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Apple’s HomePod mini: The MacStories Overview

I have two HomePods: one in our living room and another in my office. They sound terrific, and I’ve grown to depend on the convenience of controlling HomeKit devices, adding groceries to my shopping list, checking the weather, and being able to ask Siri to pick something to play when I can’t think of anything myself. My office isn’t very big, though, and when rumors of a smaller HomePod surfaced, I was curious to see what Apple was planning.

Today, those plans were revealed during the event the company held remotely from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino. Apple introduced the HomePod mini, a diminutive $99 smart speaker that’s just 3.3 inches tall and 3.8 inches wide. In comparison, the original HomePod is 6.8 inches tall and 5.6 inches wide. At just .76 pounds, the mini is also considerably lighter than the 5.5-pound original HomePod.

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Apple’s October 13, 2020 Keynote: By the Numbers

As usual, Apple sprinkled facts, figures, and statistics throughout the keynote today. Here are highlights of some of those metrics from the event, which was held online from the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino, California.

HomePod mini

  • The HomePod mini is just 3.3 inches tall, 3.8 inches wide, and weighs .76 pounds (345 grams)
  • The mini analyzes your music to adjust playback dynamics 180 times/second
  • The tiny smart speaker features 360-degree sound using a custom acoustic waveguide
  • HomePod mini uses 99% recycled rare earth elements
  • The neodymium magnet in the speaker driver is made of 100% rare earth elements
  • The mesh fabric of the mini is made of 90% recycled plastic

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Apple’s iPhone 12 Lineup: The MacStories Overview

Today during its streamed event from Apple Park, Apple debuted its flagship iPhone 12 lineup consisting of four separate devices, the largest number of new models ever debuted at once:

  • iPhone 12 mini
  • iPhone 12
  • iPhone 12 Pro
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max

The iPhone 12 and 12 mini are the more affordable options, while the two Pro models add premium features, most notably better camera systems, at an additional cost. All four devices share a lot in common, however, such as the new A14 processor, support for 5G networking, a fresh physical design inspired by the iPad Pro, camera upgrades, support for new magnetic accessories, and more.

The iPhone 12 and 12 Pro will be available for pre-order this Friday, October 16 starting at $799 and $999, respectively, and ship on October 23. The iPhone 12 mini ($699) and 12 Pro Max ($1,099) won’t arrive until a few weeks later: their pre-orders open November 6 and they’ll arrive in customers’ hands on November 13.

Which model is right for you? Here’s a full overview of everything new for each device.

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Replay Apple’s October 13, 2020 Keynote and Other Videos

If you didn’t follow the live stream or announcements as they unfolded at the Steve Jobs Theater in Cupertino today, you can replay it on Apple’s Events site and catch the product videos on Apple’s YouTube channel.

The keynote video can be streamed here and on the Apple TV using the Apple Events app. A high-quality version is also available through Apple Podcasts as a video and audio podcast or you can watch it on YouTube. First debuted at the September event, there is also an American Sign Language version of the event, which is available here.

Apple also posted other product videos and a 51-second recap on its YouTube channel, which are embedded after the break.

You can follow all of our October event coverage through our October 2020 event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.

Apple Announces New iPhone and HomePod mini Availability

Today Apple announced the following preorder and availability dates for its iPhone 12 lineup:

  • iPhone 12
    • Preorder Date: October 16
    • Availability: October 23
  • iPhone 12 mini
    • Preorder Date: November 6
    • Availability: November 13
  • iPhone 12 Pro
    • Preorder Date: October 16
    • Availability: October 23
  • iPhone 12 Pro Max
    • Preorder Date: November 6
    • Availability: November 13

Apple also announced dates for the new HomePod mini:

  • Pre-order: November 6
  • Availability: the week of November 16

Today’s iPhone announcements continue what is shaping up to be an unusually spread out product release schedule. What wasn’t mentioned today are a launch date for the iPad Air, a release date for macOS Big Sur, or Apple Silicon Macs, the first of which Apple said at WWDC would be released before the end of the year. I suspect that, as a result, we’ll see one more Apple event in 2020, most likely in November.

You can follow all of our October event coverage through our October 2020 event hub, or subscribe to the dedicated RSS feed.

Ulysses: The Ultimate Writing App for Mac, iPad, and iPhone [Sponsor]

Ulysses is an extraordinary text editor for the Mac, iPad, and iPhone with an unparalleled set of advanced features and a beautiful design that received an Apple Design Award. What sets Ulysses apart from the pack is a carefully balanced set of advanced tools that writers appreciate in a refined, elegant, distraction-free UI that makes writing a pleasure.

No matter whether you’re writing at home, the office, or on-the-go, Ulysses is always there to help. The app includes fast and reliable sync, so you’ve always got what you need with you.

With the latest update, Ulysses has added grammar and style checking for over 20 languages, offering suggested changes for all sorts of issues. There’s also a special dashboard in the sidebar that includes statistics, keywords, footnotes, and an outline of the headings in your writing that provides a bird’s-eye view of your work and a way to navigate your document.

Ulysses’ Library sidebar brings order to your writing too, allowing you to organize it into groups that can be nested. The app also features powerful search and filtering options, keyword support, and in-line images that can be stored locally or remotely on a server.

Ulysses lets you set character, word, and other types of writing goals that can be attached to a single document or entire group. Goals can be combined with deadlines too, which is a fantastic way to form good writing habits.

When you’re finished writing, Ulysses has lots of export and publishing options too. Your work can be exported as plain text, Markdown, TextBundle, rich text, DOCX, ePub, HTML, and PDF and published using WordPress, Medium, or Ghost. To learn more about Ulysses, visit ulysses.app.

Ulysses is a free download and try before deciding whether to subscribe for $4.99/month or $39.99/year. Students can subscribe for six months at a time for $10.99. MacStories readers can take advantage of a special extended three-month free trial for a limited time. It’s a terrific way to discover the app’s full capabilities, so be sure to check out Ulysses’ new features right away.

Our thanks to Ulysses for sponsoring MacStories this week.

MacStories Unwind: Food Tracking, Time Tracking, and Text Editing, Plus Federico on His Review and American TV

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Sponsored by: CardioBot – Heart Rate and Activity Tracker

This week on MacStories Unwind:

MacStories

Club MacStories

  • MacStories Weekly
    • 11 more app Giveaways
    • A collection of apps with widgets
    • Ryan’s iPadOS 15 wishes
    • An interview with Markus Müller Simhofer, developer of MindNode

AppStories

Unwind

Apple Will Extend TV+ Free Trial and Announces Season 2 of Dickinson

9to5Mac reports that Apple is automatically extending the free trial for TV+ for existing customers. The free trial available to customers who purchased certain Apple products after September 2019 will be extended until February 2021, adding up to three months more for free. People who are paying monthly or annually for the video streaming service will be given an equivalent amount of store credit that can be used to purchase any content on the iTunes Store.

According to Benjamin Mayo of 9to5Mac:

These refunds and extensions will be automatically applied to user’s accounts, so customers won’t have to do anything at all to take advantage of Apple’s generosity. Email notifications will be sent out in the coming days.

Separately, Apple announced today that season two of Dickinson will begin on January 8, 2021, which anyone with the extended TV+ free trial will now be able to begin watching before signing up for a paid plan.

I’m not surprised that Apple is extending the TV+ free trial. TV shows from TV+ and other services have been interrupted worldwide due to the pandemic. By extending the free trial, Apple has a chance of hooking viewers on the second season of some of their favorite shows, making it more likely that they will stick around as paying customers after the trial expires.