The wood tables used in Apple Stores are not finished in Danish Oil, which is the issue causing the reaction, and not wood furniture in general.
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Industrial Design Experts Say HomePod's White Ring Issue 'Shouldn't Be Too Hard to Fix' for Apple
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The wood tables used in Apple Stores are not finished in Danish Oil, which is the issue causing the reaction, and not wood furniture in general.
Sure is, I don’t own a Homepod or a Sonos system, just wanted to join in on the outrage!
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Just to be clear, there aren't any affiliate links in this particular post, but the original P&Q post does have affiliate links. We try to always provide a note when there are affiliate links, so that's why there isn't one in this post.I know MR has to make money and Pad & Quill is an affiliate. But c'mon. Recommending a $20 coaster?
Also, I definitely was not writing that particular graf as a recommendation
Like someone else said in this thread, paper towels have worked just fine for me.
Gregor Berkowitz is one of the "industrial design experts" so generously offering free advice to Apple. His company GBA consulted with the makers of the Aether Cone, "the first music player you could talk to".
The rubber feet of other devices in Apple's lineup are not equivalent to the silicone base of the HomePod.
Silicone is a synthetic elastomer which has comparatively weaker molecular forces. This allows it to more-so "jiggle" in a sense, and that jiggling aids in vibration absorption, which is beneficial to powerful speakers because sound quality is affected by vibration and its transference. So it's not as simple as using the same kind of rubber that they use in other devices. I'm fairly sure that none of the other devices use silicone, as their feet serve different purposes (to prevent sliding and / or scratching, which can be determined by the hardness of rubber). So I assume Apple didn't have as much experience with silicone as it does other types of rubber.
This past weekend I discovered the effects of different types of rubber (and different thicknesses of silicone) on the base of a HomePod. Check this post if interested: #513
Silicone is a synthetic elastomer which has comparatively weaker molecular forces. This allows it to more-so "jiggle" in a sense, and that jiggling aids in vibration absorption, which is beneficial to powerful speakers because sound quality is affected by vibration and its transference. So it's not as simple as using the same kind of rubber that they use in other devices. I'm fairly sure that none of the other devices use silicone, as their feet serve different purposes (to prevent sliding and / or scratching, which can be determined by the hardness of rubber). So I assume Apple didn't have as much experience with silicone as it does other types of rubber.
This past weekend I discovered the effects of different types of rubber (and different thicknesses of silicone) on the base of a HomePod. Check this post if interested: #513
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because it does NOT happen to all wood tables. surprised people still haven't read that yet. its only specific wax polishes... shrugs. but sure, lets go from... leaves a mark on waxed surfaces that can easily be waxed out , to leaves a mark on all wood, or as some have said, destroys wood furniture lol. love these experts that don't put out its a non issue. 15 minutes of fame. go at it boys. as for me. if I ever put my HomePod on a waxed wood surface that I care about, I will put something under it, just like I do for every single other thing I put on it.
yawn.
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yes. its not widely commented on, but its very much about specific wax polishes.
While your observations, in general, are spot on, there is still validity in the issue. Many people have nice furniture - including antiques - that would cost thousands to refinish. It's not unreasonable to expect HomePods to play nicely with their environment.
"Business Insider recently spoke with a few industrial design experts who believe that the problem "shouldn't be too hard to fix" for Apple." Gregor Berkowitz, a product development consultant for numerous consumer electronics brands, expects .....blahbadiblah."
Lots of fluff - for what a slightly mentally disordered could have found in 8 seconds
Lots of fluff - for what a slightly mentally disordered could have found in 8 seconds
You are using this thing that is heading for extinction... i.e. Common Sense. No matter, the men in white coats will be along soon to remove all trace of it...
In other news, Flywheel, Shyster and Flywheel will be filing a class action suit within the hour. All that hurt inflicted on those poor wood surfaces. Apple must pay!
I still have yet to come across anyone who says what material Apple should have used. Even this story doesn’t offer up anything other than Apple possibly tweaking its silicone formula. One would assume Apple picked the material it did for a reason. And that people who have fine polished wood furniture would be careful about what they place on it. Yes Apple should have included a disclaimer in the box but that doesn’t mean it’s a design flaw. Otherwise every single product that could leave a mark or stain on certain wood furniture would be poorly designed.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...824bbb5d748_story.html?utm_term=.afbe5069bcc5
Do a search for "cork coaster 4" (4 inch) . You will find both 1/4" and 1/8" thickness options (round) for a fraction of the cost of the leather coasters that macrumors is plugging. Look better, too, in my opinion.
