Hands-On With the New HomePod Mini

[ijordano]

Transfer to HomePod is so inconsistent to use. Can never figure out if my phone needs to be locked, unlocked, open to the music app...

 

[ijordano]

Anyone know yet if these can be run off a USB Battery pack? I want to set it up at home, but then take it with me when I go skating at the park. Really curious if I can make that work or not

I don't see why it won't power but it does need wifi

 

[Lycanthrope]

Would be cool if you could configure these as a 5.1 surround system from Apple TV - maybe but the bigger Pod as the subwoofer...

 

[nburwell]

wow, someone who actually shops on a smart speaker, I didn't even know that was a thing. (someone who wanted to, not that you could, of course I knew you could, but why?) Not sure if Ring is HomeKit, but there are cameras/doorbells/locks that do the same with Siri

Honestly, we only do it to re-order dog food or diapers for our infant. Otherwise, we use the app 99.9% of the time. Sadly the Ring Video Doorbell is not Homekit compatible -- but again, we typically use our phones when someone rings the doorbell anyway.

I pulled the trigger last night though. The HomePod Mini won't be here for 2-3 weeks, but we'll probably give the Echo Dot to my in-laws or just relegate it to basement storage.

 

[DeftwillP]

There's literally no one there but me and a couple of friends. So I don't think I'm being that guy.

Then don't be that guy complaining about apple not making this portable.

At no point ever did the initial sales pitch suggest that this was going to be portable. Every single thread gets hit and possibly derailed by people complaining about this. Even if you did hook it up to a battery, would airplay work without a wifi network? Maybe bring a router and a battery pack for it? Or heres an idea.....just bring a bluetooth speaker meant for portability.

 

[scooterv51]

doesn't have the clarity or bass of a Sonos one but man it's really small. I have it in my bathroom. Hopefully they will come out with a big version for like 150$ that would be the sweet spot and deliver better sound for me.

I bought a HomePod this summer for $199 at Best Buy. That was my sweet spot.

 

[The Game 161]

Looks like nearest date to order now is 29th December

 

[Melmanoh]

I bought a HomePod this summer for $199 at Best Buy. That was my sweet spot.

Yup me too. I brought the orignal one two years ago for 350 but picked up another this summer for 199. They need to come out with a Sonos one competitor at 150$.

 

[thomamon]

So is the sound as good as the original home pod? Was debating on picking up another home pod or going with two mini's.

 

[oneteam]

I bought a HomePod this summer for $199 at Best Buy. That was my sweet spot.

I'm hopping to see the same sale again. I totally missed it back in the summer.

 

[Unity451]

Does anybody know if you can use it as default audio output on the Apple TV

I'm pretty sure he says that you can't in the video.

 

[oneteam]

I have an Apple TV 4K and all devices are updated to 14.2 but I cannot change my audio output on Apple TV.

Apple changed the audio output menu on 14.2. On the main audio output menu you can only select the Default Audio Output, which only works with HomePods located in the same room.

If you use an Airplay speaker (other than a HomePod) as your TV speaker, you can now change the audio output from the Airplay menu (press and hold the TV key on the apple remote and select Airplay) or by selecting the Audio option from the top drop down menu when something is playing. Apple Tv remembers the airplay speaker next time you turn it on, unless you use the speaker from another source like an iphone or an ipad, etc.

 

[MacAddict1978]

So I keep hearing people saying that Siri is dumb. I've been using Siri to control my homekit accessories for a while; it can control my lights, start my car, set my thermostat, locks, music, tv, etc. I ask random questions, conversions of temp, currency, send/reply to texts and I always get an answer. I have several automations, I have it to do something when something happens and never had a hiccup.

This reviewer says to look somewhere else if you are looking to create "powerful custom skills".

I wonder what these powerful custom skills are. I wonder what else is what people what Siri to do? What can Alexa or Google do that Siri can't?

There is no short answer to that question.

