Apple unveils new HomePod

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Apple released the M2 Pro and M2 Max chips on January 17 and launched the MacBook Pro and Mac Mini equipped with the new chips. Apple recently launched a new HomePod.

The appearance design of the new HomePod is very similar to the old one. It is composed of a seamless acoustic mesh and a backlit touch panel. It supports WiFi 4 and Bluetooth 5.0 and has two colors: midnight and white. The size is 142x142x168mm, and the weight is 2.3 kg. It is equipped with an S7 processor and has a 4-inch high-excursion woofer. An array of five tweeters equipped with neodymium magnets, a low-frequency calibration microphone, and four pickup microphones make it easy to wake up your voice assistant from a distance.

The old HomePod was released in 2017, launched in 2018, and was discontinued in March 2021. It is equipped with seven tweeters, and six pickup microphones, and supports Wifi 5 networks. In contrast, the new HomePod has reduced the number of tweeters, the number of pickup microphones, and the WiFi version.

The new Apple HomePod also adds temperature and humidity sensors and an ultra-wideband chip that senses the distance to the device. The new HomePod supports spatial audio and can also recognize the voices of up to six users. The voice recognition function can detect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm sounds and send notifications to users after recognition.

Only second- and third-generation iPhone SE or iPhone 8 and later models running the latest operating system can connect to the new HomePod. According to media reports, the new HomePod does not support stereo pairing with the old HomePod.

The new HomePod is priced at $299. It is currently on pre-sale and will be officially released on February 3.

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