Admin
The HomePod mini 2 Sells a Siri That Is Not There Yet, Plus a Light Show
Based on reporting from 9to5Mac
The HomePod mini 2 is worth judging on what it does today. Just do not pay for the two things Apple put at the top of the page.
Apple announced it on October 13 at $149. Preorders are open and it reaches stores on October 30. Inside there is an S10 chip replacing the S5 from the original, there are five colours, and there is a feature called Sound Glow: the top of the speaker lights up and pulses with the bass and treble, using colours taken from the album artwork. It can also join the new Apple TV 4K and other HomePods in a four-speaker surround setup.
The headline feature is Siri AI, and it is not in the box. Apple’s own press release says it is “coming to HomePod mini 2 in a future software update.” The footnotes add that it needs an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone or iPad in the home, and that it will not be available in the EU at first. There is no date.
I do not like the way this is sold. Putting a feature at the top of the announcement and its absence in a footnote is a choice, and not an honest one. That said, it does not ruin the product for me. An assistant is not the heart of a speaker. If the HomePod mini 2 does its job on day one, Siri AI is an extra that arrives later, and I can live with that. What I would not do is buy it because of Siri AI. Buy it for what works now, or do not buy it.
Sound Glow is the other pitch, and it is aimed at someone who is not me. I can see it looking good at a party or with friends over. It is still a light on a speaker, and I would not spend a cent on it.
Which leaves the number that matters. The original HomePod mini launched at $99 in 2020 and went up to $129 earlier this year. The new one is $149. Apple’s release talks about “enhanced audio experiences” but gives no measured comparison with the old model, and I have not heard the new one. So, on paper, the extra money over the original buys a newer chip, a Siri that is not here yet and a light show. How much that is worth depends on how much you care about the chip, because I value the other two at zero.
That is my opinion. Read Apple’s press release, fine print included, and check the price at your store before you order.
