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How Should Apple Have Handled the HomePod Ring-Staining Issue?
And at least one guy is having Olympics-inspired fun with it
Years ago as a freelancer, I was working on a countertop pump bottle for a client. I'd observed that in my own home, the liquid soap pump bottle on my bathroom sink left a dirty ring beneath it; this was because water from your wet hands slowly dripped down the bottle's surface, gathering dust as it went before settling around the base. I suggested to the client we pursue a new design to prevent this. The client didn't care and looked at me like I was crazy. I suppose that's the curse of being an industrial designer.
I thought of this as the recent brouhaha has unfolded with Apple's HomePod speaker. For those unfamiliar, the speaker is designed with a silicone base that, through simple gravity, forms a seal with whatever smooth surface it's placed upon.
Enter a caption (optional)This purposeful design feature creates better resonance for the bass, and The Wirecutter has called it "the best-sounding smart speaker we've ever heard." Pocket-Lint wrote that the HomePod "sounds great wherever we've put it. Up against the wall, in a corner, in the middle of the room all produce the same performance." So Apple nailed the sound.
But they nailed the sound at the expense of something else. Silicone does not react well with certain finishes on wood, and both The Wirecutter, Pocket-Lint and a crapload of people on Twitter have noted that the HomePod produces a seemingly permanent white ring on their finished wood surfaces.
— Phil Nickinson (@mdrndad) February 14, 2018 ">iDevice accessories manufacturer Pad & Quill quickly capitalized on the furor, releasing a $20 Leather HomePod Coaster:
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Enter a caption (optional)That, however, is not a good idea. Pocket-Lint noted that when they tried using a coaster between the speaker and the surface to prevent leaving rings, "That then caused a drop in the quality, presumably because it doesn't resonate as effectively."
Whether you're familiar with woodworking or not, at some point you've surely placed a hot drink on a wooden surface and caused a permanent ring. I have a vintage sidetable that the previous owner ruined by leaving a potted plant atop it. The only way to remove rings like this is to re-sand the surface and re-oil it, which is a huge pain in the ass. Woodworkers know this, it's the reason coasters were invented, and we are careful with what we place on our finished surfaces.
Your average consumer, however, is not a woodworker. The layperson cannot be expected to know that silicone reacts with say, Danish oil. If they purchase a $350 object, it's reasonable for them to expect said object would not mar a piece of furniture just by sitting on it. So the first thing I wonder is how this missed Apple's attention during the design and testing process.
Years ago we wrote up Apple's anechoic audio testing chamber. It looked like this:
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Enter a caption (optional)Apple built a new one to test the HomePod out in. It looks like this:
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Enter a caption (optional)As you can see, they've got it on a wooden table. I can't say with certainty but I'm assuming the tabletop had to be finished. Assuming it was, it means either a) No one noticed the ring left by the speaker, which I have a hard time believing, or b) whoever did notice the ring didn't think it was an issue. I also find it hard to believe they did not do any real-world testing, where someone surely would've noticed the ring issue.
In short, Apple screwed up. I don't think this is another BS "bendgate," I think this is a legitimate design flaw. How should Apple have responded? After the ring story started circulated, they updated their HomePod support page with the following:
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.
It seems obvious that they're not going to change the design--gods only know how much money they've invested here--and they're certainly not going to do a product recall.
Apple haters aside, I recognize that Apple draws extra fire because we have high expectations of them; they used to get so many things so very right. Unfair as it is, I hold them to a higher standard because I became spoiled when they were masters of UX; I remember when their product ecosystem worked seamlessly for me, at a time when PC's stymied me.
So: How do you think Apple missed the rings, and what do you think they should do next?
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Comments
My guess would be "Silo'd" departments. The engineering team was doing the testing on the table in the audio chamber, they only cared about audio quality.
The marketing teams did the user feedback "real world" testing. and they only cared about audio quality.
If design noticed it at all, they may have told someone, but since all the departments don't talk much, it slipped through.
Just a guess
This sounds totally plausible, as I've seen similar failures to communicate when I was working corporate. I'm guessing you've nailed it.
Idiots. They probably only tested their exorbitantly overpriced Alexa on "aluminium".
I suppose that they didn’t test with multiple finishes. There are types of polyurethane that won’t show rings for nearly anything. I’d bet on that. Industrial furniture tends to get more durable finish than home stuff.
I'd forsee Apple quietly putting in a fix even cloth is too sensitive?
It seems like a hard coaster should fix the problem. If anything a hard coaster with a soft bottom should help to decouple the speaker from the table and improve sound quality.
This was my thought too. Maybe a slab of nice hardwood that can get stained would work?
What would the soft bottom be made out of? Pocket-Lint reported that using a coaster spoiled the sound quality.