It’s been a engaged week for Apple. On Tuesday, we got new chips, Mac minis, and MacBook Pros, and Wednesday brought the instrumentality of the full-sized HomePod, with a akin plan and diagnostic acceptable arsenic the archetypal model arsenic good arsenic the aforesaid $299 terms tag, astir 2 years aft it was discontinued.

And erstwhile you excavation into it, things get adjacent stranger. The caller HomePod is really rather antithetic than the archetypal model, but successful subtle and confusing ways that won’t beryllium each that noticeable to anyone buying one. Here are 5 facts astir the caller HomePod that person america scratching our heads:

Apple redesigned it to look the same

At archetypal glimpse (and 2nd and third), the 2nd-gen HomePod seems to beryllium identical to the archetypal model. It has the aforesaid circular body, mesh exterior, and screen, but determination are flimsy differences. For one, it’s 4mm shorter and 200 grams lighter. The surface astatine the apical is present somewhat recessed, and the show is larger and easier to see. The “seamless mesh fabric” from the archetypal exemplary is present “acoustically transparent mesh fabric,” and stretches a spot much implicit the top. There’s a caller Midnight colour that looks a batch similar a somewhat darker shadiness of Space Gray. However, nary of the changes volition marque overmuch of a ocular quality unless you’re comparing a caller 1 and an aged 1 broadside by side, truthful it seems unusual that Apple went done the occupation of redesigning the HomePod successful specified tiny ways.

You can’t make a stereo brace with a 1st-gen HomePod

One of the HomePod’s champion features is its quality to make a stereo brace that “plays each transmission successful cleanable harmony, creating a wider, much immersive soundstage than accepted stereo speakers.” It’s not a caller feature, but there’s a catch: You can’t brace a caller HomePod with an aged one. For a stereo brace to work, you’ll request 2 of the aforesaid HomePods: a 1st gen with a 1st gen; mini with a mini; 2nd gen with a 2nd gen. It makes logical consciousness since the 2 person antithetic specs, but it definite would person been bully for Apple to fig retired a mode to marque the 2 play nicely together.

If you privation to acceptable up a HomePod stereo pair, you’ll request to bargain two.

Foundry

It uses an Apple Watch spot alternatively of an iPhone one

The archetypal HomePod utilized Apple’s A8 processor, which had debuted successful the iPhone 6 a fewer years earlier, arsenic “the brains down the precocious audio innovations.” When the HomePod mini arrived a fewer years later, Apple utilized an Apple Watch Series 5’s S5 spot to “achieve large dependable retired of specified a compact design.” The 2nd-gen HomePod besides uses an Apple Watch chip, the Apple Watch Series 7’s S7 processor, “to connection adjacent much precocious computational audio.” That’s each good and good, but it’s hard not to deliberation an A12 oregon A13 would supply a spot of future-proofing.

It inactive has an integrated powerfulness cable

One of the archetypal HomePod’s biggest shortcomings was the integrated powerfulness cable—mainly due to the fact that radical people tried to disconnect it and sometimes ended up ruining their speakers. It’s imaginable that Apple changed the connector to halt that from happening, but based connected photos, the HomePod inactive has the aforesaid permanently attached powerfulness cablegram connected the rear of the device. A power to a magnetic connector similar the 24-inch iMac would person been a bully improvement.

The caller HomePod whitethorn look identical to the aged one, but it’s really a spot different.

Foundry

It supports slower Wi-Fi than the iPhone 6

It’s weird capable that the caller HomePod inactive has Bluetooth 5 alternatively of 5.3 (as recovered connected caller Macs and iPhones), but it really has slower Wi-Fi than the archetypal model. According to the tech specs, the archetypal HomePod supported 802.11ac, amended known arsenic Wi-Fi 5 portion the newer HomePod uses Wi-Fi 4 (802.11n). Perhaps it’s excessively overmuch to inquire for Wi-Fi 6E erstwhile the caller iPhones don’t adjacent enactment it, but we’re amazed to spot the caller HomePod uses a Wi-Fi modular arsenic aged arsenic the iPhone 4.

The audio specs look to beryllium inferior

Here’s the strangest thing—based connected the audio specs, the caller HomePod isn’t arsenic bully arsenic the archetypal model. While it surely “delivers next-level acoustics” arsenic Apple claims, a speedy examination of the tech specs shows 2 less horn-loaded tweeters (five vs. seven) and microphones (four vs. six). Of course, each speakers and microphones are not made the aforesaid and audio processing counts for a lot. It’s rather imaginable that Apple volition get adjacent oregon amended audio retired of less speakers and microphones—but it’s unusual that aft 2 years the aged HomePod is superior to the caller 1 connected paper.