While typically a champion of design and utility, Apple isn’t living up to its illustrious reputation these days. First, a dude’s AirPods blew up while he was working out, and now the company’s HomePod is facing some less explosive allegations. Apparently, Apple’s smart speaker is leaving white rings on some wood furniture. Someone call Martha Stewart, stat!
The $349 smark speaker has already been called out for being not so smart. Apparently, Siri is going to need to study a little harder if she’s going to catch up to Alexa or Google Assistant, neither of which leave unsightly stains on your furniture. We know Apple is all about branding, but literally branding customers’ furniture is maybe taking a things a step too far, don’t you think? At the very least, Apple has owned up to the he issue, which was surfaced by Twitter users and reviewers on Wirecutter and Pocket-Lint.
Apple updated the HomePod support page, claiming that it “is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces” and that “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 the stains persist, Apple says you should gently wipe the surface with a soft damp or dry cloth, or follow the furniture manufacturer's cleaning recommendations.
