Apple’s HomePod mini is designed to be a smaller version of the HomePod smart speaker. It also acts as a hub for HomeKit users who want to use their voice to control various HomeKit connected smart home objects like lights, kitchen appliances, smart locks, and more. However, it seems that Apple could have designed it to do more.
According to a report from Bloomberg, it seems that the HomePod mini actually hides a couple of sensors that weren’t advertised by the company. This includes a room temperature and humidity sensor. This has since been corroborated by the folks at iFixit during the teardown of the device.
What this means is that in addition to everything else that Apple has advertised about the HomePod mini, it could actually do more. Right now, the gadget has no way to measure the temperature or the humidity of the room, but in theory, the sensors could be activated through a software update.
It is unclear why Apple has included the sensors but not activated them. Some have speculated that maybe they are meant to be used as safety sensors to detect overheating, but the placement is a bit weird. Either way, hopefully this is something that Apple will unlock in a future update.
Filed in . Read more about Connected Objects, HomeKit, HomePod, Homepod Mini, IoT (Internet of Things) and Speakers. Source: 9to5mac