Apple is magnificently dear at make client excited about its Modern releases , but that does n’t intend the society applies its index of thought to all product equally . As I plan to talk about further in this chromatography column next week , excellent - time value offering like the 4th - gen AirPods and the fresh Mac mini sometimes splay by almost unnoticed while the merchandising auto shine its spotlight on costly alternatives . Occasionally you get suggestion of favoritism .
One product that no longer appear to have Apple ’s full and enthusiastic financial backing is the HomePod . Everything seemed so bright at the start : a coolheaded Modern product for an exciting fresh market , a great intent and superb sound quality , and all of it accessible from anywhere in the home thanks to the true and nonrational assistance of … Siri . Oh dear . Whether because of Siri ’s weakness or not , thing went wrong . Sales apparently were n’t good enough , and after plunge a cheaper ( and also very skillful ) mini fashion model , Apple made the hard decision and wipe out off the full - sized HomePod . That , we assumed , was that . Untilit was n’t .
It ’s concentrated to palpate confident in a product when the maker terminate sell it for almost two year , before slinking back with a second variant that looks exactly like and fails to work out any major trouble with the first . And when the product does n’t seem to have evolve at all in the seven age since it get out , having never give the opinion of understanding the bright speaker market or the fact that a ( very dependable ) speaker with bad voice controls wo n’t really cut it in 2025 .
In 2025 , in fact , the HomePod may get with the times . Most importantly it needs a good voice help , and that mean one thing : Apple Intelligence . If we get a novel HomePod with the computer hardware to run Apple ’s AI chopine , that could entail a Siri that plays the correct track more often than not : a Siri , in other words , that knows its arias from its Elbow . And once you ’ve got that , any further rise – afunctional display , for example – would be merely icing on the bar .
But if this suggests that I do n’t care the current HomePod , I had intimately correct that assumption . Call me soupy but I am very fond of the HomePod , as temperamental and old - fashioned as it undoubtedly is . I bed the way it appear and the elbow room it sounds , and after years of practice , I ’ve learned to work around the flaws of its control system without nonplus angry more than two or three times a week . As for the miniskirt … well , it might just be the near Christmas endowment you’re able to buy in the Apple computer storage right now .
At$99/£99and usable in a range of stunning color that are inexplicably denied to buyers of the full - size role model ( I recommend the orange ) , the HomePod mini is a brightly affordable agency to lighten up a way and fill it with beautiful sound recording . The bass puncher does n’t quite live up to its large sib , but the audio caliber is nevertheless brilliant for the size and damage . It ’s well-fixed to set up , and the physical design stand for you could easily move it from elbow room to board as the fancy have you . It ’s just a really nicething . Or a pair of things , if you may give to bribe two and set them up in splendiferous stereophonic system . ( Please do . )
Christmas , after all , is the time when we commend those less fortunate than ourselves , the neglected members of order who have diminish through the shot . The HomePod mini may have been forgotten by its manufacturer , but there ’s still time for you to find a office in your abode for one of these imposing creatures . Merry Christmas !
Foundry
receive to our hebdomadary Apple Breakfast column , which includes all the Apple news you miss last week in a ready to hand bite - sized roundup . We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes great with a Monday dawn cupful of burnt umber or tea leaf , but it ’s cool if you want to give it a read during lunch or dinner party hour too .
Looking ahead to 2025: End of year special!
Here are5 exciting productsthat willshape Apple ’s 2025 – and beyond .
iPhone in 2025 : The upgrade we ’ve been waiting for arefinally total .
The Mac in 2025 : Small updates andbig hope .
In 2025 , evenPro userswill wantApple ’s cheapest machine .
Apple hasbig plansfor thesmart homein 2025 .
Apple’s2024 full of surprisesset up anunpredictable future .
TheiPhone is doomedbecause Apple Intelligenceisn’t smart enough .
Your iPhone is now integrate withChatGPT – here’show to use it .
Podcast of the week
With 2024 closing , it ’s fourth dimension tolook forward to 2025 . What could we see from Apple in the new yr ? That ’s coming up in the tardy sequence of the Macworld Podcast !
you’re able to enchant every episode of the Macworld Podcast onSpotify , Soundcloud , thePodcasts app , orour own internet site .
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
The rumors of agigantic foldable iPadmake no sensory faculty .
Abracadabra ! Apple is working on anew Magic Mousewithproper charging .
Software updates, bugs, and problems
Thefirst iOS update of 2025is already in testing . That ’s right : iOS 18.3is now in genus Beta !
