Apple is famously good at getting customers excited about its new releases, but that doesn’t mean the company applies its persuasive powers to all products equally. As I plan to discuss further in this column next week, excellent value offerings like the 4th generation AirPods and the new Mac mini sometimes slip by almost unnoticed as the marketing machine focuses on more expensive alternatives. Occasionally you get hints of favoritism.
One product that no longer seems to have Apple’s full and enthusiastic support is the HomePod. Everything seemed so promising at first: a cool new product for an exciting new market, a great design and exceptional sound quality, all accessible from anywhere in the home thanks to the reliable and intuitive assistance of… Siri. Oh dear. Whether it was due to Siri’s fault or not, things went wrong. Sales were obviously not good enough, and after launching a cheaper (and also very nice) mini model, Apple took the difficult decision and killed off the full-sized HomePod. That, we assumed, was it. Until it wasn’t.
It’s hard to feel confident about a product when the manufacturer stops selling it for nearly two years before sneaking back with another version that looks exactly like and doesn’t fix any major problems with the first. And when the product doesn’t seem to have evolved at all in the seven years since it came out, never giving the impression of understanding the smart speaker market or the fact that a (very good) speaker with poor voice control isn’t really going to cut it that in 2025.
In 2025, the HomePod may actually come with the times. Most importantly, it needs a better voice assistant, and that means one thing: Apple Intelligence. If we get a new HomePod with the hardware to run Apple’s AI platform, it could mean a Siri that plays the right song more often: a Siri, in other words, that knows her arias from her elbow. And once you’ve got it, any further upgrades – say a functional screen – will be just icing on the cake.
But if this suggests that I don’t like the current HomePod, I’d better correct that assumption. Call me sentimental, but I’m very happy with the HomePod, as erratic and old-fashioned as it undoubtedly is. I love the way it looks and the way it sounds, and after years of practice I’ve learned to work around the bugs in its control system without getting angry more than two or three times a week. As for the mini… well, it might just be the best Christmas gift you can buy at the Apple Store right now.
At $99/£99 and available in a range of stunning colors inexplicably denied to buyers of the full-size model (I recommend the orange one), the HomePod mini is a wonderfully affordable way to brighten up a room and fill it with beautiful sound. The bass punch does not quite live up to its bigger sibling, but the sound quality is nevertheless superb in relation to its size and price. It’s easy to set up and the physical design means you can easily move it from room to room as the mood takes you. It’s just really nice thing. Or a few things if you can afford to buy two and set them up in glorious stereo. (Please do.)
After all, Christmas is the time when we remember those less fortunate than ourselves, the neglected members of society who have fallen through the cracks. The HomePod mini may have been forgotten by its maker, but there is still time for you to find a place in your home for one of these noble creatures. Merry Christmas!
Foundry
Welcome to our weekly Apple Breakfast column, which includes all the Apple news you missed last week in a handy summary. We call it Apple Breakfast because we think it goes well with a cup of coffee or tea on a Monday morning, but it’s great if you also want to read it during lunch or dinner.
Looking forward to 2025: End of the year special!
Here are 5 exciting products that will shape Apple’s 2025– and beyond.
iPhone in 2025: The upgrades we’ve been waiting for are finally coming.
The Mac in 2025: Small updates and high hopes.
In 2025 even Pro users want Apple’s cheapest devices.
Apple has big plans for smart home in 2025.
Trending: Top stories
Apple’s 2024 full of surprises sets a unpredictable future.
The The iPhone is doomed because Apple Intelligence is not smart enough.
Your iPhone is now integrated with ChatGPT– here’s how to use it.
Podcast of the week
With 2024 closed, it’s time to looking forward to 2025. What could we see from Apple in the new year? It comes up in the latest episode of the Macworld Podcast!
You can catch every episode of the Macworld Podcast on Spotify, Soundcloud, the Podcasts app or our own website.
Reviews corner
The rumor mill
Rumors of a giant foldable iPad makes no sense.
Abracadabra! Apple is working on a new Magic Mouse with proper charging.
Software updates, bugs and issues
The first iOS update from 2025 is already in testing. That’s right: iOS 18.3 is now in beta!
And with that, we are done with this week’s Apple Lunch. If you would like regular roundups, sign up for our newsletters. You can also follow us on Facebook, Tråde or Twitter to discuss the latest news from Apple. See you next Monday and stay Appley.