The Return of the Apple HomePod, Now with UWB, Matter, Bluetooth 5 and... Spatial Audio

Following a surprise announcement of new M2 silicon for its MacBook Pro and Mac mini models, Apple surprised us even more with the announcement of the return of the infamous HomePod. Now packed full of innovations, more sensors, improved Siri features like the HomePod mini, and Matter-compatible smart home capabilities, the new HomePod returns with the same form factor, but now with updated Bluetooth 5 technology, UWB, Airplay 2, and the same smart, adaptive listening experience.

After a dynamic few years in the music and audio industries, 2018 and the first half of 2019 have once again been marked by the continuous growth of global music streaming subscriptions, with this momentum expected to continue in the short to medium term. By 2023, Futuresource expects the number of streaming subscriptions to exceed 425 million globally, representing over 90% of total consumer spend on recorded music, according to its latest Streaming Music Outlook & Service overview report.

Apparently Apple got it right. Once again. As smart speaker adoption continues to climb, more than half of existing owners would like to have a smart speaker with better sound quality than their current device, while a similar number would pay more for it. That’s one of the findings from the new “Audio Tech Lifestyles” consumer survey from Futuresource Consulting, conducted in the USA, UK, Germany, Japan and China.