Welcome to our weekend Apple Breakfast column, which incorporates all the Apple information you missed this week in a helpful bite-sized roundup. We name it Apple Breakfast as a result of we predict it goes nice with a morning cup of espresso or tea, nevertheless it’s cool if you wish to give it a learn throughout lunch or dinner hours too.
Residence work
This week I’ve been engaged on the Macworld evaluation of Apple’s new HomePod and spoiler alert: It’s a horny and well-made gadget with nice sound. Nevertheless it’s additionally fairly complicated to judge. The query I preserve coming again to is that this: Who is that this for?
Famously and considerably mysteriously, Apple discontinued the unique HomePod in 2021 a couple of months after releasing the $99 HomePod mini. On the time, most pundits assumed this was an admission that the full-size mannequin merely didn’t promote: It was on the pricey aspect, in spite of everything, and didn’t play properly with Android telephones, or streaming companies aside from Apple Music. It additionally had an annoying non-detachable energy twine and a reported tendency to depart white round marks on folks’s furnishings. The HomePod mini didn’t clear up all of these issues, nevertheless it’s a lot simpler to forgive flaws while you’re paying $99 reasonably than $299.
If gross sales numbers had been the issue, it’s a bit of complicated that Apple has chosen to launch one other full-size HomePod that appears virtually similar to the unique. There are some adjustments, in fact, and when you purchased the primary HomePod and returned it in disgust, it’s potential that your annoyances have been addressed: the facility twine is now removable, whereas the bottom (like that of the HomePod mini) is a flat circle reasonably than a hoop, and much much less inclined to depart marks. However broader points nonetheless stay.
Regardless of a barely cheaper price than the primary HomePod had at launch, this stays an costly good speaker that isn’t terribly good (because of Siri’s persevering with imperfections) and doesn’t play properly with most services and products from exterior Apple’s ecosystem. And it’s laborious to see this altering the minds of those that weren’t impressed by the unique mannequin.
These like me, in the meantime–individuals who owned the primary HomePod and reasonably preferred it for all its faults–are unlikely to be pushed into an improve. The brand new mannequin is best in some methods, with a bigger display and extra balanced audio output, however not by sufficient to justify a substitute. And it may’t be arrange as a stereo pair with its 2018 counterpart. The improve path merely isn’t very compelling.
There are prospects we could not have thought-about. It’s potential, for instance, that the unique HomePod bought nice and was discontinued for different causes; issues with manufacturing throughout the pandemic, maybe. It’s additionally potential that the brand new HomePod is a part of a wider technique to deal with the good dwelling, and isn’t supposed or anticipated to make some huge cash in its personal proper. Perhaps Apple thinks the HomePod mini is extra interesting when set alongside a status product at a better value level, or simply thinks it’s foolish to promote a mini product when there isn’t one thing else that’s greater.
Regardless of the reasoning—and Apple typically is aware of what it’s doing—I’m unsure I comply with it. However on the similar time, I do just like the HomePod, which can give an perception into how tough this evaluation has been to jot down. If you happen to’d wish to learn it in full, tune into Macworld subsequent week.
Foundry
Trending: High tales of the week
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The HomePod 2 beats the unique HomePod in blind assessments… besides when heavy bass is a key issue.
ChatGPT, Midjourney, and extra: Is Apple letting one other AI alternative slip away?
Apple has admitted that Mac gaming ‘will take a while,’ whereas teasing the potential of iPhone-like annual updates for the Mac.
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Oh pricey. Samsung’s S23 bloatware takes up extra space than two total macOS Ventura installs.
Speaking of which, the Galaxy S23 Extremely nonetheless struggles to beat the iPhone—from 2020.
Apple’s tradition is what makes the Mac a dangerous gaming platform.
The rumor mill
The iPhone 15 Extremely could be Apple’s largest and priciest iPhone ever.
Apple continues to be engaged on a charging characteristic that ought to have been within the iPhone 14 Professional.
Apple could let the Mac Studio languish for years so extra folks purchase the Mac Professional.
We have a look at Apple’s plans for February. Will there be extra surprises earlier than the massive March occasion?
Podcast of the week
The Mac has an extended and storied historical past, however video video games play a really small function. On this episode of the Macworld Podcast, we talk about the state of Mac gaming.
You’ll be able to catch each episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app, or our personal web site.
Software program updates, bugs & issues
iOS 16.3 seems to be forcing some customers to guard their accounts with 2FA.
The pulled Residence revamp is about to return in iOS 16.4.
And with that, we’re performed for this week. If you happen to’d wish to get common roundups, join our newsletters. You can even comply with us on Twitter or on Fb for dialogue of breaking Apple information tales. See you subsequent Saturday, take pleasure in the remainder of your weekend, and keep Appley.
