Apple’s new HomePod Internet-connected speaker may leave white rings when placed on wooden surfaces that have been stained with certain oil or wax finishes.
That’s one of the takeaways from two in-depth reviews the HomePod, which went on sale last week for $350.
A review by gadget review site Wirecutter on Wednesday, noted that the Apple HomePod “left a defined white ring” on an “oiled butcher-block countertop” and a wood table. The reviewer wrote, “This really undermines the design aspect of the HomePod—especially if you were thinking of displaying it on some prized piece of furniture—and it will surely be a sore point for many potential buyers.”
Apple responded that the white blemishes should “improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface.” In the case that the white rings don’t fade, Apple recommends “cleaning the surface with the manufacturer’s suggested oiling method.”
Apple’s HomePod sounds excellent, but its can feel limited next to other smart speakers—Oh, and also it leaves white rings on wood surfaces. https://t.co/7UhQDmKnYK pic.twitter.com/rQJQoLAGzM
— NYT Wirecutter (@wirecutter) February 14, 2018
Gadget news and reviews website Pocket-Lint also noticed last week in its review that a white ring formed within 20 minutes after the reviewer placed the HomePod on an oak wood table that was finished with Danish oil. Despite fading over several days, the reviewer could still see the blemish.
No white rings formed when the Pocket-Lint reviewer placed the HomePod on a non-Danish wood treated version of the same woodtop and a “regular lacquered desk.”
From the review:
When questioned, Apple told us it was “not unusual” for a speaker with a silicone base to leave a “mild mark” when placed on certain oil or wax based wood finished surfaces, suggesting the marks are caused by oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface.
Pocket-Lint said that its staff now has to “sand and then re-oil our worktop” to remove the blemish.
Fortune contacted Apple for more information and to ask whether future versions of the HomePod will be designed to eliminate the circles from forming.
Earlier reviews of the HomePod noted the smart speaker’s impressive sound when compared to the Google Home and Amazon Echo speakers, although Consumer Reports said the HomePod’s sound quality trails the Sonos One and the Google Home Max.
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Still, sound quality appears to be in the ear of the beholder, as the Wirecutter said that the HomePod sounds better than the Google Home Max and Sonos One and “is the best-sounding smart speaker we’ve heard.”
