Apple Announces The Second Gen HomePod

Apple has announced the second generation 

HomePod, which it describes as “a powerful smart speaker that delivers next-level acoustics in a gorgeous, iconic design.”
Among other things, it offers support for immersive Spatial Audio tracks and new ways to manage everyday tasks and control the smart home. For example, users can now create smart home automations using Siri, get notified when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is detected in their home, and check
temperature and humidity in a room — all hands-free.

The new HomePod is available to order online and in the Apple Store app starting today, with availability beginning Friday, February 3. The price is US$299. The first generation model was discontinued in 2021.

The second gen HomePod is available in white and midnight, a new color made with 100% recycled mesh fabric, with a color-matched woven power cable.

A custom-engineered high-excursion woofer, powerful motor that drives the diaphragm a remarkable 20mm, built-in bass-EQ mic, and beamforming array of five tweeters around the base all work together to achieve a powerful acoustic experience, according to Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. The S7 chip is combined with software and system-sensing technology to offer even more advanced computational audio that maximizes the full potential of its acoustic system for a groundbreaking listening experience, he adds.

With room sensing technology, HomePod recognizes 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 beamforming array of five tweeters separates and beams direct and ambient audio, immersing listeners in crystal-clear vocals and rich instrumentation.

With Sound Recognition, HomePod can listen for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and send a notification directly to the user’s iPhone if a sound is identified. The 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.

By activating Siri, customers can control a single device or create scenes like “Good Morning” that put multiple smart home accessories to work at the same time, or set up recurring automations hands-free like “Hey Siri, open the blinds every day at sunrise.” A new confirmation tone indicates when a Siri request is made to control an accessory that may not visibly show a change, like a heater, or for accessories located in a different room. 

Ambient sounds — like ocean, forest, and rain — have also been remastered and are more integrated into the experience, enabling customers to add new sounds to scenes, automations, and alarms. Apple says users can also intuitively navigate, view, and organize accessories with the redesigned Home app, which offers new categories for climate, lights, and security, enables easy setup and control of the smart home, and includes a new multi-camera view.

Apple Releases tvOS 15.2, Homepod Firmware 15.2

Apple has released tvOS 15.2 for the Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K.  No release notes are available, which means the update focuses on bug fixes and stability improvements.

tvOS 15.2 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the Apple TV by going to System —> Software Update. ‌‌‌‌If you have an Apple TV and have automatic software updates enabled, it should upgrade automatically.

Apple has also updated the HomePod firmware to version 15.2. According to Apple’s release notes, “version 15.2 includes support for Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier designed to access music using Siri, and extends Siri voice recognition to new languages. This update also includes performance and stability improvements.”

Your HomePod and HomePod mini should automatically update. If not:

• Make sure that your iOS device is updated to the latest version of iOS.
• On your iOS device, open the Home app and tap  the house icon in the upper-left corner.
• Tap Software Update.
• Tap Install. This will install the update on all of your HomePod speakers you have set up in your home.

Apple Planning To Merge HomePod And Apple TV In At Least One Product

Apple may have discontinued the HomePod, but apparently the company still has plans for its wireless speaker. According to a Bloomberg report,  plans to merge HomePod and Apple TV in at least one future product.

Gurman writes: The company is working on a product that would combine an ‌Apple TV‌ set-top box with a ‌HomePod‌ speaker and include a camera for video conferencing through a connected TV and other smart-home functions, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing internal matters. The device’s other capabilities would include standard ‌Apple TV‌ box functions like watching video and gaming plus smart speaker uses such as playing music and using Apple’s Siri digital assistant.

Apple Announces Its Annual Four-Day Holiday Shopping Event

Apple has announced its annual four-day shopping event, which starts Friday and offers up to a US$150 Apple Store gift card with the purchase of select products between Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the U.S.

The Apple products that will include a $25 gift card are the Apple Watch Series 3, AirPods, and AirPods Pro. The iPhone SE, iPhone 11, iPhone XR, 13-inch MacBook Pro (non-M1), MacBook Air (non-M1), Apple TV (the set-top box) and five models of Beats headphones get a $50 card.

