HomePod

The HomePod smart speaker has been revived for a new generation of music lovers, and now rocks computational audio, enhanced Siri voice assist, support for sonic immersion, and smart home integration.

At its hardware launch event today – where we also saw new iPhone 12 handsets – Apple introduced the HomePod mini, a smaller and more affordable follow-up to the first HomePod that launched back in 2017.

London based architectural studio Suprblk has transformed an apartment inside an old biscuit factory by incorporating bespoke pods instead of walls. The space-saving design means the occupants can now enjoy an additional 20 sq m of living space.

We first heard about AirPlay 2, Apple's upgraded wireless audio protocol, at the WWDC developer conference last year. With today's roll out of iOS 11.4 it's finally here, bringing with it multi-room audio and more advanced pairing capabilities to iPhones, iPads, and the HomePod speaker.

Originally slated to come out before the end of 2017, after a brief delay the HomePod smart speaker finally goes on sale on February 9, at a price of US$349. If you're in the US, the UK, or Australia, you can preorder the speaker from Friday, January 26.

'Tis the season to be buying smart speakers, with both Amazon and Google revamping their line-ups before the holidays, and Apple promising to join the market with its own entry in 2018. But with an increasing number of models available, how do you choose between them? We've got all you need to know.

Apple is framing its new smart speaker as a completely different product type, a hybrid of an Amazon Echo-like smart speaker and a Sonos-style home audio setup. It had better have some serious audio chops, as the Apple HomePod ships in December for a whopping US$349.