Siri is dumb. But I wouldn't blame Siri for "power custom skills" as much as I would blame a half baked short-cuts implementation and HomeKit. If those are all you've known, I can understand why you'd think it was good. If you could swap for Alexa or Google assistant for a day, you'd come back feeling like you coveted the worse AI in the universe (because you have). There aren't very many smart home products for HomeKit compared to the other standards that all work (mix and match) with Alexa/Google (even bloody Bixby with Samsung SmartThings is better, sad as that is write... ). Apple's noble stance on privacy and having AI run on device cripples what it can do and how well it does it. Companies have to make HomeKit only versions of devices that often lack some of the features or ability to play well with multiple technologies making customization lesser with routines. Like my Philips lights can talk to my nest devices and my ring devices which can all talk to eachother and translate languages through the virutal assistant even if they aren't using the same standards. No suck luck with Siri and homekit. Add to that Apple is really tethering you into their own echo system, which is at least changing. Third party support for other services definitely will add function and value. The routines you can run with other AI's are more robust, smart, intricate, etc. but more because of accessibility to various standards used in devices and access to third party services as well as cloud based intelligence.

Apple/Google/Amazon and some others did form some consortium to develop a universal secure standard that I think will make all this stuff better regardless of which echo system you pick, but Apple will always be somewhat handicapped because of their security stance, but for some people that's surely a welcomed trade off. Not everyone would find it useful for the AI on your device to know that you have a coupon for the store you just walked into in your email.

 

[oneteam]

Like my Philips lights can talk to my nest devices and my ring devices which can all talk to eachother and translate languages through the virutal assistant even if they aren't using the same standards. No suck luck with Siri and homekit.

I can do that with Siri. I can create automations do control devices based on the behavior of other devices. I just did one, when my thermostat reaches 68 degrees the living room light turns on, my kitchen HomePod plays NPR and the front door gets locked.

 

[scooterv51]

Apple's new $99 HomePod mini officially launched yesterday, with the first pre-order purchases arriving to customers and Apple beginning in-store sales. We picked up a new HomePod mini and thought we'd test it out for MacRumors readers who are curious how Apple's smaller HomePod measures up to the original model.

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The HomePod mini measures in at just 3.3 inches tall and 3.9 inches wide, so it's a good deal smaller than the standard HomePod. Despite the size, we were impressed at the sound that this little device was able to put out.

It sounds great, and compared to other speakers in this size and at this price point, the HomePod mini really stands out from the competition. For such a small speaker, the sound quality is a little bit mind blowing. At max volume, there's no distortion and the sound is crisp and clear, which is also quite impressive.

In terms of size, the HomePod mini is probably smaller than you're imagining. It can fit in the palm of a hand, and it's lightweight, which means it can go just about anywhere. Unfortunately it does need to be plugged in to operate, and it comes with a USB-C cable and a 20W Apple power adapter that it connects to. At the top, there are some touch gestures, but it's easiest to control HomePod mini with Siri commands.

Apple designed an Intercom feature to go along with the HomePod mini, envisioning a HomePod mini in every room of the house for home-wide communication. As the feature suggests, it serves as an intercom for family members to communicate with one another without having to shout. You have to have a HomePod to use Intercom, but you can send messages with an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, or through CarPlay.

HomePod mini also supports almost all of the same features as the HomePod, such as Handoff for transferring music from a phone to the speaker and vice versa, but we had a bit of trouble getting this working all the time. That should improve later this year when Apple adds an update that will introduce new U1-powered haptic feedback features for transferring songs between the iPhone and the HomePod.

The HomePod mini works with HomeKit devices, can play Apple Music, supports AirPlay 2, can be used for phone calls, works in a stereo pair, and serves as a Home hub, so there's a lot going on here.

The best part about the HomePod mini is the price tag. It's offering solid sound at a low price, and it's a lot easier to shell out $99 for a little home speaker than it is to pay the full $299 price for the regular HomePod. If you've been holding out on getting a HomePod because of the high price, the HomePod mini is worth checking out for the wealth of functionality that it offers to those in the Apple ecosystem.

Do you have a HomePod mini? Let us know what you think in the comments.

Article Link: Hands-On With the New HomePod Mini

Just received mine today. Two things, it is small and the sound is amazing. It easily fills a bedroom with sound superior to any bluetooth speaker I have used. I might have to find a way to put one on my apartment patio in order to annoy my neighbors with rich sound.

 

[Tallgrass]

I gotta say I am pretty impressed with the sound of this Mini HomePod. I placed it in my bedroom. It also synced easily with the large HomePod in my living room. Just what I wanted.

