HomePod mini: A powerful smart speaker with incredible sound, launched by Apple

In a stunning lightweight build, HomePod mini provides a fantastic music listening experience, an intelligent assistant, and smart home capabilities, with built-in privacy and security.

Cupertino, California — Apple today unveiled HomePod mini, the newest addition to the HomePod family that delivers impressive sound, the intelligence of Siri to get things done, and a smart home experience that offers comfort and convenience without complexity. At just 3.3 inches tall, HomePod mini is packed with innovative technologies and advanced software that together enable computational audio to deliver breakthrough audio quality wherever it is placed. HomePod mini will be available in white and space gray at a great price of just $99.

“HomePod mini has everything customers want in a smart speaker — amazing sound for listening to music, a world-class intelligent assistant that delivers a personal experience to each member of the household, and like every Apple product, it’s designed with privacy and security in mind,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “HomePod mini is the ultimate smart speaker for anyone with an Apple device. It works effortlessly with iPhone to hand off music, answer calls, or deliver personalized listening suggestions, elevates the sound from Apple TV, plays music from a Mac, and so much more. There’s a lot of Apple innovation packed into such a small speaker, all at an affordable price.”

HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services including Pandora and Amazon Music. Multiple HomePod mini speakers work together to stream music or podcasts to multiple rooms, all in perfect sync. By placing two HomePod mini speakers in a single room, a stereo pair can be created for a wide soundstage, filling the space with rich, enveloping sound.

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Amazing Sound

HomePod mini offers an extremely diverse and comprehensive auditory experience to achieve optimal efficiency by using computational audio. The Apple S5 chip in HomePod mini works with specialised algorithms to study the specific features of the music and implement complicated tuning models to maximise loudness, change the dynamic range, and monitor the movement of the driver and passive radiators in real time to produce broad sound out of such a small size.

Applying the same acoustic principles used to deliver amazing sound in HomePod, HomePod mini features an Apple-designed acoustic waveguide to direct the flow of sound down and out toward the bottom of the speaker for an immersive 360-degree audio experience. This allows customers to place HomePod mini almost anywhere in a room and hear consistent sound. A three-microphone array listens for “Hey Siri,” and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.

Powerful Intelligent Assistant

HomePod mini delivers a personalized and deeply integrated experience for iPhone customers.

Siri can identify who is speaking and tailor music and podcasts to their preferences, and respond to personal requests, like accessing messages, reminders, notes, and calendar appointments, or making and answering phone calls.1 Siri also offers users a personal update for a quick snapshot of their day.

With a single request, users can ask Siri “What’s my update?” to hear the latest news, weather, traffic, reminders, and calendar appointments.

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Smart Home Controls and New Intercom System

With basic voice commands for Siri to switch the lights off, adjust the temperature, lock the doors, or set a scene, the HomePod mini makes it easier than ever to control smart home accessories. The ideal home centre is the HomePod mini, offering links to smart home gadgets at home or abroad.

A new Intercom feature offers a quick and easy way for family members to connect with each other at home. One person can send an Intercom message from one HomePod to another — whether in a different room, a specific zone, or multiple rooms throughout the home — and their voice will automatically play on the designated HomePod speaker. Intercom works with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay, so everyone in the household can get Intercom notifications and send Intercom messages from the backyard or on their way home.

Designed with Privacy and Security in Mind

Security and privacy are fundamental to the design of Apple hardware, software, and services. With HomePod mini, only after “Hey Siri” is recognized locally on the device, or the user activates Siri by touch, will any information be sent to Apple servers. Requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID, and personal information is not sold to advertisers or other organizations. HomePod mini works with iPhone to complete requests for messages and notes on device without revealing that information to Apple.

Extra Features

• Music alarms
• Siri Shortcuts
• Ambient sounds
• Find My
• Web search

Pricing and Availability

• HomePod mini will be available in white and space gray for $99 (US) from apple.com, in the Apple Store app, and Apple Store locations. HomePod mini is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).
• Customers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the US are able to order HomePod mini beginning at 5 a.m. PST on Friday, November 6, with availability beginning the week of November 16. HomePod mini will be available in China, Mexico, and Taiwan later this year.

Note:

All data and Images in this article taken from Apple.com