Opening up the new HomePod is a lot easier than opening the previous model.
The woofer in the HomePod is something to behold; you can see it in action in the video.
iFixit found a large heatsink.
iFixit has published a short video of a teardown of the new, second-generation HomePod that launched on February 3 for $299. There’s perhaps not as much to see as there is in an iPhone or Mac teardown, but the important thing is that it’s relatively good news for repair shops or users who want to go the DIY repair route.
When iFixit did its first teardown of the original HomePod, it was an ugly sight—plastic pieces stuck together required prying, and pieces had to be destroyed to get in at all. The original video was a bit comical to watch for how extreme the process was—Apple clearly did not intend anyone but its own technicians to open the device.
People eventually figured out better ways to do it, but it was never simple or easy. The discontinuation of that first HomePod was surely welcome news for a lot of fixers.
Fortunately, the story is a lot rosier with the second-generation HomePod that launched a week ago. It turns out that this time, you just have to remove a few screws and pry—Apple abandoned the adhesive-heavy approach seen in the first HomePod. It’s still something only experienced fixers should do, but it’s a huge improvement over the prior model.
iFixit’s HomePod teardown
Once inside, iFixit found an enormous heat sink and postulated that it was there to keep high temperatures from distorting the sound. iFixit also located the humidity sensor and determined that it was the same one in the HomePod mini.
All told, iFixit deemed much easier to service than the first HomePod, but noted that there’s still testing to do regarding any possible software locks that make things more complicated than they need to be.
Listing image by iFixit
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Samuel Axon