New HomePod parts are 'decently replaceable' says YouTuber

AppleInsider

Apple recently revived the full-sized HomePod, and a YouTuber has taken it apart to find that it is more repairable than the original HomePod was.

HomePod 2 teardown

The HomePod returned on January 18, nearly two years after it discontinued its original model. The second-generation HomePod keeps the same size and form factor but offers improved audio and better Siri integration.

YouTuber Brandon Geekabit uploaded a teardown of the new HomePod, identifying the woofer, tweeters, temperature sensor, touch panel, and others. Most of the changes are on the inside of the device, while a couple of outside changes include a removable power cord and an inset touch panel.

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The video shows that the panel on the bottom is easy to pry off, and special screwdriver tips are needed to get past the initial T6 screws. Throughout disassembly, Torx drivers for T3 and T5 screws as found in most electronics repair kits are also required.

After taking off two layers of mesh fabric covering the HomePod and removing more screws on the bottom, Brandon could open the speaker. He discovered a few changes in the new device, though these were known prior to the teardown.

The 2023 iteration of the HomePod has five rather than seven tweeters, and there are now only four rather than six far-field Siri microphones. The new model also has new sensors for temperature and humidity for smart home ecosystems.

The full video is worth watching, and Brandon notes that parts are "decently replaceable." Apple doesn't sell official parts for the HomePod, unlike the iPhone.

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StrangeDays

Which no one is going to do. Still, we’re presented with stories like this every week as if the masses give a crack about DIY enthusiasts repair hobbies.

mikethemartian

I was surprised that they place the woofer directly under the touch panel which would attenuate and cause to diffract the acoustical wavefront.

neoncat

StrangeDays said:

Which no one is going to do. Still, we’re presented with stories like this every week as if the masses give a crack about DIY enthusiasts repair hobbies.

Well, as long as it makes you angry that some of us like to take stuff apart, I suppose our work here is done.

lkrupp

StrangeDays said:

Which no one is going to do. Still, we’re presented with stories like this every week as if the masses give a crack about DIY enthusiasts repair hobbies.

Yep, how many take on the task of repairing their own 75” 4K TV when it breaks? Do LG or Samsung , TCL, etc. sell parts directly to consumers like Apple does now? If my iPhone 13 went belly up I’d take it directly to my local Apple Store and hand it over, not some kiosk dude in a shopping mall.

Xed

StrangeDays said:

Which no one is going to do. Still, we’re presented with stories like this every week as if the masses give a crack about DIY enthusiasts repair hobbies.ll.

I find these teardowns to be quite informative and enjoyable. This one is especially good in the succinctness and explanation of what to disconnect and how.

kimberly

mikethemartian said:

I was surprised that they place the woofer directly under the touch panel which would attenuate and cause to diffract the acoustical wavefront.

Say what? What do you do in your spare time? Critique Einstein's General Theory of Relativity perhaps? 

avon b7

lkrupp said:

StrangeDays said:

Which no one is going to do. Still, we’re presented with stories like this every week as if the masses give a crack about DIY enthusiasts repair hobbies.

Yep, how many take on the task of repairing their own 75” 4K TV when it breaks? Do LG or Samsung , TCL, etc. sell parts directly to consumers like Apple does now? If my iPhone 13 went belly up I’d take it directly to my local Apple Store and hand it over, not some kiosk dude in a shopping mall.

https://www.samsungparts.eu/original-parts-english.htm?cs-action=resp

First off, you need to know which part is broken. There are a couple of ways to find that out but a trip to your local authorised dealer is always a good first option for out of warranty quotes. 

If the part isn't available or the repair is too expensive through an authorised channel, then you can choose an unofficial option or attempt a DIY repair if you've been able to source the part. 

The next step is finding videos just like the one here. If someone has already done the basics of how to get into the unit and detailed ant pitfalls, what's not to like? 

dewme

kimberly said:

mikethemartian said:

I was surprised that they place the woofer directly under the touch panel which would attenuate and cause to diffract the acoustical wavefront.

