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Homehub is the destroyer of wooden objects

by on15 February 2018


Don't stick it on your desk or anywhere useful

Apple's overpriced, overhyped speakers have a feature that Amazon, and Google don't – they destroy anything wooden they are placed on.

Apple's has admitted that new not-so-smart speakers can discolour wooden surfaces, leaving a white mark where they are placed, the firm has acknowledged.

The US company has suggested that owners may have to re-oil furniture if the HomePod is moved. Apple updated its help page to suggest "placing your HomePod on a different surface" if customers were concerned.

"It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces", the company said.

"The 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.

"If not, wiping the surface gently with a soft damp or dry cloth may remove the marks. If marks persist, clean the surface with the furniture manufacturer's recommended cleaning process."

However the Tame Apple Press is rather shocked particularly after it had spent so much time telling their readers that the sound quality of the speakers was good and the device was worth the money spent. 

Gadget review site Pocket-Lint told the BBC it had never seen anything like this problem. Stuart Miles said the speaker left a mark on his kitchen worktop within 20 minutes. "To clear it, I had to sand the wood down and then re-oil it."

The problem has also been experienced by a New York Times review and the 9to5Mac news site as well as by at least one member of the public.

To be clear it is not a common problem with speakers at all. What Jobs' Mob is calling a "vibration-dampening silicone base" the rest of the world calls plastic feet. Most speakers have them and they do not damage wood.  

It means you cannot put your speaker on your desk, or table top, shelves or a wooden floor, making the HomeHub even more of a chocolate teapot.

 

 

 

 

Last modified on 15 February 2018
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