HomePod Mini Now Three Years Old: Here's What to Expect From the Next Generation

[JosephAW]

Hopefully they will add Bluetooth to the devices, completely useless speaker for those of us they don't have home Internet.

 

[Unity451]

The Homepod is in the same boat as the AirPods Max... There isn't really much you can do to them that people would be willing to pay to upgrade existing, working homepods. Innovation is about maxed out...

Here's what I said about the AirPods Max...

With the exception of extending battery life, I think the innovation game on wireless headphones is about maxed out. Future innovations for a while are destined to be minor. There are basically 4 ways that headphones can be improved that would appeal to the masses:

1) Improve sound quality - Apple headphones are about maxed out here. They sound good enough. The average person couldn't tell the difference (or appreciate it) of headphones that are much better than they currently are.

2) Improve sound isolation - You could get better, but how much removal from the outside world is really worth the money it takes to get there?

3) Comfort - Having something on or in your ears for hours is always going to be uncomfortable because we weren't made to have things on or in our ears for hours. Changes to make them more comfortable can't be huge at this point.

4) Style - this is the majority of what people are paying for in new versions. Since the former 3 things can't be changed in a significant way, people are mainly paying for the privilege of wearing the latest, flashiest headphones.

 

[klasma]

bringing the same hardware to the next-generation HomePod mini could considerably boost Siri's responsiveness.

Siri’s response time is one of its lesser problems. It won’t help to get “I found this on the internet” faster.

More generally, the problems with the HomePod are primarily software issues, not hardware ones.

 

[Polinsky]

Still dead on arrival as it relies on Siri which is absolutely hopeless.

I love all four of my homepods and Siri functions very well.

 

[iRob-NL]

Please, Apple, give us a separate ethernet (with POE) adapter for the mini.

 

[citysnaps]

The Homepod is in the same boat as the AirPods Max... There isn't really much you can do to them that people would be willing to pay to upgrade existing, working homepods. Innovation is about maxed out...

Here's what I said about the AirPods Max...

Spot-on assessment. Though there will be some who still whine about HomePod's fixed power cord and how that adversely impacts their life and ability to live in bliss.

 

[klasma]

Excuse my ignorance, but is the technology behind speakers still improving year-over-year?
I thought it's been reached the maximum quality and power for a determined volume. If not, and if someone knows details about it, I'd be happy to learn.

Speaker tech is still improving, not the least on the digital signal-processing side, but on the physical/mechanical side, if you want them to look like small unobtrusive design objects, there are limitations.

 

[nt5672]

Not enough uses to justify the cost.

Will it work with any of my existing audio equipment? - Nope,
Will it work without WiFi? - Nope
Will it work without Siri? - Nope
Is it 5G for better channel utilization? - Nope
Does it compensate for room acoustics? - Nope

 

[trip1ex]

let me guess. faster chip, better sound? some new feature that only HomePod mini 2 can do?

 

[StudioMacs]

Yes, yes there are always excuses. But again, "dumb" speakers can be paired at any time with any speakers from any manufacturers. A single for-profit entity isn't making that decision for all owners of any particular speaker gen if the "dumb" part isn't absolutely married to the "smart" part.

It’s not an excuse as much as a logical reason in response to your original claim the inability to pair diffent types of HomePods was due to a technical limitation.

You can move the goalposts all you want, but if your new argument is that you truly want unbalanced stereo, there are plenty of other options available to use airplay from you iPhone.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I do not believe HP2 could not be paired with HP1. I believe that was purely a money decision. Anyone wanting a stereo pair would have to buy TWO HP2s instead of adding one to an HP1 they already have. Whether true or false, that gets back to the point though: smart speakers put such "control" in the hands of a for-profit corporations whims vs. allowing speaker owners to pair any speaker with any other if they like. "Dumb" speaker setups allow speaker owners to do anything they want: no middleman strangers wedged in via "smarts" forcing any such corporate decisions upon them.

Yes, I know the speaker guts are a bit different but ears are easily fooled. If it was (Apple) allowed to pair them, many would not notice the technical differences in what they hear.

 

[840quadra]

I have a pair of original HomePods in my bedroom and they are great for being a ‘soundbar’ for watching movies and Siri commands. I’m thinking a pair of minis would be nice for my RV.

I have a pair of the OG homepods in my living room and use them for TV audio far more than my surround system at this point. The audio is just right for most situations and offers me good control to turn the TV on and off via voice.

For my office, I have a stereo pair of minis that is paired with the apple TV in that location. While the convenience is great, the bass is good, the overall fidelity is quite flat. I especially noticed this after my pair of Minis replaced a Class-T Amp + Apple Pro desktop speakers that used to be my audio source for that room.

