I’d buy a couple of HomePod minis IF I could do ‘true’ stereo sharing on my Mac — Apple World Today

Why? The macOS doesn’t natively support AirPlay 2, which is ridiculous.

I’ve reached out to Apple to see if this would change with macOS Big Sur. So far, all I’ve heard is the sound of silence.

(BTW, AirPlay 2 is Apple’s followup to the original AirPlay Wi-Fi-based music playback standard. While Sonos popularized Wi-Fi-based multi-room audio playback, Bluetooth became ubiquitous, and multi-platform Wi-Fi audio standards spread in popularity, Apple lacked a competing story until AirPlay 2.)

The HomePod mini is 3.3 inches tall and, like its big brother, will be available in  white and space gray. It works with the iPhone to hand off music, answer calls, or deliver personalized listening suggestions, elevates the sound from Apple TV, plays music from a Mac, and more, according to Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. It will cost US$99 and be preordered starting Friday, Nov. 6.

The HomePod mini features an Apple-designed acoustic waveguide to direct the flow of sound down and out toward the bottom of the speaker for a 360-degree audio experience. This allows customers to place a HomePod mini almost anywhere in a room and hear consistent sound. A three-microphone array listens for “Hey Siri,” and a fourth inward-facing microphone helps isolate sound coming from the speaker to improve voice detection when music is playing.

(Dennis Sellers has been covering the Apple industry since 1996. In addition to“Apple World Today,” he also runs his own freelance writing/editing service. If you want more info about the latter, email him at dennis.sellers@comcast.net.)