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Opening the new HomePod is much easier than opening the previous model.
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The HomePod’s woofer is a sight to behold. You can see it in action in the video.
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iFixit found a big heatsink.
iFixit released a short teardown video of the new 2nd Gen HomePod, which launched on February 3rd for $299. There may not be much to see than an iPhone or Mac teardown, but the important thing is that it’s relatively good news for repair shops and users who want to go the DIY repair route.
When iFixit first took the first HomePod apart, it looked ugly. It had a piece of plastic stuck to it that had to be pried open and had to be broken to get inside. The original video was a bit comical seeing how extreme the process was. Apple clearly never intended the device to be opened by anyone other than their own technicians.
People finally figured out a better way to do it, but it was never simple or easy. That first HomePod discontinuation was certainly welcome news for many fixers. .
Fortunately, the story is much more optimistic with the second-generation HomePod, which launched a week ago. This time it turned out to be just a matter of removing a few screws and prying them open, as Apple has abandoned the glue-heavy approach seen with the first HomePod. As it should be, it is a significant improvement over the previous model.
iFixit HomePod Teardown
Once inside, iFixit found a massive heat sink, which it assumed was there to prevent sound distortion due to high temperatures. iFixit also located the humidity sensor and determined it was the same one as the HomePod mini.
Overall, iFixit thought the service was much easier than the first HomePod, but said it still needed testing for software locks that could complicate it more than necessary.
Listing image by iFixit
