Apple responds to issue with HomePod staining wood surfaces

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Apple's HomePod has started to ship to customers in the US, UK and Australia and while many seem to be delighted by the audio quality and elegance of this diminutive speaker, others aren't too thrilled to discover that the HomePod's plastic ring at its base leaves circular marks on wood surfaces. See Apple's reply below.

"It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces," Apple says. "The marks can be caused by oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface, and will often go away after several days when the speaker is removed from the wooden surface." Apple says the marks recede after a few days or users can simply wipe or treat their wood surfaces to remove the marks. If all fails, Apple's suggestion is “placing your HomePod on a different surface.”

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Apple delaying HomePod release until 2018

Apple is postponing the release of its HomePod smart speaker until 2018. The company, which showcased the HomePod along with the iMac Pro during this year's WWDC (World Wide Developer's Conference) is the company's answer to Amazon's Echo and Google Home, speakers that integrate smart assistant technology.

“We can't wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple's breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it's ready for our customers,” an Apple spokesperson said. “We'll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018.

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Thoughts on Apple's HomePod

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

San Jose, California - Apple's newest product category since the Apple Watch in 2015 (or, it can be argued, since the EarPods last year) is their HomePod speaker revealed here a few days ago and which is coming to the US in December (with mid-2018 availability in Canada likely).

In typical Apple fashion, the company comes rather late into a market that's already quite mature. Amazon's Echo can be credited for creating the connected speaker/voice assistant space, and it's a huge seller in the US, Amazon's even expanded their product line to smaller Dot speakers as well as licensing Echo across various OEMs, including high-end speaker brands.

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