What's Next for HomePod Mini: Recapping the Latest Rumors

[allseeingi’s]

Got 1 for our garden room thought the sound was pretty decent then decided to get a 2nd as they were on offer and the sound stage and bass is much better . I know Siri doesn’t as much love as Alexa but she’s certainly more consistent when controlling the lights for us , Alexa keeps dropping the connection 😩

 

[rforno]

Siri/HomePod needs to stream more things natively from the device, like SiriusXM. Having to manually cast it from my phone to the HPm doesn't constitute meaningful 'support' in my mind -- not when compared to the ease I can do that with my voice on an Amazon Echo by simply asking it to play a certain channel.

I'm a SXM diehard; if that was easier on HP, I'd drop the Echos and move to HPm in a flash.

 

[_Spinn_]

I love my HomePod mini. Wouldn’t mind getting more at some point.

Seems like Apple is doing much better than Amazon right now with smart speakers.

Amazon Alexa is a “colossal failure,” on pace to lose $10 billion this year

Layoffs reportedly hit the Alexa team hard as the company’s biggest money loser.

arstechnica.com

 

[citysnaps]

Siri/HomePod needs to stream more things natively from the device, like SiriusXM. Having to manually cast it from my phone to the HPm doesn't constitute meaningful 'support' in my mind -- not when compared to the ease I can do that with my voice on an Amazon Echo by simply asking it to play a certain channel.

I'm a SXM diehard; if that was easier on HP, I'd drop the Echos and move to HPm in a flash.

I'm confused. That shouldn't be necessary.

For example...if I want to listen to blues music, for example, all I need to do is say "Hey Siri, play blues." And it happens. Using my phone isn't required.

 

[felixen]

For starters if they make the stereo function between 2 HomePods actually work, that would be just swell. It's a brooooooooken product right now

 

[3460169]

The only thing the Minis need to do is GTFO and/or DIACF**. As speakers they're atrocious and inarguably a massive downgrade compared to their OG HomePod brethren. I have 4 Minis (one stereo pair each in different rooms) and they are simply unimpressive as audio devices. It's a freakin' speaker, it's primary job is to produce sound. Sure it's also to interact with Siri, but how sane is that?

"Hey Siri, what day is it?"
"... One sec... working on that... I'm having trouble connecting to the Internet. For more info, check the home app."

The actual current situation in my environment right now, both for Minis and HomePod OG devices -- and only them. Ironic eh? It's like she knows I'm saying anything but all-loving, all-praising things about her (Siri).

**The Minis have their place, don't get me wrong. For instance they can act as a Border Router for Thread devices (for modern HomeKit / Matter devices), and I incorporated them and a pair of 2nd gen Apple TV 4K devices for this alone. But for sound....? Gross. Really hope that Apple brings back the HomePod OG in some impressive updated configuration.

 

[Bremse]

I'd like to see the allegedly included environmental sensors (humidity, temperature) made available via HomeKit.

 

[byke]

While these devices operate a thread option, they need to offer a mesh system of some sort.
Allowing apple to offer some type of 2023 hybrid Airport HomePod system.

 

[inkswamp]

After 2 years I'm still completely unable to set a timer for 1h and 53m.

I just did it. What’s so difficult about it?

 

[inkswamp]

Would love to have the option to disconnect the HomePod from the cable and carry it to another room temporarily. Really hate the fact that it’s tethered to the plug at all times.

Also interoperability with more hardware. Why a HomePod can’t act as a Roku TV speaker is just puzzling.

 

[ignatius345]

All good, but I just want another full-sized HomePod. The sound on these tiny ones is OK but it really does not compare. People whinging about the price of the previous HomePod were comparing it with dinky little Amazon and Google speakers they've been selling at a loss to get their microphones into your house. No interest in that crap, just want a high-quality AirPlay speaker that can be easily set up in pairs -- basically the first HomePod but with the computer parts brought up to date a bit. I do not care one bit if it's $400.

 

[macduke]

What I hate is when I'm in another room from my HomePod and I have my iPad or iPhone in front of me unlocked and I say "Hey Siri check whatever" and HomePod is screaming from the other room "I'M SORRY BUT YOU NEED TO USE YOUR IPHONE DUMBASS" and I'm like "I AM USING MY IPHONE YOU ****"

Apple really needs to make hey Siri work with whatever is in front of you. They have to be able to calculate that.

