Apple Product History

HomePod

2

HomePod (2nd generation)

HomePod (2nd generation)

February 3, 2023

S7

$349

Revived the HomePod name with the Apple Watch S7 chip and new smart-home sensing.

S7 chip drives computational audio, plus a U1 chip for handoff and Ultra Wideband features
4-inch high-excursion woofer and five tweeters; Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos
Adds built-in temperature and humidity sensors and sound recognition (smoke/CO alarms)
Thread border router for smart home accessories; announced Jan 18, 2023 in midnight and white
Price rose from $299 to $349 in June 2026 amid an industry-wide RAM shortage

HomePod

HomePod

February 9, 2018

A8

$349

Apple's first smart speaker, built around spatial audio and Siri.

A8 chip; seven-tweeter array with a 4-inch upward-facing woofer and six-microphone array
Automatic room-sensing audio tuning; Siri for music, HomeKit, and requests
16GB storage, used only for on-device processing, not media
Discontinued March 12, 2021 as Apple shifted focus to HomePod mini