Convenience of Siri commands is the only thing that is keeping the Mini as my audio in that room, as overall they are far better than my TV speakers!

I am really hoping a new mini will have additional drivers to produce better mid high tones.

 

[StudioMacs]

Good speakers can easily go DECADES. With care, they do not degrade, slow down, get 'long in tooth', etc like silicon tech. Smarts tied to mobile OSes are going to age out QUICKLY (notice how GEN1 HP can't stereo pair with GEN2 as just one example).

I do not believe HP2 could not be paired with HP1. I believe that was purely a money decision.

So which is it, was it because gen1 was ”long in the tooth“, or was it “purely a money decision”?

What about the additional processing overload required to balance the sound between HomePods with different numbers of speakers inside and different frequency responses? Is spatial audio and Dolby Atmos effective with such a setup, and can the processors keep up with the added demand while keeping everything in sync?

And if it is a “purely money decision” Apple would have to spend more time and money developing and testing the software to support pairing mismatched speakers that offer an inferior user experience. That’s an easy “no”.

 

[GoodWheaties]

My God it’s so slow.

Hey siri pause

…………………

Literally 6 seconds go by and then it pauses. It’s stupid at this point and way too inconsistent.

You actually don’t need to pause to let it respond. Just say “Hey Siri” and continue with your request.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

duplicate of #66

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

So which is it, was it because gen1 was ”long in the tooth“, or was it “purely a money decision”?

What about the additional processing overload required to balance the sound between HomePods with different numbers of speakers inside and different frequency responses? Is spatial audio and Dolby Atmos effective with such a setup, and can the processors keep up with the added demand while keeping everything in sync?

And if it is a “purely money decision” Apple would have to spend more time and money developing and testing the software to support pairing mismatched speakers that offer an inferior user experience. That’s an easy “no”.

I don't know which it is. I'm not Apple.

But I don't think Gen 1 was "long in tooth"- too soon for that even in Apple profiteering conspiracies to the max. So l lean to the money decision: motivate those wanting stereo pairs to buy two instead of one. I wonder if Gen 2 of these Minis will be able to pair with Gen 1? And then Gen 3 of both with Gen 2? Apple gets to decide all of that for all HP consumers because the "smarts" completely rule the speaker.

Middle paragraph: surely mighty Apple can work out the math & logic if they were motivated.

Paragraph 3: from what I understand Gen 1 had generally superior speaker hardware. Gen 2 stripped some speakers & microphones OUT. So if it was about "superior user experience," they would have revived Gen 1 hardware over Gen 2 and simply ate some margin to achieve the lower price target. But there is- of course- room for that understanding to be wrong.

Frankly, none of this really matters to my own main point. "Smart" speakers from ANY manufacturer are likely time doomed vs. buying "dumb" speakers and using disconnected smarts in phones, tablets, tv boxes and computers for the smarts side of things. HPs are- in effect- iMacs with great screens doomed by the ticking clock of time reaching a point where its "smarts" are arbitrarily vintaged or just conk. Screen is often still perfectly fine and capable of being a useful screen for many more years but it- like HPs speaker portion- becomes a "throw baby out with the bathwater" proposition because of software and corporate deci$ion$... and no AUX (bypass) option. Good speakers- the dumb parts- can typically sound just as good for a few decades.

 

[allseeingi’s]

We have 1 yellow and 1 charcoal mini in our summer house , for the most part they've worked reasonably well but have had issues and had to reset them at least 4 times since we purchased them and noticed that Siri switches between which mini answers when you have a query etc, not sure why ?

They definitely sound better as a stereo pair and the sound dynamics are quite impressive for such a small device .

Doubt we’d upgrade them unless they stopped working.

 

[PsykX]

I want to be able to use them as dual speakers on the Mac, but without latency.

And I want to be able to use the mics in a Teams call on the Mac.

If they do that, I'll stop looking for which speakers to buy.

 

[robbietop]

It'll have the X7JFire A15.1378Max Chip from the Apple Watch Series 9.32 with the U-3.14 chip on the AppleTV4k(Fall2019) and will be HomePod and also Mini. It will come in five colors: Off Blue, Yellow, Black, White, and Effervescent Teal. It will have Wifi 5.896 technology with the new feature of "Even Louder".
It will start at $129.99 and Siri will still be dumber than a linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys

 

[StudioMacs]

Frankly, none of this really matters to my own main point. "Smart" speakers from ANY manufacturer are likely time doomed vs. buying "dumb" speakers and using disconnected smarts in phones, tablets, tv boxes and computers for the smarts side of things. HPs are- in effect- iMacs with great screens doomed by the ticking clock of time reaching a point where its "smarts" are arbitrarily vintaged or just conk. Screen is often still perfectly fine and capable of being a useful screen for many more years but it- like HPs speaker portion- becomes a "throw baby out with the bathwater" proposition because of software and corporate deci$ion$... and no AUX (bypass) option. Good speakers- the dumb parts- can typically sound just as good for a few decades.

