Earlier this year, Apple released a $349 HomePod smart speaker which was well accepted in the market and has been receiving good reviews until a setback was recently detected. When Apple’s Homepod speaker is placed on a grease wooden surface, the vibration from the sound causes the silicone under the speaker to react with the surface thereby leaving behind a white circular stain after the speaker is removed from that spot. Although Apple has acknowledged this problem, the company did not provide any viable solution other than advising users to avoid placing this speaker on a wooden surface. In all honesty, users should not have a restriction for a $349 device.
Experts from the smart speaker manufacturing industry have strongly criticized the manufacturing and testing process of Apple’s HomePod which shows some level of unprofessionalism.
Ignazio Moresco, a former product design specialist for Microsoft and Ericsson, said
A consultant for product development, Gregor Berkowitz, outrightly questioned Apple’s professionalism in the manufacturing and testing process. The fact that speakers are mostly placed on shelves which in most cases are made from wood means that this will be a problem for many users although reports have it that mostly greasewood is affected. It seems that Apple will sort out the problem but this will take many weeks.
