Apple Launches New HomePod: India Price, Specs, Availability And More

The new Apple HomePod is available in white and midnight, a new colour made with 100 per cent recycled mesh fabric, with a colour-matched woven power cable.

The new HomePod is compatible with iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later models, or iPhone 8 and later models. ( Image: Apple )

Apple on Wednesday launched the new HomePod (2nd generation). The new HomePod is a powerful smart speaker that promises to deliver next-level acoustics in a gorgeous design. It has Apple innovations and Siri intelligence and offers advanced computational audio for a groundbreaking listening experience, including support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks.

The new Apple HomePod (2nd generation) is available to order for Rs 32,900 from apple.com/in/store starting today (January 18), with availability beginning Friday (February 3). HomePod is available in white and midnight, a new colour made with 100 per cent recycled mesh fabric, with a colour-matched woven power cable.

The new HomePod is compatible with iPhone SE (2nd generation) and later models, or iPhone 8 and later models running iOS 16.3 or later, iPad Pro, iPad (5th generation) and later models, iPad Air (3rd generation) and later models, iPad mini (5th generation) and later models running iPadOS 16.3.

Users can listen to a catalogue of over 100 million songs with Apple Music, experience Spatial Audio with a single HomePod or as a stereo pair, or create a home theatre experience with Apple TV 4K. With Siri, users can access a range of music knowledge, and search by artist, song, lyrics, decade, genre, mood, or activity.

Users can get convenient new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home with the new HomePod and create smart home automations using Siri, get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their home and check the temperature and humidity in a room -- all hands-free.

With an acoustically transparent mesh fabric and a backlit touch surface that illuminates from edge to edge, the new HomePod has a beautiful design that can complement any space.

“Leveraging our audio expertise and innovations, the new HomePod delivers rich, deep bass, natural mid-range, and clear, detailed highs,” Greg Joswiak, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing, said in a statement.

“With the popularity of HomePod mini, we’ve seen growing interest in even more powerful acoustics achievable in a larger HomePod. We’re thrilled to bring the next generation of HomePod to customers around the world.”

HomePod promises to deliver incredible audio quality, with rich, deep bass and high frequencies. A custom-engineered high-excursion woofer, powerful motor that drives the diaphragm a remarkable 20-mm, built-in bass-EQ mic, and a beamforming array of five tweeters around the base all work together to achieve a powerful acoustic experience.

It has an S7 chip that is combined with software and system-sensing technology to offer more advanced computational audio that maximises the full potential of its acoustic system for a groundbreaking listening experience. With room sensing technology, HomePod recognises sound reflections from nearby surfaces to determine if it is against a wall or freestanding and then adapts sound in real-time.

Precise directional control of its beam-forming array of five tweeters separates and beams direct and ambient audio, immersing listeners in crystal-clear vocals and rich instrumentation.