New Apple HomePod mini smart speaker
A great little Apple gadget that was launched on the same day as the iPhone 12 range last week but got a bit lost in the excitement is the HomePod mini smart speaker.
It’s a small sphere which stands just under 8.5cm tall and has a cross-hatched White or Space Grey body with an upward-firing speaker.
The gadget is part of the Apple HomePod family which, for those who haven’t come across it before, lets you stream music, hear your messages, check the weather, make and answer phone calls, control your home and more – all by speaking to it.
It’s a lot like the Google Nest and Amazon Alexa smart speakers. Instead of saying “Hey Google” or “Alexa” you say “Hey Siri, the same as you would on an iPhone or Mac.
The HomePod mini has three microphones which listen for the “Hey Siri” command. A fourth inward-facing microphone improves voice detection by listening to and isolating the sound being played.
If you don’t want to use voice commands you can use the Apple Home app on your Mac, iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch, and there are also touch controls on the speaker.

You can stream the same music or audio to multiple rooms, or pair two HomePod minis together to create a stereo pair for a bigger, more immersive sound.
If you’re an Apple TV user, you can play your movie or TV show audio through the HomePod mini. And if you’re listening to music on your iPhone, as you bring the phone closer to the speaker it will automatically hand off the audio.
Apple says the smart speaker uses an Apple S5 chip running software which is able to analyse the music and optimise loudness and dynamic range on the fly.
The full-range speaker, powered by a neodymium magnet and a pair of passive radiators, is designed to deliver deep bass and crisp high frequencies. It also uses an acoustic waveguide to physically drive sound down and out toward the bottom of the speaker, which, Apple says, gives an immersive 360-degree sound field.

Apple HomePod mini price
RRP $149
Available in the week of November 16
Pre-orders from 12am AEDT on Saturday, November 7