HomePod 2 Now 1,000 Days Old

[MacRumors]

Apple's second-generation HomePod is now 1,000 days old, with no sign of a refresh or third-generation model on the horizon.

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.

This second-generation device has now reached 1,000 days since its announcement and no successor is rumored, but at least two other HomePod products are allegedly in the pipeline. One is a new HomePod mini with a new S-series chip and Apple's new N1 Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip, and the other is an all-new smart home hub, which has been described as a HomePod with a square iPad-like 7-inch screen and an A18 chip. Apple is widely rumored to be planning a wave of new smart home devices over the next few years, so while a third-generation HomePod doesn't seem to be on the horizon for now, a refresh or the launch of a similar product seems inevitable.

Article Link: HomePod 2 Now 1,000 Days Old

 

[bluecoast]

Anything home related has to be waiting for a better Siri.

 

[User 6502]

It was a a bad and expensive product and after it flopped they made into a worse slightly less expensive product. It probably still doesn’t sell enough for Apple to spend any effort in updating it. Basically the same situation AirPod max are in. It sells enough to keep it there but not enough for regular updates.

 

[DHagan4755]

I bought 2 of them back in the day for the stereo pair. They’re not used as much these days. I look back & think it might not have been the best purchase.

 

[t0rqx]

These beta products are being developed to see how markets react and to stuff them with the mother of all backlogs of components they cannot get rid of due to lacklustre sales these past years.

 

[Takeo]

I bought a stereo pair of the updated model awhile ago to finally replace a crazy setup I had with old wired tower speakers + amp + third party infrared receiver + OG AirPort Express (w/ optical audio port) + raspberry pi controller. I mostly use them for TV. When I listen to music I’m frankly a little surprised at how much people rave about the sound quality. It’s true that they offer very dramatic separation and voicing but the projection is sorely lacking compared to to my old “dumb” towers that… while they sounded a little flat and muddy by comparison… effortlessly projected well out into the room and around the corner into my open plan kitchen. I guess there is no getting around simple physics (tiny woofer)

 

[ScratchyMoose]

I bought two of them for the stereo pair as well - sound quality is amazing but daily, whether that's on my phone or any Apple device, I regret saying 'hey Siri ...'. Siri is the weak link in everything it's in.

One thing I wish these things had though, is a way to help locate things in Find My. Given that you label these HomePods as kitchen, bedroom or living room, it'd be so much easier if Find My could say 'it's in the kitchen'.

 

[211]

I really like my HomePods. I don't know what "effort" is required just to update the chips and other minimal things from components that have been used in other Apple products for years.

 

[Unggoy Murderer]

I have a stereo pair of OG HomePods and I absolutely love them through my Apple TV. Great sound quality, and work with ARC so can get the same good quality on the consoles too.

I don't really make use of Siri at all on them though.

 

[Rob__Mac]

If we're going to go with one unit of measurement, must it be inches? Even Apple's US website puts mm first in the tech specs, these days...

 

[jimbojoho]

As someone who has got the original HomePod (gets constant use out of it, but a new Siri can't come soon enough) I'm all for a new HomePod or HomePad. I'm completely stuck in the Apple Ecosystem, and I know I just couldn't live without quick switching, Siri, Handoff, asking about the temperature outside and few other things. Siri is a part of our home, if LLM Siri can deliver on the promises, then I'm all for it.

 

[davidec]

Great sound quality and could do so much more but Siri is embarrassing.

 

[Unami]

Bought a stereo pair as well, and am hoping that they don't replace them soon. I'll probably keep them as long as possible - and then replace them with speakers for half the price that sound at least as good, take bluetooth, have an audio-in and won't be made obsolete by software updates. I really like the integration with the Apple-TV, fast handoff by just holding an iphone near them, and being able to play the same sound on multiple speakers in my home. But otoh, they are severely limited in the connectivity department, the sound is o.k., although very bass-heavy and just not as good as other speakers / a stereo system in that price range. So, in retrospect, they haven't been exactly a good deal.

Also, they were already long working on "New Siri" when the Homepods 2 came out, so I hope they planned for integrating it. If I'll have to replace my two full size and my three minis only to get that, I'd feel pretty annoyed and will probably never buy or recommend a homepod again.

 

[ricketysquire]

As long as the device is getting security updates and functioning, why do we care if there's an update/refresh or not?