 

[MBAir2010]

This speaker is incredible!
even the Blue one!
I might get another one for better sound if that is possible.

 

[EvilEvil]

All I want is a wireless Homepod mini with MagSafe charging.

 

[TVreporter]

Don’t understand why Apple did not release the HomePod minis in all the same colors as the iMac 24”. Missing are green, purple and red. Added are black and white.

I think it’s another case of teams are kept separated and don’t/aren’t permitted to communicate with one another on projects.

 

[trhoffmann]

I think it’s another case of teams are kept separated and don’t/aren’t permitted to communicate with one another on projects.

Your reasoning only applies to products under development. Once products are announced/sold there is no reason why matching colors could not be introduced across products.

 

[MBAir2010]

All I want is a wireless Homepod mini with MagSafe charging.

Bose® makes several of these

But I agree a HomePod mini that is portable would be great!

 

[toomuchrock]

I used be able to lie in bed and say "Hey Siri wake me up at 7" or "Hey Siri what's the weather tomorrow." My phone charging two feet away would handle it. Now that I have a stereo pair of minis connected to my AppleTV in the living room, if I ask from bed I hear my speakers in another room chattering away uselessly. So for me it's gotta be about proximetry. If I'm by my phone then let my phone frickin' answer.

 

[jdsingle]

Need to see some data on usage of Siri voice assistant. Apple gets my money year after year, but I still haven't gotten the voice assistant integrated into my life even at a basic tell me the weather. Have smart bulbs that work with Siri, but the lag in turning lights on/off as opposed to hitting a switch is just too high. I also don't want to read a manual to learn how to use the voice assistant.

What use case do folks leverage their HomePod mini? I use mine as a speakers when I Airplay Spotify.

 

[Scotticus]

My wishes for HomePod mini:

• Faster processor capable of On-Device Siri
• Better noise handling on the microphone
• Improved audio quality (louder)
• LED segments on the status lights that displays the current time or timer status
• Spec bumped to Wi-Fi 6
• Bedtime Sleep integration when the iPhone or Apple Watch is nearby

I'm genuinely curious what benefit there would be to bumping the Mini up to WiFi 6

 

[svish]

Hopefully the new model will still have similar bright colours.

 

[ignatius345]

What use case do folks leverage their HomePod mini? I use mine as a speakers when I Airplay Spotify.

I tell it to play the local radio station, stream music to it from Apple Music, and occasionally ask it to add something to the grocery list. That’s about it. Anything much more than that just gets tedious.

 

[inkswamp]

I used be able to lie in bed and say "Hey Siri wake me up at 7" or "Hey Siri what's the weather tomorrow." My phone charging two feet away would handle it. Now that I have a stereo pair of minis connected to my AppleTV in the living room, if I ask from bed I hear my speakers in another room chattering away uselessly. So for me it's gotta be about proximetry. If I'm by my phone then let my phone frickin' answer.

Same here. Apple needs to let us say "Hey Siri, set an alarm on my phone for 7" or "Hey Siri, tell me in the kitchen what the weather is like tomorrow." I've tried and it doesn't understand.

 

[CarlJ]

A Product Red HomePod Mini would be very welcoming. Or how about a radium-luminous color so it can be seen at night without turning on the lights?

Luminous (glow in the dark / GitD), sure (though Apple will never do it, because it fades too quickly), but radium? Definitely not. Dangerous stuff. You could mount some tritium marker tubes on top, that would glow continuously for 20 years, but Apple would have licensing/certification trouble shipping something like that from the factory to the US.

It would actually be a lot simpler, given that the HomePod mini has to be plugged in all the time anyway, to install a nightlight LED that it can turn on any time that it's dark around the HomePod (optionally, of course, and with a photocell to monitor current room brightness). There are flashlight LEDs these days that can run at 1 or 2 lumens or even lower (commonly called "moonlight mode", just enough light to keep from bumping into things). For the HomePod mini, they could even implement it as an extremely dim glow from the top surface, or from a ring around the bottom of the mini.

 

[3Gmatt]

Anyone using a stereo pair with the Apple TV and eARC? Seems like it would be a great setup.