Unfortunately a lot of coverage of this story claims HomePod leaves marks on all types of wood furniture. The ATP podcast claimed you can’t set HomePod directly on any wood surface which is patently false as Apple has the device placed directly on its wooden tables in Apple stores.
Yep. That is the balancing act required to run a Internet site. Bring in revenue without terribly pissing off the eyeballs that make advertising on the site worth something or just go behind a paywall or shutter. Honestly, though I go to a lot of other mainstream sites that are loaded with those ubiquitous clickbait "sponsored ads" posed as stories on the bottom of the pages. Let's be thankful MR hasn't let that revenue stream into the castle grounds.
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I'm no engineer but it doesn't seem like rocket science to me. I have a pair of tower speakers in my HT that have not moved an inch off the wood "stage" for 21 years. No stains. I have a Tivoli Model Three clock radio that's been on my wood nightstand for over a decade. No stains from it. Sadly a cup ring or two from when I was a 20-something heathen and didn't realize wood stained and no lady to scold me. Plenty of other wood tables and floors in my house with object on them -- potted plants, picture frames, remote control docks, books, None of the wood is stained from them. None sit on coasters.
So all this talk of what material Apple should have used, like maybe it doesn't exist, baffles me. A space-age material is not required, just a bit of common sense.
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Seriously? It doesn't take Jony Ive to design a product that doesn't ruin your furniture.
[doublepost=1519058996][/doublepost]I haven't had any problems at all with the Home Pod on my table. It just took one minute to set up, the sound is wonderful.
Last week, Apple confirmed that the HomePod can potentially leave white rings on the surface of wooden furniture with oil or wax finishes. In an effort to help users prevent seeing these rings appear on their own furniture, Apple shared a support document on "Where to place HomePod," detailing how the interaction between the HomePod's vibration-dampening silicone base and a wooden surface has the chance to result in a white ring.
Business Insider recently spoke with a few industrial design experts who believe that the problem "shouldn't be too hard to fix" for Apple." Gregor Berkowitz, a product development consultant for numerous consumer electronics brands, expects Apple to "re-tool" its HomePod manufacturing process to address the issue with the silicone base, which could take between two to six weeks. Although the fix could take several weeks, the experts said it's "likely not very costly" for Apple.
Senior industrial designer at Y Studios, Cesar Viramontes, referred to the white rings issue as something customers will "probably forget about" in the next few months.
While the experts see a quick fix for the issue coming from Apple, all were surprised it happened in the first place. Product design expert Ignazio Moresco explained that more is expected from Apple's well-known attention to detail, and the company "should have caught the issue if they followed a rigorous QA process." The white marks aren't an Apple-specific problem, but have appeared with other speakers -- like Sonos One -- that have similar silicone bases.
Berkowitz believes the white rings could be a result of Apple's "inexperience" with making stationary speakers, in contrast to the company's familiarity with making mobile products like the iPhone and MacBook.
For those who have discovered rings on their furniture, Apple said that these marks "will often go away after several days" once HomePod is removed from the wooden surface. Users can hasten this process by wiping the surface gently with a damp or dry cloth. Still, the company explained that if anyone is concerned about these marks, it recommends "placing your HomePod on a different surface."
Accessory makers are already creating products to act as a fix for the situation, including new leather coasters for HomePod from Pad & Quill. The $19.95 coasters are advertised as letting users place their HomePod on the wooden surfaces that have the potential to be marked by HomePod, without having to worry about the appearance of such marks.
Article Link: Industrial Design Experts Say HomePod's White Ring Issue 'Shouldn't Be Too Hard to Fix' for Apple
However Siri on the Home Pod falls short of Alexa with a lack of apps, knowledge base and access to other services. Would be nice to head Sirius XM on the Home Pod and play games with it the same way Alexa does.
The number of people complaining is inversely related to the real problem... people who actually own homepods and have oil based wax wood furniture are not saying much, because they know this isn’t anything strange and they protect their furniture... people who neither own a HomePod or oil based waxed wood furniture are complaining the most... funny and sad.
Are your wood tables and floors treated or finished in Danish Oil? If not, I don't see how your anecdotal observation is relevant.
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Oh, I never thought there were any affiliate links in this post. That wasn't the focus of my complaint.
May not have been your intent, but it reads like one. The paper towels weren't mentioned in the post like the coasters. The paper towels were mentioned in the comments. Either way, it's all good.Also, I definitely was not writing that particular graf as a recommendation
