Instead of the Apple-branded power plug that was used in the original model, the second generation HomePod features a fully detachable power cord.
- What’s happening? Reviewers who tried the second generation HomePod found the Siri-powered speaker to have a completely detachable power cable.
- Why care? If your HomePod cable breaks, you can now use a replacement instead of sending your speaker to Apple for service.
- What to do? If the original cable breaks, use any figure-of-eight cable as a replacement.
Now you can easily replace your HomePod’s power cable.
The original HomePod came with a matching color braided power cord. Unfortunately, it came with a proprietary plug for reasons known only to Apple engineers. It was difficult for people to remove the cable without using force. Worse, if it breaks, you can’t just replace it with the ubiquitous power cord.
Apple was very worried about this, so you may be pleased to know that the second generation model, released on January 18, 2023, features a fully detachable power cord. The power cord on the new HomePod is still braided and color matched like the original model, but you can now replace it with any of the ubiquitous power cords with the traditional figure-of-eight plug.
“I replaced the included braided cord with the ubiquitous black power cable from another product and HomePod worked just fine,” writes Chris Welch in his HomePod review on The Verge.
That way, if the original cable breaks, you can replace it without sending your HomePod to Apple. You will no longer have the round cap on the original cable that completely covers the hole, but that’s a small price to pay for convenience.