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New Version of Original HomePod to Return Next Year

canyonblue737 said:
Buried in this article is the news the S8 chip will have the same basic spec as the S7 and S6 which had the same basic core and no speed differences between them. That implies the Apple Watch's this fall will have the same speed processor for the 3rd year running, I'm not sure I'm thrilled by that.
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I’m thrilled as a series 6 owner lol
 
very good news! only the mini's isn't enough for filling a room bigger than a bedroom. and when considering home theater options they also don't cut it. need the larger ones to come back and glad they're [hopefully] going to make this happen!
 
visualseed said:
Not having aux-in or basic Bluetooth audio support pretty much doomed these to being temporary accessories. Not having “dumb speaker” mode was the only reason I didn’t buy these and I’m a pretty diehard Apple consumer.
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Me too.

And I have little doubt they're going to repeat that mistake with an eventual new device. I'm sure they still think they can fix that issue by (obnoxiously) throwing even more free Apple Music trials after their users, rather than just get over themselves and add Bluetooth audio.

Kind of sad, when Apple could even have the engineering chops to "hand over" from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth and vice versa.

When I recently purchased a HomePod mini, the knowledgable and friendly sales guy from the Authorised retailer (not Apple themselves, of course) even warned me: "Not suitable for Zoom calls - too much lag".
 
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canyonblue737 said:
Buried in this article is the news the S8 chip will have the same basic spec as the S7 and S6 which had the same basic core and no speed differences between them. That implies the Apple Watch's this fall will have the same speed processor for the 3rd year running, I'm not sure I'm thrilled by that.
Click to expand...
Non issue really. The Apple Watch has more than enough processing power to do everything it needs to. No sense risking lower battery life (or heavier battery) just for the nice shiny graph showing x% performance increase when the watch isn't going to make use of that.
 
Unggoy Murderer said:
Great news, I love my HomePods with the Apple TV. The ARC support in the new Apple TV really increased the flexibility too, playing my PS5 with HomePod audio is a very nice addition.
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Sorry you lost me there, how do you get your PS5 audio to the HomePod?
 
I had two of these. Total waste of money. They died. One of the worst Apple products ever made and I remember System 7.
 
With Apple’s recent announcements of “discontinued things returning” I’m hoping for a Homepod which can stream from anything, has a battery and a CD player on the top instead if Siri.
…oh and can it be a cube. On a tray like an xServe?
 
While I'm a fan of the pair of (yellow) minis I have on either side of my computer, I find more and more issues with the devices, especially when it comes to the handoff feature from my phone. Other than that, they work wonderfully, and the sound travels well despite their size.

A return of the big boy would be cool as a device for the living room, provided it's not $300 again.
 
Unggoy Murderer said:
Great news, I love my HomePods with the Apple TV. The ARC support in the new Apple TV really increased the flexibility too, playing my PS5 with HomePod audio is a very nice addition.
Click to expand...
ARC cupport for AppleTV was probably the single greatest HomePod update. Ironic that it was an afterthought and came after it was already on its way to discontinuance. Shame, really.
 
The HomePod Mini's price point is about as high as I'm willing to go as long as Siri and HomeKit remain as frustrating to use as they currently are.
 
I think the success of these new HomePods will hinge greatly on the price. Apple fans may buy them for $350+, but the masses certainly won't. I think it needs to be under $300.

The HomePod minis on the other hand have been a very popular item, even with it's limited capabilities. I think it's mostly because of it's low cost.
 
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AppliedMicro said:
Me too.

And I have little doubt they're going to repeat that mistake with an eventual new device. I'm sure they still think they can fix that issue by (obnoxiously) throwing even more free Apple Music trials after their users, rather than just get over themselves and add Bluetooth audio.

Kind of sad, when Apple could even have the engineering chops to "hand over" from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth and vice versa.

When I recently purchased a HomePod mini, the knowledgable and friendly sales guy from the Authorised retailer (not Apple themselves, of course) even warned me: "Not suitable for Zoom calls - too much lag".
Click to expand...

If I could have plugged these directly into my mac, even USB audio would have been fine, I would have bought a pair for $750 on day one without hesitation.
 
chkay said:
Non issue really. The Apple Watch has more than enough processing power to do everything it needs to. No sense risking lower battery life (or heavier battery) just for the nice shiny graph showing x% performance increase when the watch isn't going to make use of that.
Click to expand...

Same clockspeed but with better efficiency cores would make a huge improvement. Most of what the watch does now is plenty fast enough. Nothing makes me feel like I’m waiting on the CPU or connectivity. It’s actually felt that way for a couple generations now. Buying extra runtime or greater sample-rates for health sensors with better efficiency is a smart place to put their focus.
 
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