2023 HomePod Coming Soon to Apple's Refurbished Store for $249
Apple today added the second-generation HomePod to its refurbished store in the U.S., but it is not yet possible to place an order. The refurbished models will be available in Midnight or White for $249, compared to $299 brand new.
Apple says certified refurbished HomePods undergo full functionality testing, and are inspected, cleaned, and repackaged in a plain white box with the power cord and documentation. The refurbished HomePods are covered by Apple's limited one-year warranty policy and are eligible for extended AppleCare+ coverage.
Introduced in January 2023, the second-generation HomePod has a similar design as the full-size HomePod that was discontinued in 2021, but with a larger backlit touch surface and some internal changes, including two fewer tweeters and two fewer microphones compared to the original. The second-generation HomePod also features the S7 chip like the Apple Watch Series 7 for "more advanced computational audio," a U1 chip for handing off audio from an iPhone, and an indoor temperature and humidity sensor.
It's unclear exactly when the refurbished HomePods will be available, but orders will likely start to be accepted at any point in the next few weeks.
(Thanks, Ryan Gregg!)
Popular Stories
The first benchmark results for the standard M3 chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a closer look at the chip's CPU performance improvements. Based on the results so far, the M3 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 3,000 and 11,700, respectively. The standard M2 chip has single-core and multi-core scores of around 2,600 and 9,700, respectively, so the...
Apple appears to be internally testing an iOS 17.1.1 update for the iPhone, based on evidence of the software in our website's analytics logs this week. iOS 17.1.1 will almost certainly be focused on bug fixes, but it's unclear exactly which issues the update will address. The update could include the same fix for Wi-Fi connectivity issues that Apple rolled out in the first iOS 17.2 beta,...
Apple's latest M3 Pro chip in the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro has 25% less memory bandwidth than the M1 Pro and M2 Pro chips used in equivalent models from the two previous generations. Based on the latest 3-nanometer technology and featuring all-new GPU architecture, the M3 series of chips is said to represent the fastest and most power-efficient evolution of Apple silicon thus far. ...
Apple today released a new firmware update designed for the AirTag item trackers. The firmware features a build number of 2A61, up from the 2A36 firmware that came out last December. It has been nearly a year since Apple updated the firmware on the AirTags, and there is no word yet on what might be included in the update. Today's firmware release will be rolling out on a staggered basis....
The first benchmark results for Apple's M3 Max chip surfaced in the Geekbench 6 database today, providing a look at CPU performance. Based on the "Mac15,9" model identifier shown, the results appear to be for the new 16-inch MacBook Pro. The highest multi-core score for the M3 Max with a 16-core CPU is currently 21,084 as of writing. If this early result is accurate, this means the M3 Max is ...
Apple made the first beta of iOS 17.2 available to developers and public beta testers last week, and the software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones. Below, we have highlighted 10 of these new features and changes. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in December. Once available, the update can be installed in the Settings app under General → Software...
Macs equipped with the standard M3 chip still support only one external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz, according to Apple's tech specs. So far, the chip is available in the entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 24-inch iMac. This limitation has existed since the first Apple silicon Macs with the M1 chip were released in 2020, but users can connect multiple external displays to...
The lower-cost Apple Music Voice Plan is being discontinued this month in the U.S. and all other countries where it was available, according to an Apple support document. Brazilian website MacMagazine was first to alert us to this news. "Beginning in November, Apple will discontinue the Apple Music Voice plan," said Apple. "We are focused on delivering the best, most robust music experience...
Top Rated Comments
the M2 MBPs were introduced a month before 2nd-gen HomePods and are also available refurb as of less than two weeks ago
https://www.macrumors.com/2023/05/08/refurbished-macbook-pro-m2-pro-m2-max/
I literally do not understand the dogpiling on this product around MR—haven’t since first-gen and still don’t