Homepod found to stain surfaces
Apple says it’s not unusual, just wipe it off.
At least the sound isn’t wooden. The Apple HomePod sounds great, in fact.
At the same time, however, Apple’s $349 smart speaker has been tarnished for having a virtual voice-driven assistant Siri that isn’t as smart or useful as Alexa on Amazon Echo speakers or the Google Assistant on Google Home speakers.
And now there’s a very different kind of stain being directed at HomePod: It can leave a white ring on some wood furniture.
Apple has acknowledged the issue, which was first spotted by reviewers at Wirecutter and gadget site Pocket-Lint and by some users on Twitter.
John Birchman tweeted, “Wait, so Apple’s Home Pod is leaving marks on wood surfaces treated with oil or wax? Home Pod Coasters to hit the market in 3, 2, 1…”
Casey Fleser tweeted, “Remember iPod Socks? Coming soon HomePod Slippers!”
And this from Twitter user Guy San Francisco, who tweeted Saturday: “#homepod left rings on my wood furniture in less than 20 minutes of use. Thanks #apple I am glad a paid $400 to make perfect etched circles on my more expensive furniture. Guess I cannot move it now to cover up the mark. Evil geniuses you are.”
In an updated support page for the speaker on its website, Apple indicated that it “is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces,” adding that such “marks can be caused by oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface, and will often go away after several days when the speaker is removed from the wooden surface.”
Should the blemish remain, Apple suggests that you gently wipe the surface with a soft damp or dry cloth or to “clean the surface with the furniture manufacturer’s recommended cleaning process.”
But if all else fails, another suggestion is not likely to make Apple any friends: “placing your HomePod on a different surface.”