The second-gen HomePod is an interesting upgrade over its predecessor, boasting a handful of new or improved features and an almost reasonable price. But Apple failed to mention one of the HomePod’s biggest upgrades—a significantly more repairable design.
A new iFixit teardown video shows that the HomePod 2 is mainly held together with screws. It’s a huge departure from the original model, which was cemented with glue and nearly impossible to take apart.
This new design makes HomePod repairs a more realistic option for the average person. All you need to do is remove the mesh grille (which is more like a pair of pantyhose than a proper grille), pop out a half dozen screw covers, and move on to disassembly.
Internally, the HomePod 2 is basically identical to its forebear. Everything’s thrown together in the same order, though there are fewer tweeters. Plus, Apple added a temperature and humidity sensor, which appears to be the same module from the HomePod Mini.
I should also note that the HomePod 2 has an easily-removable power cable. Its predecessor’s power cable was also removable, but only with a ridiculous amount of force. (For this reason, many people assume that the original HomePod’s power cable is not removable or replaceable.)
It’s good to see Apple embrace a more repairable HomePod design. Of course, the company doesn’t deserve any praise for this. The HomePod is a large desktop speaker, not a tiny portable product like this iPhone—it should be relatively easy to disassemble and repair.
Apple HomePod (2nd Gen)
The updated HomePod offers an improved sound quality, plus support for the Matter smart home standard and a set of integrated temperature and humidity sensors.
Source: iFixit
