Apple has announced the launch of a new version of its HomePod Mini smart speaker in a new “midnight” color scheme. The dark color variant looks very similar to the original space gray that the Mini launched in, but the new nomenclature aligns it with the midnight HomePod second-gen that was launched in 2023. The latest smart speaker will be up for grabs on July 17 in the US ( still for $99) and 31 other countries.
The HomePod Mini only came in two colors — space gray and white — initially, but the company later added yellow, orange, and blue. Apple claims the new Mini is made with 100 percent recycled mesh. Until now, the smart speaker’s mesh has used 90 percent recycled material.
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Black HomePod Mini Smart Speaker Specifications
The price, features, and general appearance of the new Mini appear to remain the same. The smart speaker is still equipped with Siri and can sense temperature and humidity. Users will be able to use it as an intercom when they have multiple Siri-enabled speakers, and it can detect when a smoke or carbon monoxide alarm is going off and alert them through their iPhones.
Sound recognition on all Apple HomePod smart speakers comes in handy during such instances. It will send an alert to users on their iPhones when the speaker hears a smoke or CO alarm. Users can then check in through the Home app and hear what’s going on or wherever the user is.
This important safety feature is free and easy to enable. If users already own one or more HomePods, it’s a cheaper option than investing in smart smoke alarms, which will also send alerts when they go off but regularly cost three to four times more than non-connected alarms.
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Apple Users Can Now Enjoy Retro PC Games With PC Emulator
Apple’s iPhones have always been positioned as a closed ecosystem. However, this seems to be changing slowly. Now, Apple has approved a PC emulator dubbed UTM SE for iPhones, which is a testament to the same. The app allows users to run full versions of Windows and Linux directly on iPhones, allowing users to play retro games and apps.
The fact that UTM SE is free to use makes the whole deal even better. The developer offers resources for users to download several computer OS, including Linux, Windows, and even macOS. The PC emulator allows users to create a new virtual machine, and boot into the existing one with an option to download pre-built machines from the UTM gallery.