Apple IPhone 12 Launch Event Live: HomePod Mini Launched At $99

The Apple event has begun with company CEO Tim Cook announcing the new HomePod mini first. This is a more affordable version of the HomePod smart speaker, which is powered by Siri.

The HomePod mini is a lot smaller than the HomePod, as the name suggests. Keep refreshing this page for all the latest updates live from the Apple event.

Here’s how you can watch the iPhone 12 launch event live stream.

HomePod mini

The HomePod mini has the S5 processor designed by Apple. The company says HomePod mini has computational audio technology to optimise the sound for your room. The company spent a lot of time touting the sound quality of this device, which will be interesting to test. When you place two HomePod mini devices in the same room, they’ll “intelligently become a stereo pair”, Apple said. Later this year Apple says the iPhone’s U1 ultra wideband chip will interact with the HomePod mini to provide haptic feedback and seamless audio handoff. HomePod mini supports Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and third-party services such as iHeartRadio, TuneIn, and Amazon Music.

Siri is a big part of the HomePod experience, and with the HomePod mini, Apple is claiming that Siri is better than before. Using Siri HomePod mini can give you a quick summary of your day, if you ask it to give you an update. Siri can also recognise voices of other members of your household, according to Apple. This device also has lots of smart home features, which depend on you having accessories that support Apple’s HomeKit. Another interesting feature of the HomePod mini is intercom that lets you create a quick home intercom system to play messages in HomePod mini devices across your home. 

HomePod mini is priced at $99 in the US and will be available starting November 6.

iPhone 12 specifications (expected)

This time around, all new iPhones could ship with OLED displays. The iPhone 12 mini is rumoured to have a 5.4-inch display, while the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro could feature a 6.1-inch screen. The iPhone 12 Pro Max could ship with a 6.7-inch display. All smartphones will ship with iOS 14 out of the box, along with the A14 Bionic SoC, which we’ve already seen in the new iPad Air. All new iPhones are expected to support 15W wireless charging support and this standard could be called MagSafe.