It’s a particularly complicated decision when it comes to the full-size HomePod, which doesn’t have any new models to speak of. Switching from a full-size HomePod to a new HomePod mini would degrade sound quality, even if it would be an improvement in other ways.
If you’re about to pull the trigger on that latest purchase just to get the new Siri, we suggest you wait for now. Because a new and rather mysterious clue suggests that Apple could be planning to bring Siri AI to the full-size HomePod, although it’s unclear whether this would involve a software update or a new model. Or, indeed, if it is actually a simple misunderstanding or mistake.
As of this writing, if you go to the purchase page for the full-size HomePod and scroll down a bit, you’ll see a table comparing the features and price of this product and the new HomePod mini with the title “Which HomePod is right for you?” with images of the two devices. But, as discovered by Twitter user pdfu and confirmed by Macworld, if you right-click on the large HomePod image and check the alt text, you’ll see the following:
HomePod, white, full-size cylindrical design, seamless acoustic mesh exterior, multi-color Siri AI glow on top.
How could the full-size HomePod have a “Siri AI multi-color glow” when it doesn’t support Siri AI? It’s all quite mysterious. And we must emphasize that it may simply be a mistake by someone who recently updated the site to reflect the new capabilities of the HomePod mini.
David Price / Foundry
But there is a real problem here. At this point it’s hard to see how Apple could sell the full-size HomePod. At $349, it costs more than twice as much as the new HomePod mini, even with the latest price increase, and it doesn’t officially support Siri AI. It’s even more expensive than the new HomeView, which has a full screen attached. But most importantly, the original Siri is really bad on the HomePod. Siri AI is such an obvious and necessary step forward that it’s tempting to consider the HomePod 2 practically obsolete. Apple needs to announce an update or give up on the product entirely.
HomePod owners, or at least second-generation HomePod owners, will hope that this update can be achieved via a free software update, but that’s probably a false hope.
