Optus Mobile Review ALDI Mobile Review Amaysim Mobile Review Belong Mobile Review Circles.Life Review Vodafone Mobile Review Woolworths Mobile Review Felix Mobile Review Best iPhone Plans Best Family Mobile Plans Best Budget Smartphones Best Prepaid Plans Best SIM-Only Plans Best Plans For Kids And Teens Best Cheap Mobile Plans Telstra vs Optus Mobile Optus NBN Review Belong NBN Review Vodafone NBN Review Superloop NBN Review Aussie BB NBN Review iiNet NBN Review MyRepublic NBN Review TPG NBN Review Best NBN Satellite Plans Best NBN Alternatives Best NBN Providers Best Home Wireless Plans What is a Good NBN Speed? Test NBN Speed How to speed up your internet Optus vs Telstra Broadband ExpressVPN Review CyberGhost VPN Review NordVPN Review PureVPN Review Norton Secure VPN Review IPVanish VPN Review Windscribe VPN Review Hotspot Shield VPN Review Best cheap VPN services Best VPN for streaming Best VPNs for gaming What is a VPN? VPNs for ad-blocking Revealed during the October 2020 iPhone 12 event, the HomePod Mini measures at just 8.5cm tall and is priced at a reasonable $149. Here’s everything we learned during the livestream, as well as local Australian pricing, pre-order and release dates. The Apple HomePod Mini comes in two colours, White and Space Gray, and both will be available on the 7th of November when pre-orders go live on Apple’s site and via selected retailers. Based on the demo we saw in the Apple Event, both the Apple HomePod Mini, and the user’s connected iPhone will respond visually in range. On the iPhone side, you’re prompted to “hand off” music and podcasts to the HomePod Mini once you’re in the vicinity.
Apple Intercom: Broadcasting for the HomePod crowd
Apple also showcased Intercom, a new way to broadcast voice messages between Apple devices and HomePods. For example, broadcasting a simple announcement, like announcing when dinner’s ready, can be made from an iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, or CarPlay, and broadcast across all HomePod speakers on the same network.
Networked audio
Like many smart speakers before it, the HomePod Mini allows you to network multiple speakers for more coverage in your home. This idea is complimentary to the device’s lower price point, but Google actively encourages this by offering discounts on multiple speaker purchases ($30 per additional Google Nest purchase).
Computational audio and the Apple S5 Chip
The HomePod Mini is powered by Apple’s compact S5 chip, unlike the traditional HomePod, which is powered by the same A8 chip as the iPhone 6 and 4th gen Apple TV. Working with in-built software, the S5 chip allows the HomePod Mini to analyse music on the fly, making adjustments to optimise volume and dynamic range, and even going as far to control the speaker’s drivers and passive radiators’ movements. All of this works in tandem with Apple’s ‘waveguide’ acoustics, which funnels sound through the bottom of the speaker, resulting in an even 360-degree audio projection. Most smart speakers have 360-degree audio, but in our experience, the Apple HomePod’s acoustics are a cut above most.
A small speaker with a big focus on privacy
In response to the paranoia surrounding voice-recognition in the home, Apple spent a fair chunk of time discussing security and privacy. Apple drove home the fact that its HomePods will only send data to Apple’s servers upon the “Hey, Siri” voice initiation, or touch initiation. There’s also no association between the requests and the Apple ID, so none of your queries are matched with your personal data, and Apple reiterated that no personal info is sold to third-party advertisers.