Say what? What do you do in your spare time? Critique Einstein's General Theory of Relativity perhaps? 

Diffraction is really only a factor of concern when dealing with coherent sound sources and when the aperture through which the sound must pass is about the same size as the wavelength of the sound source. Standard woofers are typically designed for sound frequencies in the 20 Hz - 2000 Hz range. The wavelength of 20 Hz sound in air is about 56 feet, at 1000 Hz it is about 1 foot, and at 2000 Hz it is about 6 ½ inches.

I don't have a new HomePod so I don't know how large the touch panel is, but if it is right around 6 inches it could experience diffraction around the very upper tolerance of the woofer's operational range. Of course this would only be noticeable if you fed a constant 2000 Hz tone through it. Since most musical and voice sound sources contain complex sound (lots of frequencies mixed together) I suspect any attenuation due to diffraction would be unnoticeable and any negative impacts something accounted for or brushed aside by Apple's acoustic design engineers during the design of the product.

It is interesting and maybe just coincidental that the OG HomePod tested by has a small dip at 2000 Hz:

https://www.rtings.com/speaker/0-8/graph#1719/4553

This could be coincidental. Every speaker or headphone ever developed has these small deviations and nonlinearities. It's part of what defines the individual characteristics of each product. I don't think anyone would notice the slight dip, plus human hearing is typically most sensitive in the 3000Hz - 4000 Hz range, and again people hear complex sound, not individual sound components in isolation.

The fact that the HomePod mini also shows a dip at 2000 Hz makes me think that diffraction due to the touch panel is a total non-issue with the HomePod.

https://www.rtings.com/speaker/0-8/graph#19606/4553

The 2000 Hz dip is in all likelihood an artifact of Apple's audio processing, not the physical characteristics of the speaker. The lack of low bass on the mini is rather stark. Apple really should consider building a subwoofer to prop up the mini's weakness in this area.

tht

Looking at this teardown, I'm amazed they sell a HomePod for $300. Margins must be quite slim. That's one complicated speaker, complicated in construction and assembly, complicated in electronics, and a lot of parts.

muthuk_vanalingam

tht said:

Looking at this teardown, I'm amazed they sell a HomePod for $300. Margins must be quite slim. That's one complicated speaker, complicated in construction and assembly, complicated in electronics, and a lot of parts.

May be, to reduce the revenue dip in the quarterly earnings call? It is just speculation on my part at this point, If the Jan-Mar 2023 quarter is a blowout quarter, then this would turn out to be an extremely silly presumption on my part. On the other hand, if the next quarterly earnings is lower than corresponding quarter in the last year, then this could be the most logical explanation for launching the 2nd generation of HomePod after discontinuing the 1st generation. Only time will tell.

Xed

muthuk_vanalingam said:

tht said:

Looking at this teardown, I'm amazed they sell a HomePod for $300. Margins must be quite slim. That's one complicated speaker, complicated in construction and assembly, complicated in electronics, and a lot of parts.

May be, to reduce the revenue dip in the quarterly earnings call? It is just speculation on my part at this point, If the Jan-Mar 2023 quarter is a blowout quarter, then this would turn out to be an extremely silly presumption on my part. On the other hand, if the next quarterly earnings is lower than corresponding quarter in the last year, then this could be the most logical explanation for launching the 2nd generation of HomePod after discontinuing the 1st generation. Only time will tell.

Possibly, but I think it's more likely a combination of current unit-sales interest in their wireless speakers, the ideal target price for "smart" speakers (Amazon, at least, has made people think this tech is very inexpensive with their longtime loss-leaders), and that HomePod speakers are likely only purchased by users who are already deep into Apple devices (so it strengthens the ecosystem even if it doesn't increase its profit margin as much as their headphones at this point).