New HomePod Can Still Stain Some Wooden Surfaces

When the original HomePod launched in 2018, it was discovered that the speaker can leave white rings on some wooden surfaces. Now, well-known YouTuber Marques Brownlee has confirmed that the issue persists to a lesser extent with the new HomePod.

In a side-by-side test, he showed that the white second-generation HomePod left a white ring on the wooden surface that he placed the speaker on, although the stain was fainter and took longer to appear than the one under the original HomePod.

In a support document first published in 2018, Apple acknowledged that speakers with vibration-damping silicone bases can leave mild marks on some wooden surfaces as a result of oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface:

It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces. 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. If you’re concerned about this, we recommend placing your HomePod on a different surface.

Apple has yet to update the support document to mention the second-generation HomePod. The issue does not affect the HomePod mini.

Check out our HomePod review roundup for additional impressions of the speaker ahead of its launch on Friday. Most reviews said the new HomePod sounds very similar or virtually equal to the original model, and noted that many of Siri's shortcomings when the HomePod first launched in 2018 have since been resolved. Nevertheless, Siri still lags behind competitors like Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant in some areas.