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Yea, I get that, just like MR nowadays repeats every rumor 5 times…
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A wireless HomePod would be great. I still
have a 12 year old Bose BlueTooth portable speaker which I use in the backyard and on camping trips. Still sounds amazing and works flawlessly.
 
Are we going to talk about the claim that the headset will cost $2000? That’s a niche niche super niche product.
 
I like my Libratione Zipp Mini 2. Big sound, long battery life, great support for Airplay 2, or Bluetooth.
 
Glad it's not. Before my HomePod mini, had a Jambox Mini. It was great but you had to charge it like once a week. Then the battery **** and it needed it twice a week. In my case I just want it on the desk and in other rooms, so plugin vs battery is far better. But I could see some wanting it portable.

Should be able to use the right battery pack to power it if you want it on the go.
 
It wouldn't be a surprise that Apple prototyped something like this. But, the bigger HomePod would have been a bit too heavy with a battery, and a battery in either of them would probably only last a few hours at most. It's not a great user experience to have your speaker die after a few hours, unless you're just sitting on the patio for an hour or two relaxing...and if you do that you can put a speaker out there all the time.

Apple really doesn't seem like it knows what to do with its home entertainment setup. Or, maybe they do, they are just waiting for things to get to a certain point where they finally follow through on whatever their plans are. They still make good stuff, I'm wishing I had picked up a HomePod or two when they went on fire sale for the better sound than the Mini.
 
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Are we going to talk about the claim that the headset will cost $2000? That’s a niche niche super niche product.
Well, the report on the headset just a few weeks ago on this site was saying around $3,000..!

Ultimately - $2k or $3k - is not something I'll ever lay hands on. Much like the 2019 Mac Pro. Starting price is WAY too high, for it to trickle down to the second hand market within my reach, and within a usable time frame.

When Facebook is doing VR for $800... if Apple is more than twice that price (!) - well, I mean - they'll sell them, cos rich people do exist... but they'll be elitist.
 
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.

It's called a Sonos Roam, and works with Airplay, Bluetooth, and every other media source out there. Plus Alexa. Plus it's waterproof.
 
I really want a portable HomePod. I have a portable JBL speaker on my home network and it is unreliable.
How so? I have a few JBL speakers, and they’re excellent. The sound and build quality is perfect and they have a really unique-sleek design that blends in nicely with my home decor.

The only problem I have, sometimes they don’t automatically connect or sync, but that’s rarely an issue.
 
I think Id prefer the cable but itd be nice to have both options
Options....Apple needs to consider this more. Sometimes they come around (mouse support for the iPad). Sometimes they don't.

I love the original fat Homepod and it still works great in our finished basement near the pool table. People comment on how good it sounds when they come over. We never bought another one, because there was not a battery powered one. We have multiple Bose sound links, simply because they have a battery option.

Options apple...that is all most of us normal Apple fans ask for.
 
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Are we going to talk about the claim that the headset will cost $2000? That’s a niche niche super niche product.
Are you the same person that said the Apple Watch would be a niche product? And yet, we saw the end result of how popular that is.

No one cares that the VR headset might be a niche product. We don’t know it’s potential and what Apple has in store, let alone that it may not just be for any average consumer, but it might be more appealing to those specifics into gaming, professional standards in various industries, etc.

But of course, you’re certainly allowed to your criticism of something that you have no idea of it’s potential.
 
For double the price?

Battery, wireless charging, redesign of materials to be wet proof...
Great point. I don't think most people are able to consider what design constraints going wireless would bring.
 
JBL are not masters of sound quality. No portable speaker from JBL has sounded as good as my HomePod mini, let alone my HomePod.

Agree... they don't match, but for some it may be an alternative for outdoors. There are 5 HomePod minis here now, white and spacegrey, and I'm waiting to get my hands on a couple of coloured HomePod minis too... my kids want them. And just maybe Apple comes with a 2nd gen big HomePod? ??
 
I’d buy it. I have a Harmon Kardon Onyx Studio. Thing is old but amazing and the best term is great.

I never considered the Homepod because of no battery.

Tbh if the batter in this dies id probably buy one online and replace it.
 
Why it must be limited to the lux version? It doesn't cost much to add the hardware.
 
I can't believe the HomePod mini is Apple's only current offering in the speaker space. It's simply not a great speaker. It would make more sense if it was battery powered in the first place.
 
I would buy two immediately to use as a pair for my AppleTV. No outlets on my mantle to use anything but the built in tv speakers.

These are nicely discreet and can be moved when not needed there, while a soundbar would wreck my aesthetic fwiw.
 
In the future, Apple should consider/offer wireless charging for the HomePod. Maybe MagSafe for the HomePod?

Wouldn't it have to have a battery first? That looks so not likely. Would MagSafe be able to drive a HomePod? I'd rather not think of doing it. I think Apple will ride the HomePod as far as it will go, and either kill it, or branch to something else. I hope it's not a screen on a stalk, or a football shaped 'thing' with a screen, but how knows. I think they could have, and could still make a larger HomePod, suspiciously like the original one, WITH a screen in it. They missed the boat when they killed the original without trying to leverage its size for a screen, 'Portal Killer'...
 
As long as it would be optional. I only want wired versions; especially that we have four now.

Apple's obsession with getting rid of wires is getting old. Makes sense for some equipment, but not others.
 
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.
It's not like Apple doesn't already use the term MagSafe on vastly incompatible products (MacBook MagSafe has absolutely nothing to do with iPhone MagSafe). They could simply create a custom base, it doesn't even have to be true wireless charging - like it isn't on a MacBook - and call it a day. The point would be that it would 1) be detachable and run on battery and 2) it would offer some level of magnetic guidance when reattaching.
 
I wish they’d release a cellular HomePod for people without home ISPs. I have an uncle who has nothing but a landline phone and a CD player/radio/stereo. He calls me to ask me to look things up and to play music for him before he buys physical CDs. I feel like a standalone HomePod would be a great standalone gadget for people who don’t even have smartphones or computers.

Uncle could accomplish that with an iPhone.

He doesn’t want an iPhone.

He wants a landline, CD’s and to have a reason to talk to you.
 
The only reason I have not bought at least 4 HomePod mini is because they are NOT battery powered (and water resistant, although this wouldn’t be a deal breaker). If they produced a battery powered version, they’d have my money.

My use case would be as an outdoor speaker on the patio. I would bring them in unless in-use. I currently use UE MegaBoom speakers with Bluetooth, but I’d love to replace them with something more modern (and standalone - not requiring a device to stream to them).
 
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