Apple launched its new HomePod speaker at its annual Developers Conference.
The 7-inch-tall HomePod speaker is a direct competitor to Amazon’s Echo smart speaker and the Google Home.
Apple’s speaker has six microphones at the top, a 4-inch upward-facing woofer, and seven tweeters in its bottom.
It’s powered by the Apple A8 processor, which provides echo cancellation and automatic EQ. It also helps detect the size and shape of the room it’s in to adjust the audio and create a spatial sound.
Like the Google Home or Amazon Echo, you activate the speaker with a phrase — in this case, “Hey Siri” — to give it a command or ask it a question.
HomePod is a powerful speaker that sounds amazing, adapts to wherever it’s playing, and together with Apple Music, gives you effortless access to one of the world’s largest music catalogs. All controlled through natural voice interaction with Siri. It takes the listening experience to a whole new level. And that’s just the beginning.
Powerful Apple-designed A8 chip is the brains behind the most complex audio innovations in HomePod. Like real-time modeling of the woofer mechanics. Buffering that’s even faster than real time. Upmixing of both direct and ambient audio. Beamforming so the microphone can hear you over the music. And advanced echo cancellation. So you get amazing sound without even thinking about it.
HomePod is wrapped in a seamless mesh fabric designed for both aesthetic and acoustic performance. Available in two colors, it’s gorgeous from every angle — yet virtually transparent to the music. And at just under seven inches tall, this speaker can fit anywhere in your home.
HomePod is smart enough to sense where in the room it’s playing. Or that you added another HomePod. Or that you’re telling it what you want to hear — even from across the room. Then it responds to all this information automatically, so all you have to do is listen.
