#ringgate: How To Prevent White Ring Stains On Wood Surfaces From The Apple HomePod
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 09: General view at the launch of the HomePod at the Apple Store on February 9, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Apple's latest innovation, released in the US, UK and Australia today, is a smart speaker and digital assistant in one that can be used to play music and handle everyday tasks and control your smart home with compatible devices. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
As I mentioned in my reviews round-up, it was Stuart Miles, founder of Pocket-lint, who first discovered the issue.
Stuart noticed that when his HomePod review sample was stood on an oiled oak surface, it quickly left a white ring mark underneath which later subsided but didn’t vanish.
The ring, not unlike that left by a glass standing on a wooden table instead of the coaster everyone knows it really should be astride, was also noticed by other reviewers and by some HomePod customers. Forbes contributor Paul Lamkin picked up the story earlier today. And it should be noted that this is not a phenomenon unique to Apple - some Sonos users are finding similar marks under the Sonos One speaker.
Like Paul, I had no issue with my review HomePod standing on wood, and it's still only a tiny minority of HomePod owners who have come across this issue. None the less, it’s important to take precautions to avoid this situation. Apple has said it is ‘not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces.’
So, how do you prevent the problem before it happens?
Apple HomePod in white.
A Cloth Won’t Do
As Stuart’s colleague Elyse Betters notes that it’s not as simple as putting the speaker on a cloth as the engineering design that’s gone into the speaker means that the tweeters fire outwards and downwards, so a soft material will absorb the sound in a not-so-good way.
Design Matters
By the same token, just plonking it on a plate, say, though potentially solving some sound reflectivity issue, and assuming it’s not shaped so it causes other audio conflicts, really won’t do.
This is one of the most beautifully designed music speakers ever, and indeed it has been engineered to there are no visible pucks or legs underneath it. And a plate? It’s a speaker, not a plant pot, you know.
Pad & Quill Leather HomePod Coaster
Coasters
The answer, perhaps is to do with the glass ring issue mentioned above. You sort that with a coaster, so why not use one here? And as if it had been waiting for just this moment, Pad & Quill, manufacturers of leather iPhone X wallets, Apple Watch cuffs and other artisan-made durable goods, has now revealed a $19.95 solution: the Pad & Quill Leather HomePod Coaster.
It comes in two colors, Whiskey and Chestnut. Now, leaving aside the fact that brown is about the only color in which Apple never makes its products, suggesting black leather may have been more suitable, the four-inch circumference pad has attractive contrast stitching, and promises ‘minimalist design with maximum protection’.
The company clearly knows its purpose here, saying,’You’ll love it, but don’t put a ring on it.’ Clever. It’s available from padandquill.com.
It fits almost unseen under the HomePod. You may feel that an extra $20 on top of the price of the HomePod is a bit rich or, more likely, that you really shouldn’t need to have an extra layer under the speaker itself, but it’s a cunning solution.
Though, personally, I just wouldn’t put it on a wood surface…
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">The Apple HomePod has been almost unanimously praised for its spectacular audio chops, but the latest chatter about the smart speaker is all to do with its silicone feet.
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 09: General view at the launch of the HomePod at the Apple Store on February 9, 2018 in Sydney, Australia. Apple's latest innovation, released in the US, UK and Australia today, is a smart speaker and digital assistant in one that can be used to play music and handle everyday tasks and control your smart home with compatible devices. (Photo by James D. Morgan/Getty Images)
As I mentioned in my reviews round-up, it was Stuart Miles, founder of Pocket-lint, who first discovered the issue.
Stuart noticed that when his HomePod review sample was stood on an oiled oak surface, it quickly left a white ring mark underneath which later subsided but didn’t vanish.
The ring, not unlike that left by a glass standing on a wooden table instead of the coaster everyone knows it really should be astride, was also noticed by other reviewers and by some HomePod customers. Forbes contributor Paul Lamkin picked up the story earlier today. And it should be noted that this is not a phenomenon unique to Apple - some Sonos users are finding similar marks under the Sonos One speaker.
Like Paul, I had no issue with my review HomePod standing on wood, and it's still only a tiny minority of HomePod owners who have come across this issue. None the less, it’s important to take precautions to avoid this situation. Apple has said it is ‘not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces.’
So, how do you prevent the problem before it happens?
Apple HomePod in white.
A Cloth Won’t Do
As Stuart’s colleague Elyse Betters notes that it’s not as simple as putting the speaker on a cloth as the engineering design that’s gone into the speaker means that the tweeters fire outwards and downwards, so a soft material will absorb the sound in a not-so-good way.
Design Matters
By the same token, just plonking it on a plate, say, though potentially solving some sound reflectivity issue, and assuming it’s not shaped so it causes other audio conflicts, really won’t do.
This is one of the most beautifully designed music speakers ever, and indeed it has been engineered to there are no visible pucks or legs underneath it. And a plate? It’s a speaker, not a plant pot, you know.
Pad & Quill Leather HomePod Coaster
Coasters
The answer, perhaps is to do with the glass ring issue mentioned above. You sort that with a coaster, so why not use one here? And as if it had been waiting for just this moment, Pad & Quill, manufacturers of leather iPhone X wallets, Apple Watch cuffs and other artisan-made durable goods, has now revealed a $19.95 solution: the Pad & Quill Leather HomePod Coaster.
It comes in two colors, Whiskey and Chestnut. Now, leaving aside the fact that brown is about the only color in which Apple never makes its products, suggesting black leather may have been more suitable, the four-inch circumference pad has attractive contrast stitching, and promises ‘minimalist design with maximum protection’.
The company clearly knows its purpose here, saying,’You’ll love it, but don’t put a ring on it.’ Clever. It’s available from padandquill.com.
It fits almost unseen under the HomePod. You may feel that an extra $20 on top of the price of the HomePod is a bit rich or, more likely, that you really shouldn’t need to have an extra layer under the speaker itself, but it’s a cunning solution.
Though, personally, I just wouldn’t put it on a wood surface…
If you enjoyed this story, you might also like these:
Week In Wearables: Nokia Ponders Wearables, Apple Watch Skyrockets, Movement Powers Gadgets
Apple CEO Reveals Watch Business Approaching Fortune 300-Size Company
How To Buy Apple Watch Series 3 For $50 Less - Refurbished, Direct From Apple
Ten Things Nobody Has Told You About The Apple HomePod (Updated: This Post Now Goes To 11!)
Apple Watch, Even The First One, May Be Able To Detect Signs Of Diabetes
Apple HomePod Definitive Review: Hey, Siri, You Sound Spectacular, But Is That Enough?
Apple HomePod Reviews Roundup: Irreproachably Good Audio, Mixed Verdicts On Smarts (Updated)
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidphelan/2018/02/15/ringgate-how-to-prevent-white-ring-stains-on-wood-surfaces-from-the-apple-homepod/