HomePod New HomePod - does anyone trust Apple again?

[darthbane2k]

Firstly let be clarify that I thought the OG HomePod was fantastic. I bought multiple. I thought I was investing in a multi room home audio solution for the future, the Apple unceremoniously discontinued it. Then many OG HomePods started to pop and fail, and Apple simply responded with ‘tough luck, out of warranty‘.
The alternative they suggested was the HomePod mini, which in terms of sound quality was and still is pathetic.
Many like me started to invest in Sonos , and. now Apple come out with a new Homepod out of the blue.
So my question is , do you trust Apple again when it comes to home audio? Why should this time be considered any different to last?

 

[hg.wells]

Yes, I would. My original HomePod definitely has the popping issue. I’ve not seen any issues with my HomePod minis. So expect a lot of issues had been resolved when they were released.

 

[Shanghaichica]

I’ve had pretty decent luck with my OG homrpods. Both were bought in 2018 and both are still working now. That aside whilst they are speakers which you would expect to last for more than a decade, they use software and chips and other parts which can have issues or no longer be supported. I’ve had more than 4 years with my OGs which is pretty decent. They are a first gen product and they usually aren’t supported as long with software updates. I don’t expect the OG homepods to get another major OS update. I think things will improve going forward for the second gen speaker.

 

[Topfry]

Firstly let be clarify that I thought the OG HomePod was fantastic. I bought multiple. I thought I was investing in a multi room home audio solution for the future, the Apple unceremoniously discontinued it. Then many OG HomePods started to pop and fail, and Apple simply responded with ‘tough luck, out of warranty‘.
The alternative they suggested was the HomePod mini, which in terms of sound quality was and still is pathetic.
Many like me started to invest in Sonos , and. now Apple come out with a new Homepod out of the blue.
So my question is , do you trust Apple again when it comes to home audio? Why should this time be considered any different to last?

I’ve got a stereo pair OGs; no popping but intermittent heat issues (I unplug for a few hours). According to the very few people prepared to fix them, the heat issue causes some components to fail. I think we’re kidding ourselves that Apple weren’t aware of this and is probably the reason why they were discontinued. This presumably is fixed in the new ones. At least if it were the price, why would Apple release a second generation at a similar price point? Love the rich deep sound of the OGs, use them frequently, value the matter/thread compatibility and looking forward to seeing some reviews, but won’t replace (mostly) working devices for only a modest improvements.

 

[darthbane2k]

I’ve got a stereo pair OGs; no popping but intermittent heat issues (I unplug for a few hours). According to the very few people prepared to fix them, the heat issue causes some components to fail. I think we’re kidding ourselves that Apple weren’t aware of this and is probably the reason why they were discontinued. This presumably is fixed in the new ones. At least if it were the price, why would Apple release a second generation at a similar price point? Love the rich deep sound of the OGs, use them frequently, looking forward to seeing some reviews, but won’t replace (mostly) working devices for only a modest improvement.

Yep todays announcement proves to me that there was a known design flaw with the original homepod that Apple kept quiet about, otherwise they wouldn’t have made a discontinuation announcement and would have just rolled out the new version straight away. They used the time to work out the issue.

 

[perezr10]

Yeah, I’ve got two launch day big HomePods from 2018 and they’re still going strong. The popping went away with one of the software updates and I use them at least one hour every single day.

They work so good that I don’t really have a reason to upgrade. I’m just happy that if one dies that there are now new ones to buy.

 

[haralds]

I think they discontinued them because of the lack of sales. The 15% drop in price might not be enough, but there are more elements in the ecosystem to support them - Dolby Atmos and AppleTV.
One of my sets is now used with AppleTV and they are better than my Vizio Soundbar with subwoofer.
The heating and component failure should be honored with an extended warranty, clearly a marginal design.
I have not had these issues. I have two stereo sets each of the OG HomePods and Minis.

 

[TonyC28]

I would mostly be interested in the Thread support since my current OGs don’t play nice with that stuff. I’m willing to give the new ones a try.

 

[DotCom2]

Yep todays announcement proves to me that there was a known design flaw with the original homepod that Apple kept quiet about, otherwise they wouldn’t have made a discontinuation announcement and would have just rolled out the new version straight away. They used the time to work out the issue.

This reminds me of the whole first retina iPad 3 that ran like a hot tamale and just eventually bricked! They just discontinued it and soon came out with the proper Retina iPad 4. Those of us that had the iPad 3 just lost out! Oh well, I guess it just happens sadly.