 

[plantoschka]

I guess there will be some event in March/April with iOS 26.4 and a full renewed Home Hardware introduction. I guess that is when we get the new AppleTV (with a new name), new HomePod Mini, HomePod with Display and maybe also a new big Homepod. I guess most of the HW is already finished and just waiting for the new Siri which will power all of those new devices.

 

[Selena Agna]

I don't think I ever could get Siri to reliably play any of my music.

It played something, certainly, but usually nothing from my library. Might have to do with Siri being extra-bad at using more than language. If the HomePods at least had line-in, they would still have a use beyond Siri.

 

[k1121j]

Love mine I use Apple TV with the pair. So hopeful for a better Siri before anything new comes out. As long as I don't try to use Siri all is well.

 

[BruiserBear]

I have two sets of 2nd gen HomePods in my house acting as a soundbar on each tv paired with an Apple TV. I think they’re great and they look better than any soundbar. They sound good enough for most people. I have no idea why anyone would even use Siri on them. I would always rather use my phone to just find music and cast it to the HomePods.

I really hope Apple keeps them around as part of their ecosystem.

 

[thefredelement]

My use case for these is a pair in my gym with an Apple TV and they go great there, ititss a good mix of loud enough quality audio when working out without disturbing the whole house.

 

[WarmWinterHat]

I like the idea of Homepods, but they are just too locked down with no way for an Android or Windows user to play music to one. Why not make regular BT pairing an option? I had one of these, but ended up selling it, and the only one we still have a is Homepod mini acting as a Homekit hub..it's relegated to being a temp/humidity sensor for our home office.

Not sure what Apple needs to do with this line, but at it stands, they aren't for me.

Edit: Oh yea, the who Siri things sucks. If I said "Hey Siri" in the room with my phone and HomePod, both would wake up, decide the other was listening, and then go back to sleep. Every single time.

 

[tomtad]

Good?

It’s a speaker. I don’t know why we need constant updates just because it’s a tech product so things become obsolete and are thrown out

 

[JulianL]

If the rumours of a HomePod with display being released next year turn out to be true (and my expectation is that they will) and if Apple also finally manages to get the new improved Siri ready in time for maybe a spring 2026 launch then I wonder if Apple might pull together new improved Siri, HomePodDisplay and a HomePod 2 update (plus maybe some other smart home related "one last thing" surprise) to give it enough stuff to talk about for a smart home focussed event.

If Apple does that then I would expect the updated HomePod 2 to be bought in line with what is rumoured to be coming to the HomePod Mini - S9 or later processor, N1 WiFi/Bluetooth chip and sound quality improvements.

If Apple is trying to create a coherent smart home strategy I think it would be less messy (for want of a better word) if it could align the internals of its different HomePod sizes so that when the time came for a product refresh they all got their internal spec bumps at roughly the same time. Even if HomePod Mini gets refreshed first (very possibly this month), having HomePod 2 refreshed in spring 2026 still seems OK to me. It's the sort of rolling upgrade gap we've seen with some generations of MacBook Pro when in some years the M-Pro and M-Max versions come out a few months later than the M-base model so I could live with a similar phased release as long as it was predictable.

I'm about to take my first steps into the HomePod world. I'm definitely waiting for the HomePod Mini refresh before buying my first device, initially just to try out mic and speaker quality for myself (there's no point in having a super-smart Siri if the microphones and audio processing isn't good enough for it to hear you reliably in a typical home environment environment). If things go well and new improved Siri does become competitive with Alexa and Google Assistant, or hopefully better, I'll want to get at least one stereo pair of full sized HomePods and probably more so I'm hoping that a refresh will come along before I pull that trigger. An Apple smart home event in spring 2026 along the lines I suggested above would be the perfect scenario for me.

 

[jdavid_rp]

I have a first gen one. A great speaker for any kind of music I listen to, although I have to requests:
· Better Siri. No further explanation needed.
· Better background sounds system: It has no interface for it and seems that the new sounds introduced in iOS26 (fireplace, roof rain, etc...) have not be implemented. I want to be able to use the CC control to enable background music on my iPhone and airplay it to the HomePod. Or put a special category for them in Apple Music

 

[urtules]

Use them every day, one of my favourite Apple products. I use them for my Apple TV, Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS5.

 

[tyranne201]

HomePod never launched in Brazil. I guess Apple doesn't care and that's why Alexa is popular here.