In-store availability for Apple’s new 2nd-generation HomePod begins today, with customers across Europe in countries where the HomePod is available now able to pickup the speaker from their local Apple Store as deliveries begin for those who pre-ordered the new devices after it was announced last week.
Priced at $299, the new 2nd-generation HomePod features enhanced Siri capabilities, support for Spatial Audio, the S7 chip, and more.
Unlike the previous-generation, the new 2nd-generation HomePod features an edge to edge backlit touch surface, retaining the mesh fabric found on the original model in two colours: white and midnight, a new colour made with 100 percent recycled mesh fabric, with a colour-matched woven power cable.
Apple’s new HomePod features a four-inch high-excursion woofer, five tweeters, four microphones, an S7 chip for computational audio, and support for Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
Apple touts that with Sound Recognition on the new HomePod, which will be enabled with a future software update, the speaker can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and send a notification directly to the user’s iPhone if a sound is identified.
A new built-in temperature and humidity sensor can measure indoor environments, so users can create automations that close the blinds or turn on the fan automatically when a certain temperature is reached in a room.