I agree the older equipment can last longer, but it’s not an either/or situation between old and new.

I have a 1977 Technics SA-5270 receiver (with a warm tube amp sound) running a pair of Tannoy Reveal Studio Monitor Speakers from the 1990s. My TV is connected to the receiver‘s aux RCA input.

Meanwhile, the same TV is connected to my Apple TV 4K, so it can also output audio to a pair of first gen HomePods.

When I want to, I can route Apple TV audio to the vintage setup (via my TV), the HomePods, or both. Wireless audio sync on the Apple TV keeps both systems (the dumb and smart setups) perfectly synchronized even though my TV adds a slight delay.

Apple wouldn’t enter the speaker market to compete with dumb speakers, so asking them to make dumb speakers would be dumb…

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I'm not asking Apple to make dumb speakers.

I'm encouraging people interested in buying speakers to buy dumb speakers... and use the "smarts" in the Apple devices they already own to replicate what they can do with the "smarts" in HPs. If they do, they can keep using those dumb speakers like you are with the Tannoys from the 1990s... instead of probably tossing their HPs in a few years when the smarts on which they entirely depend is vintaged and/or just outright conks.

OR, if a smart speaker just makes more sense for some specific application (and I have a few myself), choose a much less locked-down smart speaker such as those in the Sonos lineup... so they can likely use them for much longer than how it will probably go with HPs... and not have a corporation deciding what else can and cannot be native on smart speakers.

Sonos in particular works just as well with Apple Music and Airplay 2... along with pretty much all other music services. If someone wants to go Dolby Digital or add a soundbar or Sub, Sonos already has all that worked out and functional vs. not even a rumor of Apple having ANY interest in going there with HPs. If someone wants to enjoy something that just can't connect through AppleTV or TV or iDevices, most Sonos speakers have AUX IN, unlike HP. Etc.

None of this is meant to put Apple or HPs down. I'm a heavy Apple product user myself and I've listened to HPs and can appreciate how great they can sound. But there's PLENTY of fish in the speaker sea and nothing about HPs makes them superior to many other options for the part we can hear.

As to the "smarts", the same Siri is already built into all of the tech used to play something on HPs: AppleTV, iPhone, iPad and Macs. Use the same "smarts" there and let the playback play on ANY good-to-great speakers which- like your Tannoys- can still sound good-to-great upwards of 30 years from now instead of laying in a landfill with 3-7 other generations that "had" to be purchased over the same timeframe because the software was regularly vintaged/abandoned.

 

[Shirasaki]

Absolutely THIS!

Good speakers can easily go DECADES. With care, they do not degrade, slow down, get 'long in tooth', etc like silicon tech. Smarts tied to mobile OSes are going to age out QUICKLY (notice how GEN1 HP can't stereo pair with GEN2 as just one example).

Along with "smarts" in phone, they can also live in Mac, AppleTV and iPad too. Those devices naturally have much shorter useful lifespans. And when you buy replacements, you get the newest "smarts" in them too.

Pair quality "dumb" speakers with a good Receiver or Amp and let your other tech be the smarts. Then you buy the speaker portion just ONCE and will likely still be enjoying it 4-8 phones, 2-3 Macs, etc from now... and it sounding just as good as day 1. That is almost certainly NOT going to be the case with any of these smart speakers... which have their end built in just like throwing out perfectly good screens in iMacs when the silicon tech is vintaged or conks.

Want to be smart about smart speakers? Buy quality "DUMB" ones and keep the "smarts" in the separate devices you already own. Else, it's practically guaranteed you'll be buying the dumb parts of smart speakers over and over again even though the ones you already own can still play with the exact same sound quality.

Wish:

• these could do Dolby Digital? "Dumb" speakers can deliver that decades ago.
• you could add a subwoofer or soundbar? "Dumb" speaker setups can add any number of speakers, including wall-shaking, window-breaking subs if one wants that. Add in a true center channel speaker for better-than-soundbar sound or any soundbar if you want one of those in the mix.
• you could have TRUE Atmos vs. faux Atmos? "Dumb" speakers setups can deliver true Atmos by putting speakers all around you and above you. Objective ears will definitely hear the difference. You'll NEVER find any professional theater with only a lone soundbar or 2 HPs down front. The pros put speakers all around the audience for a reason... which is not to waste a lot of money on something that isn't noticeable.
• you could AUX into them to play something that doesn't flow through an AppleTV or TV connection? "Dumb" speaker setups connected to a Receiver or AMP will give you all kinds of inputs so you can play anything on your best speakers... from ancient tech with no HDMI to future tech beyond today's HDMI.
• you could free up the Wifi "hogging" streaming anything eats? "Dumb" speakers don't need ANY wifi at all. Instead of a power cable running to each speaker and needing a socket, you connect with a thinner speaker wire cable (no socket dependencies).

