Apple also announced a voice-based Apple Music subscription for just $4.99 per month that is targeted toward HomePod users.
“HomePod mini sounds incredible, and with access to more than 90 million songs in the global Apple Music catalog and deep integration with your Apple devices, it’s the must-have smart speaker for iPhone users,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “With new vibrant colors, HomePod mini fits in even more places and delivers amazing sound, the power of Siri, and simple and secure smart home controls, all while protecting your privacy.”
HomePod mini uses computational audio to provide a rich and detailed acoustic experience and deliver peak performance. To achieve big sound out of such a compact design, the Apple S5 chip runs advanced software to analyze the unique characteristics of the music. It also applies complex tuning models to optimize loudness, adjust the dynamic range, and control the movement of the driver and passive radiators, all in real time. HomePod mini’s full-range driver, premium neodymium magnet, and pair of force-cancelling passive radiators enable it to produce deep bass and crisp high frequencies.
HomePod mini is designed to work with Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, thousands of radio stations including the award-winning Apple Music 1 station, and popular music services like Pandora, Deezer, and others
The company also introduced the Apple Music Voice Plan, a new subscription tier for Apple Music designed around the power of Siri. The Apple Music Voice Plan offers subscribers access to the service’s catalog of 90 million songs; tens of thousands of playlists, including hundreds of brand new mood and activity playlists, personalized mixes, and genre stations; as well as Apple Music Radio — all through Siri for just $4.99 per month. A regular Apple Music subscription is $9.99 per month.
With the intelligence of Siri, HomePod mini delivers a personalized and deeply integrated experience for iPhone customers. Siri can recognize the voices of up to six different household members, tailor music and podcasts to their preferences, and respond to personal requests, like reading their messages, reminders, notes, and calendar appointments, or making and answering phone calls. Siri also provides users a personal update for a quick snapshot of their day. Users can ask “Hey Siri, what’s my update?” to hear the latest news, weather, traffic, reminders, and calendar appointments with a single request.
The Apple Music Voice Plan will be available later this fall in 17 countries and regions, including Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