You can a $100 gift card for buying a 12-inch iPad Pro Or (non mini) HomePod. Fork out the moolah for a 16-inch MacBook Pro and 21.5-inch iMac, and you get a $150 gift card.

Apple Updates iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, And HomePod Firmware

 Apple has updated iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS and the firmware for HomePod devices.

iOS 14.2 and iPadOS 14.2 are available on the Apple devices by going to System Preferences —> General —> Software Update. New features include: 

° Over 100 new emoji, including animals, food, faces, household objects, musical instruments, gender-inclusive emoji, and more;

° Eight new wallpapers in both light and dark mode versions;

° Magnifier can detect people nearby and report their distance using the LiDAR sensor included in iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max;

° Support for iPhone 12 Leather Sleeve with MagSafe; 

° Optimized battery charging for AirPods to slow the rate of battery aging by reducing the time your AirPods spends fully charged;

° Headphone audio level notifications to alert you when audio level could impact your hearing; 

° New AirPlay controls to stream entertainment throughout your home;

° Intercom support with HomePod and HomePod mini using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay;

° Ability to connect HomePod to Apple TV 4K for stereo, surround sound, and Dolby Atmos audio;

° Option to provide statistics about Exposure Notifications, without identifying you, to participating Public Health Authorities.

HomePod software and tvOS 14.2 work in tandem to allow you to pair two HomePods (but not HomePod minis) with an Apple TV set-top box and create home theater support with stereo, Surround Sound, and Dolby Atmos audio.. HomePod 14.2 features also include:

 ° Ask Siri “What’s my update?” to hear a personal snapshot of your day that includes the news, weather, traffic, reminders, and calendar appointments.
 ° Intercom using iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay.

Users can update their HomePods through the Home app on iOS. On an Apple TV set-top box, tvOS 14.2 can be downloaded and installed via the Settings app.

The new watchOS 7.1‌‌ can be download by going to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and selecting General —> Software Update. To install the operating system update, the Apple Watch battery needs to be at least 50%, be placed on a charger, and within range of your ‌‌‌‌iPhone‌‌‌‌.

watchOS 7.1 — which is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 and later — contains new features, improvements, and bug fixes, including:

° Adds the ability to be notified when your headphone audio level could impact your hearing;

° Adds support for the ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 or later in the Republic of Korea and Russia; 

° Adds support for irregular heart rhythm notifications in the Republic of Korea and Russia; 

‘° Resolves an issue that prevented some users from unlocking a Mac with Apple Watch;

° Fixes an issue where the screen may be dark on wrist raise for some Apple Watch Series 6 owners.

Apple Announces The Home Pod Mini For $99

Apple has unveiled the HomePod mini, the newest addition to the HomePod family of wireless speakers. The HomePod mini is 3.3 inches tall and, like its big brother, will be available in white and space gray. It works with the iPhone to hand off music, answer calls, or deliver personalized listening suggestions, elevates the sound from Apple TV, plays music from a Mac, and more, according to Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.

The HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, podcasts, radio stations from iHeartRadio, radio.com, and TuneIn, and in the coming months, popular music services including Pandora and Amazon Music. Multiple HomePod mini speakers work together to stream music or podcasts to multiple rooms, all in perfect sync, Borchers says. By placing two HomePod mini speakers in a single room, a stereo pair can be created for a wide soundstage, filling the space with rich, enveloping sound.

The tiny speaker uses computational audio to deliver peak performance. Borchers says that to achieve big sound out of such a compact design, the Apple S5 chip in the HomePod mini works with advanced software to analyze the unique characteristics of the music and apply complex tuning models to optimize loudness, adjust the dynamic range, and control the movement of the driver and passive radiators in real time. The Apple-engineered full-range driver, powered by a neodymium magnet and a pair of force-cancelling passive radiators, enables deep bass and crisp high frequencies, he adds. 

The HomePod mini features an Apple-designed acoustic waveguide to direct the flow of sound down and out toward the bottom of the speaker for a 360-degree audio experience. This allows customers to place a HomePod mini almost anywhere in a room and hear consistent sound. A three-microphone array listens for “Hey Siri,” and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.