 

[Analog Kid]

I don't have any issues. They continued to support Homepod with firmware updates much longer than I would have expected for a discontinued product and not supporting a product out of warranty is, well, normal.

 

[Analog Kid]

Yep todays announcement proves to me that there was a known design flaw with the original homepod that Apple kept quiet about, otherwise they wouldn’t have made a discontinuation announcement and would have just rolled out the new version straight away. They used the time to work out the issue.

I don't think that's the normal response to a design flaw, it sounds more like the response to an EOL component.

This reminds me of the whole first retina iPad 3 that ran like a hot tamale and just eventually bricked! They just discontinued it and soon came out with the proper Retina iPad 4. Those of us that had the iPad 3 just lost out! Oh well, I guess it just happens sadly.

Isn't that also what happens with products that don't have design flaws? They get discontinued and a newer version comes along?

 

[DotCom2]

I don't think that's the normal response to a design flaw, it sounds more like the response to an EOL component.

Isn't that also what happens with products that don't have design flaws? They get discontinued and a newer version comes along?

Yes but it was discontinued shortly after release and replaced by the iPad 4. I believe they knew it was flawed.

“The tablet was released in ten countries on March 16, 2012.[14] It gained mostly positive reviews, earning praise for its Retina display, processor and 4G (LTE) capabilities.[15][16][17][18][19] However, controversy arose when the LTE incompatibilities became known.[20] Three million units were sold in the first three days.[8][21]
After only seven months (221 days) of official availability, the third-generation iPad was discontinued on October 23, 2012, following the announcement of the fourth-generation iPad. The third-generation iPad had the shortest lifespan of any iOS product.[22]”

 

[Analog Kid]

Yes but it was discontinued shortly after release and replaced by the iPad 4. I believe they knew it was flawed.

“The tablet was released in ten countries on March 16, 2012.[14] It gained mostly positive reviews, earning praise for its Retina display, processor and 4G (LTE) capabilities.[15][16][17][18][19] However, controversy arose when the LTE incompatibilities became known.[20] Three million units were sold in the first three days.[8][21]
After only seven months (221 days) of official availability, the third-generation iPad was discontinued on October 23, 2012, following the announcement of the fourth-generation iPad. The third-generation iPad had the shortest lifespan of any iOS product.[22]”

So the iPad 4 was already rumored a month after the iPad 3 release, and iPad 4 included an updated processor, next generation of the OS and introduced the lightning connector to the iPad line. The iPad3 ran warmer than the 2, but not dangerously so. It doesn't sound like a hurry up release to me, it sounds like it was in development for some time and was justified by its hardware improvements.

There are a lot of people who think the butterfly keyboards were flawed and Apple kept them around for generations-- Apple doesn't have much of a track record of quickly replacing products that people see as flawed, they tend to either fix them midproduction or just keep shipping what they always have.

 

[Topfry]

I don't think that's the normal response to a design flaw, it sounds more like the response to an EOL component.

Isn't that also what happens with products that don't have design flaws? They get discontinued and a newer version comes along?

It only takes an internet search to find that third parties who repair HomePods, claim particular components fail due to heat issues, and thats why they can brick suddenly after heat and popping symptoms. Not a proprietary component, but a cheap and common diode. Their workshops are stacked with HomePods in for repair. As to why there are heat issues in the first place, who knows, until someone takes responsibility for it. Mine have a fantastic sound but they get hot and at some point might fail for this reason. Having to turn off a product to let it cool down, before you use it again, is a bit clunky, to say the least. Apple aren’t expected to be perfect, but I would have hoped they would stand by their product when people demonstrate problems.

 

[pup]

I think this is truly one of those wait and see products. If I were someone who was just getting started in whole home audio, I certainly wouldn’t jump in now and start buying HomePods.

I’m optimistic that they’ve fixed the overheating issue, but a quick glance at the forum tells me that software is still an issue, and there’s no way to know yet if they’ve fixed what I think was the homepod’s other hardware problem, which was poor wifi reception. (I really wish they’d have added Ethernet to this generation but, apple being apple, I’m actually more surprised that any of their products still have it.)

I also think they’re $100 overpriced, though I think the Mini is a good sounding speaker for its price point. And that’s the speaker I’d recommend for anyone who’s not really into music or just wants a Siri device.

