Apple HomePod second-generation launched in India

Apple’s smart speaker makes a return

Apple has officially launched its second generation HomePod smart speakers in markets globally, including India. The second gen HomePod features a 20mm driver with built-in bass-EQ microphone, as well as five tweeters around the base. It also features a transparent mesh fabric and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge.

The second-generation Apple HomePod is available in two colours – white and midnight. It is priced at Rs 32,900 and can be purchased beginning February 3. The Apple smart speaker is compatible with iPhone SE (second gen) and later, the iPhone 8 and later, the iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation) and later, and the iPad Air (3rd generation) and later, as well as the iPad mini (5th generation) and later.

The HomePod features room sensing technology which recognises sound reflections from nearby surfaces, allowing it to figure out if it is standing against the support of a wall or object, or on its own and adapt its sound in real time.

It also features stereo pair, a feature wherein two HomePod speakers in the same space can play the same audio. This feature on its own separates the left and right channels and also plays each channel in harmony, creating a more immersive listening experience.

Additionally, using its multiroom audio with AirPlay, users with a simple “Hey Siri,” or alternatively, by touching and holding the top of HomePod, can play the same song on multiple HomePod speakers, play different songs on different HomePod speakers simultaneously, or even use them as an intercom to broadcast messages between different rooms in the same house.

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The HomePod smart speaker pairs easily with Apple TV 4K, thereby helping create an unhindered, immersive audio-visual experience. Furthermore, the Enhanced Audio Return Channel support on Apple TV 4K enables one to make the HomePod the default audio system for all devices connected to the TV in a home.

Siri support on the HomePod also means that users can control what’s playing on their Apple TV hands-free. So, in case you’re feeling a little too lazy to search for a remote at times, worry not, the HomePod has you covered.

The second-generation Apple HomePod also features Ultra-Wideband technology, with which users can hand off any audio they’re playing on another Apple device – whether a movie or a song, a podcast, or even a phone call – directly to a HomePod. Furthermore, to control what’s playing or receive personalised recommendations, anyone can bring an iPhone close to the speaker, using which suggestions will surface automatically.

What’s more, the Find My feature on HomePod makes it possible for one to locate their Apple devices, whether an iPhone or something else, by playing a sound on the said device. Using Siri, users can also ask for the location of friends or loved ones who share their location via the app.

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