 Siri can identify who is speaking and tailor music and podcasts to his/her preferences, and respond to personal requests, like accessing messages, reminders, notes, and calendar appointments, or making and answering phone calls. Siri also offers users a personal update for a quick snapshot of their day. With a single request, users can ask Siri “What’s my update?” to hear the latest news, weather, traffic, reminders, and calendar appointments.

When listening to music on an iPhone, users can bring their device close to the HomePod mini and “hand off” the music without missing a beat. Borchers says that, later this year, the experience gets even better with visual, audible, and haptic effects when sound transfers from one device to the other. Personalized listening suggestions will also automatically appear on an iPhone when it is next to HomePod mini, and instant controls are available without having to unlock iPhone.

The speaker is designed to make controlling smart home accessories easier than ever with simple voice commands for Siri to turn off the lights, change the temperature, lock the doors, or set a scene. 

A new Intercom feature offers a quick way for family members to connect with each other at home. One person can send an Intercom message from one HomePod to another — whether in a different room, a specific zone, or multiple rooms throughout the home — and their voice will automatically play on the designated HomePod speaker. Intercom works with iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and CarPlay. 

With the  HomePod mini, only after “Hey Siri” is recognized locally on the device, or the user activates Siri by touch, will any information be sent to Apple servers, according to the tech giant. Requests are not associated with the user’s Apple ID, and personal information is not sold to advertisers or other organizations. HomePod mini works with iPhone to complete requests for messages and notes on device without revealing that information to Apple.

Additional features include:

• Siri Shortcuts created on iPhone and iPad are accessible on HomePod mini, so users can ask Siri on HomePod mini to start a pot of coffee, control a robot vacuum, add milk to the grocery list, and more.
  
• Ambient sounds, including rain, a fireplace, a stream, and more, offer the perfect background noise to focus, relax, or fall asleep. Siri can set a sleep timer so the sounds automatically stop playing.
  
• Find My helps locate a misplaced iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or Apple Watch by playing a sound to pinpoint its location.
  
• Web search results from HomePod mini can be sent directly to the user’s iPhone for easy viewing.
  
• Music alarms let users wake up to a favorite song, playlist, or radio station from Apple Music.

The HomePod mini will be available to pre-order on November 6 for $99 and release on November 16.

HomePod Mini And AirPods Studio Rumored To Be Coming Soon

According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple has stopped selling headphones and wireless speakers in its retail stores from rivals such as Sonos, Bose, and Logitech as the company gears up to launch its own new audio products. Those products apparently include smaller HomePods and the  over-the-ear headphones.

All headphones and speakers from Bose, speakers from Logitech’s Ultimate Ears brand and Sonos’s latest smart speaker disappeared from Apple’s online store at the end of last month, according to checks by Bloomberg. Employees at Apple’s physical retail locations were also instructed to remove the products for sale at stores in recent days, the article adds.

A smaller, lower priced HomePod has been rumored for two years. The speculation is that a “HomePod mini” would cost $150-$200.

The rumored “AirPods Studio” are expected to be mainly targeted to pro users, who will be able to unlock custom equalizer settings. User convenience features could include automatically detecting the orientation of the headphones on a user's head are also discussed, as well as various power-saving features and sensor configurations.

Apple Updates macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS And HomePod

Apple has updated macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS, and its HomePod firmware. macOS Catalina 10.15.4 can be downloaded from the Mac App Store for free using the Update feature in the System Preferences app. According to Apple's release notes: 

macOS Catalina 10.15.4 introduces iCloud Drive folder sharing, Screen Time communications limits, Apple Music time-synced lyrics view, and more. The update also improves the stability, reliability, and security of your Mac 

Finder

iCloud Drive folder sharing from Finder

Controls to limit access only to people you explicitly invite or grant access to anyone with the folder link

Permissions to choose who can make changes and upload files and who can only view and download files

Screen Time

Communication limits for controlling who your children can communicate with and be contacted by throughout the day and during downtime

Playback control of music videos for your children

Music

Time-synced lyrics view for Apple Music, including the ability to jump to your favorite part of a song by clicking a line in lyrics view

Safari

Option to import Chrome passwords into your iCloud Keychain for easy AutoFill of your passwords in Safari and across all your devices

Controls for duplicating a tab and for closing all tabs to the right of the current tab

HDR playback support on compatible computers for Netflix content

App Store with Apple Arcade

Universal Purchase support enables the use of a singular purchase of a participating app across iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

Recently played Arcade games appear in the Arcade tab so you can continue playing on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

Pro Display XDR

Customized reference modes that you can tailor to specific workflow needs by selecting from several color gamut, white point, luminance, and transfer function options

Accessibility

Head pointer preference for moving a cursor on the screen based on the precise movements of your head

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.

