybe what port to put in it was the sticking point?) and made it able to go both ways, plugged in, or not. Maybe they were thinking by requiring mains power, they could also assume there would be usable wifi available too? I could see someone trying to use it in the middle of absolute nowhere, and asking Siri to play a tune, and Siri not able to. *shrug* Unless that someone had a generator/inverter, they would be safe from a brain dead Siri, not of the body, disconnected from the Mothership. *shrug*

I suspect it was Apple concluding most people (and that would include myself) did not want a portable speaker.

I wouldn't have purchased one. I do have seven HomePods (5 original, 2 mini), for different rooms and garage in my house. Last thing I'd want to worry about or fuss with is keeping batteries charged.

They're superb speakers (for their price point) and work very well with Apple Music - which I use many hours a day. I could not be happier.
 
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While I would love a portable HomePod mini, too, my guess as to why this never happened is that Apple had to decide if they were making an "always on" speaker that is listening to Siri commands even when not playing content or a battery powered speaker that is only turned on when you want to listen to content.

These are two conflicting design constraints.
 
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This has been my complaint since day one. I need a speaker that I can move around, along my laptop. Going to stick with JBL and other brands, then. Would have been nice and convenient to have something from Apple.
 
The plan: a battery-powered HomePod Mini 2 that sits atop a flush MagSafe station. With a rubber bottom to make sure the MagSafe puck doesn’t move around, it would be perfect.
I already have 2 HomePod minis but this idea makes me consider getting more! Ideally it would charge through the air to reduce wire clutter, though.
 
Nah. Not everything needs to be wireless. Like keyboard and mice. Why do they need to be wireless? They don’t go anywhere. Just another thing to charge.
Those of us who live in small apartments need all the space we can get. Wire clutter takes up limited desk space. I’m considering selling my HomePods in part because they are so large and each require a power cable! Would enjoy a portable, wireless HomePod with many-hour battery life that only needs to charge every few days.
 
really, Apple prototyped ... years ago???
Are you running out of news Gurman? Come on ...
Gurman might as well have written "Apple considered a battery-powered Homepod in the past several years"
Just to keep up with with his ".... In the next several months"-line which was comedy gold.

He'll never get my vote for school president. That's for sure.
 
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The plan: a battery-powered HomePod Mini 2 that sits atop a flush MagSafe station. With a rubber bottom to make sure the MagSafe puck doesn’t move around, it would be perfect.
The HomePod Mini peaks at a bit over 17 Watts according to third party tests - which means it draws too much to be powered by a MagSafe pack.

It either needs to be USB (which you can do now with a third party battery pack) or a proprietary connector.
 
Gurman also backed a MacRumors report claiming that Hyundai's luxury brand Genesis is planning to support Apple's digital car key feature, which lets users lock, unlock, and start their vehicles using a pass stored in the Wallet app on the iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature has been limited to select BMW models since launching in 2020, but Gurman said Genesis plans to roll out support for the feature by the summer.
I missed this before. I would love to see Apple's car key available as an after market add-on for existing cars.
 
"Hey Siri, turn on Airplane Mode"
You know that works right?

In the latest version of Siri, you can turn Airplane mode off as well - since Siri doesn't go out to the internet for basic instructions such as that one.

HomePod also works (with obviously reduced functionality) without an internet connection.
 
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