But if you really want "smart" speakers, consider stuff like Sonos... which works just as well with Apple Music and Airplay but already comes with refined Dolby Digital expansion options, subwoofer, ethernet connection (option) to avoid wifi hogging AND works with many dozens of sources of music NATIVELY vs. only what Apple chooses to allow.

And those wishing for battery-based ones can find them too (see Move and Move 2). If it's more about cheap price, there are abundant variations of cheap Bluetooth speakers that can sound very good... like this one and this one... among many others. And if "spare no expense" (but less expensive than a single iPhone likely usable for only 3-5 years before you are buying again) is your thing, consider something like this.

I'm a near Apple everything guy but I very much embrace Receiver + "dumb" speakers for home theater and the Sonos options in rooms where a HP-like speaker seems best fit. Mac + iDevice + AppleTV Siri "smarts(?)" can control it all like HP... but it all has much more flexibility than the tight constraints on HPs within the walled garden.

I really hate companies tying stuff with chips unnecessarily and for no reason. Such as fridge, stove, oven, beyond simple timer and basic control. There are just no point to do so unless it’s for forced or planned obsolescence. Smart speaker being perfect example, and iMac with perfectly good screen but borked motherboard, so on and so forth.

Much of our reliance on chips today I believe is just man-made demand for no reason, rather than out of necessity.

Totally support the philosophy to decouple as much “smart“ stuff from daily life as possible, especially those for the sake of smart being smart.

 

[Shirasaki]

I agree the older equipment can last longer, but it’s not an either/or situation between old and new.

Is it? The simpler a device is, the longer it tends to last, given That the build quality is decent rather than $2 piece of junk. I’m not saying iPhone doesn’t last long, but certainly won’t last 3 decades long, unlike computers from 1980s and 1990s, many of which survived today still function exactly like new ones Out of Factory decades ago.

 

[StudioMacs]

Sonos in particular works just as well with Apple Music and Airplay 2... along with pretty much all other music services. If someone wants to go Dolby Digital or add a soundbar or Sub, Sonos already has all that worked out and functional vs. not even a rumor of Apple having ANY interest in going there with HPs. If someone wants to enjoy something that just can't connect through AppleTV or TV or iDevices, most Sonos speakers have AUX IN, unlike HP.

There are better sounding speakers than Sonos, and last I read they don’t control HomeKit accessories. I don’t want to have to yell at Siri from the living room when my phone is in the bedroom on the charger. There are people like me who like to unplug at home and not be strapped to a phone, tablet, or laptop. HomePods fill a need while Sonos is just another wireless speaker.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I control HomeKit through my Apple computing tech, Sonos and dumb speakers merged into "rooms" so I can "play whole house" or "play in specific room" and it "just works" with my Apple and non-Apple sources. Ordering Siri to play wherever works the same. No problem at all.

If one uses the smarts separated from the speaker- such as in phone or tablet or Mac- they have full control of anything else HomeKit offers.

And yes, there are plenty of better-sounding speakers than Sonos too. I reference Sonos for those who want a smart speaker anyway because Sonos is much less locked down than HPs. Those longing to add a subwoofer... or soundbar... or surround sound speakers, etc can do all of that for years now via Sonos. None of that is available for HP buyers. I'm a big fan of keeping the smarts in Apple computing devices and using great "dumb" speakers for the audio... but if "smart" speakers are what someone wants, Sonos seems superior to HPs because they bring the benefits of HP without the steep limitations/constraints... and the flexibility to go surround sound or add sub or soundbar NOW.

However, there ARE people like you. And that's fine. I'm not arguing that HPs are not for anyone. Apparently they are fine for people like you. If so, great. You are also apparently perfectly happy with stereo audio on those Tannoys or HPs for your TV watching. That's fine too. Both HPs and that setup are limited to stereo at best... unless you upgrade the Receiver and then those Tannoys could stand in for HPs AND be the terrific core left & right speakers for going Dolby Digital 5.1 or better... something with absolutely NO option for any HP owners trying to use them with their television.

Unlike you(r want), many others ARE strapped to their iPhone, iPad or Mac... or just "Hey Siri" (on) on such devices so that- just like with HPs- they can call out to Siri from a distance and have it do HP-like tasks with their HPs, Sonos or dumb speakers.