High Dynamic Range output to HDR10-compatible third-party displays and TVs connected with DisplayPort or HDMI

OAuth authentication support with Outlook.com accounts for improved security

CalDav migration support when upgrading to iCloud reminders on a secondary device

Resolves an issue where text copied between apps may appear invisible when Dark Mode is active

Fixes an issue in Safari where a CAPTCHA tile may display incorrectly

Resolves an issue where Reminders may send notifications for completed reminder

Fixes an issue with screen brightness for the LG UltraFine 5K display after waking from sleep

iOS and iPadOS have been upgraded to version 13.4. They can be over-the-air in the Settings app. To access the updates, go to Settings > General > Software Update. According to Apple's release notes, the upgrades:

iOS 13.4 introduces new Memoji stickers and iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app. This update also contains bug fixes and improvements.

Memoj 

Nine new Memoji stickers, including Smiling Face with Hearts, Hands Pressed Together, and Party Face

Files

iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app

Controls to limit access only to people you explicitly invite or grant access to anyone with the folder link

Permissions to choose who can make changes and upload files and who can only view and download files

Mail

Always-visible controls to delete, move, reply to, or compose a message in conversation view

Responses to encrypted emails are automatically encrypted when you have configured S/MIME

App Store with Apple Arcade

Universal Purchase support enables the use of a singular purchase of a participating app across iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

Recently played Arcade games appear in the Arcade tab so you can continue playing on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

List view for See All Games

CarPlay

Third-party navigation app support for the CarPlay Dashboard

In-call information appears on the CarPlay Dashboard

Augmented Reality

AR Quick Look supports audio playback in USDZ files

Keyboard

Predictive typing support for Arabic

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. This update:

Adds status bar indicator to display when VPN has disconnected on iPhone models with all-screen displays

Fixes an issue in Camera where the viewfinder may appear as a black screen after launch

Addresses an issue where Photos may appear to use excess storage

Resolves an issue in Photos that may prevent sharing an image to Messages if iMessage is disabled

Fixes an issue in Mail where messages may appear out of order

Addresses an issue in Mail where the conversation list may display empty rows

Resolves an issue where Mail may crash when tapping the Share button in Quick Look

Fixes an issue in Settings where cellular data may incorrectly display as off

Addresses an issue in Safari where webpages may not be inverted when both Dark Mode and Smart Invert are active

Resolves an issue where text copied from web content may appear invisible when pasted when Dark Mode is activ 

Fixes an issue in Safari where a CAPTCHA tile may display incorrectly

Addresses an issue where Reminders may not issue new notifications for an overdue recurring reminder until it is marked as completed

Resolves an issue where Reminders may send notifications for completed reminders

Fixes an issue where iCloud Drive appears to be available in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote even when not signed in

Addresses an issue in Apple Music where music videos may not stream in high quality

Resolves an issue where CarPlay may lose its connection in certain vehicles

Fixes an issue in CarPlay where the view in Maps may move away briefly from the current area

Addresses an issue in the Home app where tapping an activity notification from a security camera may open a different recording

Resolves an issue where Shortcuts may not appear when tapping on the Share menu from a screenshot

Improves the Burmese keyboard so punctuation symbols are now accessible from numbers and symbols

Apple has also provided separate release notes for the iPadOS update, which are available below and cover all of the new mouse and trackpad features.

iPadOS 13.4 introduces support for mouse and trackpad with iPad for greater precision and navigating the system with Multi-Touch gestures, and adds iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app and new Memoji stickers. This update also contains bug fixes and improvements.