 

[jcshas]

Dan, you might’ve missed the entirety of the Shortcuts app. The argument that Alexa has Skills and Siri doesn’t, hasn’t been true for a couple of years now. Not only do many many apps on the world‘s biggest App Store suggest pre-built shortcuts (like Alexa Skills), your imagination is the limit on what Shortcuts you can build that not only matches but exceeds what you can do with Alexa Skills. And those Shortcuts are accessible via Siri on your HomePod.

For example, my Dyson Air Purifier isn’t HomeKit compatible but does have both an Alexa Skill and a Siri Shortcut. I can say Hey Siri, clean the air, and voila, it runs my Dyson Air Purifier.

View attachment 1671642

These Shortcuts are no more complicated to turn on than an Alexa Skill, but better, as you can see around the web or browsing the Shortcuts Gallery, people have come up with incredibly complex Shortcuts that can do basically anything you put your mind to. And they’re easy to install for those less inclined to tinker in creating one.

Time to put to bed the argument that HomePod doesn’t have expandable “Skills”.

I respectfully disagree. I have have a few Amazon devices along with a HomePod and HomePod Mini. Siri has improved immensely in recent months but it’s still nowhere near as customizable as Amazon skills.

 

[ipedro]

I respectfully disagree. I have have a few Amazon devices along with a HomePod and HomePod Mini. Siri has improved immensely in recent months but it’s still nowhere near as customizable as Amazon skills.

I have two Amazon Echo Shows that I use every day in my kitchen and as my bedroom alarm clock. I have a HomePod mini and two full sized HomePods. I use all of them and know them well. Siri on HomePod is far more capable than people give it credit, simply because they haven’t delved into Shortcuts. It just sounds like you should do some exploring.

 

[citysnaps]

So is the sound as good as the original home pod? Was debating on picking up another home pod or going with two mini's.

I received two HomePod Minis today and opened one. I currently have five regular HomePods, configured as two stereo pairs and a mono unit.

So far I have to say the Mini doesn't measure up to the regular one. It's not bad or terrible; just noticeably less than the original HomePod with respect to having a great full-body sound and a little weaker in bass.

And that's to be expected based on cost, having a single smaller speaker as opposed to a seven tweeter array and woofer, and no room acoustic equalization. Siri works fine as it does with my regular HomePods.

I'm debating sending on of the two Mini's back and getting another regular HomePod next time there's a $200 sale.

 

[laszlo182]

“hopefully apple opens this up in the future”? huge miss, there already is an option for default music service. even pandora already supports it. spotify is just late to the game again

 

[Zance]

Then don't be that guy complaining about apple not making this portable.

At no point ever did the initial sales pitch suggest that this was going to be portable. Every single thread gets hit and possibly derailed by people complaining about this. Even if you did hook it up to a battery, would airplay work without a wifi network? Maybe bring a router and a battery pack for it? Or heres an idea.....just bring a bluetooth speaker meant for portability.

Please point out in my posts where I complained about anything. I simply asked if anyone knew if it was possible.

Don't be that guy on the internet that likes being a dick for no reason.

Edit: AirPlay can work without Wi-Fi on some devices. So again, I'm asking to find out if anyone knows since the support articles don't give much detail.

 

[raj_cipher]

Is there a way to turn off the white lights in HomePod mini ? It is always on when the songs are playing.

 

[skymovieguy]

Gotta say that it works really well, but I was shocked to see that the provided power adapter was white for a black home pod mini. And its so huge. Per some recommendations on reddit I have bought a black one that is 50% smaller, but still unbelievable this idea made it out of the conceptual stage, and I'm out another $15. I thought the plug would have looked like the HomePod. Its not a huge issue if you plug it in behind furniture or other items, but this bathroom plug is in plain sight. Anyone know if this has even been addressed anywhere? I thought about having a seance in my bathroom last night to let Steve Jobs know, I don't think he would have been pleased. Apple has been at the top of the aesthetically pleasing product for a long time. That time is over.

 

[skymovieguy]

Is there a way to turn off the white lights in HomePod mini ? It is always on when the songs are playing.

I noticed while in the home app and pressing on the device and holding, all the individual settings come up. I believe you can turn the lights off as well as change Siri's voice and a few other toggle options.