First impressions of HomePod 2023 are very sketchy

Apple has already given the latest Apple product to a number of YouTubers and reviewers. This gives us a first impression of how people like the new product. Gonny van der Zwaag | iCulture.nl – 20 January 2023, 15:08 whatsappfacebooktwittertelegramlinkedinmailprint

Hands-on videos’s and experiences

The first hands-on experiences of the HomePod 2023 can now be found online. Since the new speaker was only announced two days ago, we should not expect too in-depth impressions. Apple invited some media such as CNET, The Verge and TechCrunch for a listening demonstration. No publication has its own photos of the speaker and the first impressions mainly tell information that we can get from the press release, such as sound recognition and the sensors. There are no videos yet from famous YouTubers like MKBHD or iJustine.

First impression of TechCrunch

Brian Heater of TechCrunc thinks that the HomePod is primarily a speaker, which also happens to have some smart functions. With other smart home hubs, this is often the other way around and is less about sound quality. During the demo by Apple, TechCrunch also noticed a limitation: they were not given the opportunity to hear the difference with the original HomePod. That can only happen if they have their own review unit at home.

First impression The Verge

The Verge also finds it curious that Apple did not let both HomePods listen to each other. In fact, Apple nowhere claims that the sound of the new HomePod is better, not even in the press release or during the demo. With other products such as the AirPods Pro 2022, Apple did. Given the fact that there are fewer tweeters present, according to The Verge, it seems rather that Apple wanted to reduce production costs while trying to keep the sound quality the same.

During the demo, Apple showed a live recording of ‘Hotel California’ and that gave a rich sound that fills the entire room in several directions. The emphasis is on clarity and detail. Reviewer Chris Welch does note that there is a controlled demo environment, where you can assume that it sounds perfect. In terms of sound quality, it is probably close to more expensive smart speakers such as the Amazon Echo Studio and Sonos speakers. Incidentally, during the demonstration of the first HomePod in 2018, ‘Hotel California’ used as an example.

First impression CNET

CNET's Ty Pendlebury says that at the demo they attended in a loft in Tribeca, NY, Apple played just 30 seconds of a song, making describing the experience a bit tricky. His ‘hands-on’ article therefore mainly consists of general information about the already known functions. Pendlebury listened to ‘Boomerang’ by Yebba, ‘Mystery Lady’ from Masego and Don Toliver and also here to ‘Hotel California’ from The Eagles. The speaker sounded best when a stereo pair was made. The sound seemed to come from all sides at that moment. Here too is the conclusion: a more extensive review will follow if a little more time can be spent with the speaker.