Mouse and Trackpad Support

All-new cursor design highlights app icons on the Home Screen and Dock and buttons and controls in app 

Magic Keyboard for iPad support on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later) and iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation or later)

Magic Mouse, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad, Magic Trackpad 2, and third-party Bluetooth and USB mouse support

Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Keyboard for iPad and Magic Trackpad 2 enable you to scroll, swipe between app spaces, go Home, access App Switcher, zoom in or out, tap to click, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages

Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Mouse 2 enable you to scroll, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages

Files

iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app

Controls to limit access only to people you explicitly invite or grant access to anyone with the folder link

Permissions to choose who can make changes and upload files and who can only view and download files 

Memoji

Nine new Memoji stickers, including Smiling Face with Hearts, Hands Pressed Together, and Party Face

 Mail

Always-visible controls to delete, move, reply to, or compose a message in conversation view

Responses to encrypted emails are automatically encrypted when you have configured S/MIME

App Store with Apple Arcade

Universal Purchase support enables the use of a singular purchase of a participating app across iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

Recently played Arcade games appear in the Arcade tab so you can continue playing on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV

List view for See All Games

Augmented Reality

AR Quick Look supports audio playback in USDZ files

Keyboard

Live Conversion for Zhuyin automatically transforms Zhuyin into the correct characters without pressing the space bar to convert text or select candidates

Live Conversion for Japanese automatically transforms Hiragana into the correct characters without pressing the space bar to convert text or select candidates

Predictive typing support for Arabic

Swiss German keyboard layout supported on iPad Pro 12.9-inch

On-screen keyboard layout for iPad Pro 12.9-inch now matches Smart Keyboard

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. This update:

Fixes an issue in Camera where the viewfinder may appear as a black screen after launch

Addresses an issue where Photos may appear to use excess storage

Resolves an issue in Photos that may prevent sharing an image to Messages if iMessage is disabled

Fixes an issue in Mail where messages may appear out of order

Addresses an issue in Mail where the conversation list may display empty rows

Resolves an issue where Mail may crash when tapping the Share button in Quick Look

Fixes an issue in Settings where cellular data may incorrectly display as off

Addresses an issue in Safari where webpages may not be inverted when both Dark Mode and Smart Invert are active

Resolves an issue where text copied from web content in a third-party app may appear invisible when pasted if Dark Mode is active

Fixes an issue in Safari where a CAPTCHA tile may display incorrectly

Addresses an issue where Reminders may not issue new notifications for an overdue recurring reminder until it is marked as completed

Resolves an issue where Reminders may send notifications for completed reminders

Fixes an issue where iCloud Drive appears to be available in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote even when not signed in

Addresses an issue in Apple Music where music videos may not stream in high quality

Addresses an issue in the Home app where tapping an activity notification from a security camera may open a different recording

Resolves an issue where Shortcuts may not appear when tapping on the Share menu from a screenshot

Improves the Burmese keyboard so punctuation symbols are now accessible from numbers and symbols

Apple is also releasing iOS 12.4.6 for older iPhones, with the update adding security improvements.

watchOS 6.2 can be downloaded for free through the dedicated ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ app on the iPhone by going to General > Software Update and following the instructions. Per Apple's release notes

watchOS 6.2 includes new features, improvements, and bug fixes:

Introduces in-app purchases for ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ apps

Fixes an issue where music playback could pause when switching from Wi-Fi to Bluetooth connectivity

ECG app on ‌‌Apple Watch‌‌ Series 4 or later now available in Chile, New Zealand, and Turkey

Irregular heart rhythm notifications now available in Chile, New Zealand, and Turkey

tvOS 13.4 can be downloaded over the air through the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌ by going to System > Software Update. ‌Apple TV‌ owners who have automatic software updates turned on will be upgraded to tvOS 13.4 automatically. The upgrade provides support for the Powerbeats 4 earphones along with of bug fixes and improvements. 

According to Apple's release notes, ‌HomePod‌ Software Version 13.4 includes "general improvements for stability and quality.” The speaker should automatically update. If not:

• Make sure that your iOS device is updated to the latest version of iOS.
• On your iOS device, open the Home app and tap  the house icon in the upper-left corner.
• Tap Software Update.
• Tap Install. This will install the update on all of your HomePod speakers you have set up in your home.