I’ve come to believe that the bigger issue around the HomePods for anything more than the most casual of casual listening isn’t the hardware but Airplay itself. It’s unresponsive and in my experience doesn’t sync speakers as accurately as competing products. Add to that the limitations and user interface sins of the Music app, and I just think that anyone going the apple route for whole home audio at this point in time is making a mistake.

 

[shooter45acp]

I have the OG one and love it sounds awesome but yes have popping issues and Siri sometimes doesn’t respond. So I did bite the bullet and ordered one of the new ones we will see. I do have the mini but don’t care for it Much compared to the OG sounds much better. So fingers crossed!

 

[dotme]

When I got into HomePods it was purely for whole-house audio. I already had AppleTVs for HomeKit and I have no need for Thread (or Siri everywhere).

At the time, I had narrowed down my choices for AirPlay-compatible stereo pairs with built-in amps for each room to Sonos Ones or HomePods. The HomePods sounded better in my opinion, but at retail we were talking an extra $230 per room and I had 4 rooms I wanted to deploy - so it was almost an extra grand.

Then Best Buy had a sale on HomePods - $199 each - so that's what I ended up with. I lost one under AppleCare warranty to the hardware failure (loud popping) within the first 2 years. The rest are still going strong.

These new ones probably sound the same as the OGs. They'll still run $670 per room (w/tax) for a stereo pair, and that's still going to make the Sonos Ones an option for people who only want them for music.

I understand there's been inflation, and these new HomePods are probably great - I assume the hardware issue is not going to happen this time - but they'd sell a lot more at $249 or $199 IMHO.

 

[DotCom2]

So the iPad 4 was already rumored a month after the iPad 3 release, and iPad 4 included an updated processor, next generation of the OS and introduced the lightning connector to the iPad line. The iPad3 ran warmer than the 2, but not dangerously so. It doesn't sound like a hurry up release to me, it sounds like it was in development for some time and was justified by its hardware improvements.

There are a lot of people who think the butterfly keyboards were flawed and Apple kept them around for generations-- Apple doesn't have much of a track record of quickly replacing products that people see as flawed, they tend to either fix them midproduction or just keep shipping what they always have.

I dunno man. My iPad 3 got hotter than Hades and I had to keep turning it off to let it cool down. Your experience with it might have been different of course. And for it to have been the shortest lived apple device ever, tells me something in my book anyway. So be it.

 

[satchmo]

My greatest fear with HomePods is its longevity. When so much is driven and relies on up-to-date software and Siri, I don't want to find out 5 years down the road, the speaker is nothing more than a heavy doorstop.

I wished Apple had given us an option to use it as a dumb speaker with aux inputs. But we know Tim's agenda is revenue through planned obsolescence.

 

[w5jck]

Apple sucks! This isn’t even a cheap spec bump, it is a lousy spec dump! Drink the Apple juice you fans…

 

[MistrSynistr]

I don't understand this popping thing. I've bought around 5 or 6 Original Homepods and gifted 3 to other people (years ago) and all are still going strong and they love them.

 

[Itinj24]

Apple sucks! This isn’t even a cheap spec bump, it is a lousy spec dump! Drink the Apple juice you fans…

I get your frustrations. I’m right there with you but hopefully, at the very least, Thread will help it improve as a hub, and everything else the previous one sucked at.

That said, I have 9 OGs and 12 Minis and haven’t pulled the trigger on this new one yet.

I’ve been on the phone with support or submitted negative feedback more times this past year alone than I have in the past 10. Every frustrating bug that pops up makes me want to punch Tim Cook and Federighi in the face.

 

[martens]

I have a pair of the OG HomePods, we use them every day with AppleTV. They work great. The minis? how could they be great. However they're okay in the office. And I have some shelf speakers with AirPlay so I can double those up if I want.

But what is different about the new ones? They seem to have the same dimensions as the originals. Will the new ones form stereo pair with the original one? Probably not.

 

[crusetech]

I just can't pull the $880.00 CAD trigger for two of them at this time. I see my HomePod mini's all did the update tonight so they can report temp and humidity. I wish there was a demo program Apple had where you could take a pair for a test drive before putting out that much cash.

 

[Itinj24]

I just can't pull the $880.00 CAD trigger for two of them at this time. I see my HomePod mini's all did the update tonight so they can report temp and humidity. I wish there was a demo program Apple had where you could take a pair for a test drive before putting out that much cash.

The update is live? I thought it was coming with 16.3

There is sort of a demo program. You have 14 days to return for full refund with basically no questions asked.