Revamp

The latest revolution of Apple’s HomePod looks a lot like its predecessor—7 inches tall, fabric-covered, marshmallow-fat with a touchscreen on top—but it’s the enhancements you can’t see that are most notable. The driver array has been revamped to kick out more bass, and Apple has added support for the new spatial audio tracks in its streaming music library. The 3D sonic effects get more impressive when you wirelessly pair two HomePods to play in stereo. One or more of them can also be connected over Wi-Fi to an Apple TV to supply the soundscape for movies and shows. Support for the open smart-home standard Matter means the voice commands you bark at Siri can control dozens of connected gadgets. There are better-sounding smart speakers at this price, but if you’re all-in on Apple products and services—and if you don’t mind the lack of support for Spotify, Android phones, or Alexa—the convenience of staying in the company’s garden is welcome.
–Wired