Apple speakers
Apple Inc. has produced and sold numerous music and multimedia speakers, available for standalone purchase and bundled with Macintosh products.
AppleDesign Powered Speakers
Along with the PowerCD introduced in 1993, Apple released two versions of their desktop speakers: the AppleDesign Powered Speakers and the redesigned AppleDesign Powered Speakers II a year later. The original speakers came in platinum gray to match Apple's desktop line, while the second generation were curvier and also came in a darker gray color designed to match the PowerBook line and PowerCD. Both were powered with an AC adapter and could be attached to any audio output source, with two separate inputs for the computer and an external CD player. Both had a headphone jack in the front of one speaker along with the volume control and an optional subwoofer connection port on some models.
G4 Cube speakers
Apple bundled a pair of unnamed spherical speakers with the Power Mac G4 Cube, which was released on July 19, 2000. They used a custom USB interface that only worked with the G4 Cube and ADP monitors. They were created in partnership with Harman Kardon, and were enlarged versions of the Odyssey speakers built in to the iMac G3.[1][2][3]
Apple Pro Speakers
Apple Pro Speakers were introduced in January 2001 alongside the Power Mac G4 Digital Audio, based on the G4 Cube's spherical speakers with a new digital audio system, plastic grilles, and changed the connector to a proprietary minijack that provided both power and audio. They were available as a standalone purchase for $59 and bundled with some versions of the iMac G4.[2][3]
Harman Kardon SoundSticks and iSub
Apple announced the iSub in 1999, a 6-inch subwoofer produced in partnership with Harman Kardon, designed by Jony Ive.[4] It uses clear plastic to match the aesthetic of the iMac G3. It connected over USB.[5]
Harman Kardon and Apple next designed SoundSticks, which were introduced at the 2000 Macworld expo.[6] Apple led the industrial design and mechanical engineering to have them fit into its product family. They include a new revision of the iSub. They won an Industrial Design Excellence Awards gold award[7] and were featured on the cover of I.D. magazine. SoundSticks II were a minor upgrade, adding capacitive volume control buttons and a 3.5mm mini-jack input, replacing the previous USB input. SoundSticks III changed the styling slightly using black highlights and white lighting, instead of green and blue of the original SoundSticks and the SoundSticks II.[8] SoundSticks Wireless introduced Bluetooth.[9]
iPod Hi-Fi
iPod Hi-Fi is a speaker system that was released on February 28, 2006, for use with any iPod digital music player.[10] The iPod Hi-Fi retailed at the Apple Store for US$349 until its discontinuation on September 5, 2007.
HomePod
HomePod is a smart speaker, announced on June 5, 2017, its launch was later delayed from December 2017 to early 2018. Designed to accompany other Apple products such as the iPhone and Mac, the HomePod is designed to work with Apple Music to create a "new way for you to discover and interact with music at home," according to Apple marketers.[11] It incorporates beamforming and eight speakers and is sold in two colors: white and space gray.[12] It has a small touchscreen on its top, and seven tweeters in its base and a four-inch woofer towards the top, as well as six microphones used for voice control and acoustic optimization.[13] It runs an operating system known as "audioOS",[14] an iOS-based OS which is specifically designed for the HomePod speaker to play audio, run the Siri voice assistant and control the device's screen.
References
- "Harman/Kardon Mac Compatibility Guide". Low End Mac. 2001-05-31. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
- Steeber, Michael (2018-03-19). "Revisiting the forgotten history of obscure Apple accessories". 9to5Mac. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- Phin, Christopher; Contributor; hardware, Macworld | About | A. celebration of classic Apple; software (2015-12-08). "The best speakers 'Apple' ever made". Macworld. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- La, Lynn. "Jony Ive's 15 most iconic Apple products and designs". CNET. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- "Jobs Splits iMac Line over Digital Video". TidBITS. 1999-10-11. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- "Harman Kardon History". Archived from the original on 2015-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-25.
- "iSub: Gold, Consumer Products". Industrial Designers Society of America. Archived from the original on 2003-12-07. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- SoundSticks page Retrieved on 2011-08-11 Archived August 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- SoundSticks page Review: Harman Kardon SoundSticks Wireless at the Wayback Machine (archived April 4, 2016)
- "Apple Announces iPod Hi-Fi". Apple. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
- Apple inc. HomePod - Apple. Retrieved 2 February 2019
- "Everything about HomePod". iMore. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 2017-06-19.
- "This iFixit teardown shows the HomePod is built like a tank". The Verge. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-14.
- "Leaked audio files reveal HomePod's cool UI sounds - Cult of Mac". 1 August 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018.