Early adopters of Apple’s new £319 HomePod smart speaker have started complaining that the “new sound of home” is leaving white ring marks on wooden surfaces that are difficult to remove.
One user tweeted Apple that the new speaker left “etched circles” on their wooden furniture within 20 minutes of use, while others found the speaker left deeper and more obvious marks in several places and on several different types of wooden surface.
#homepod left rings on my wood furniture in less than 20 minutes of use. Thanks #apple I am glad a paid $400 to make perfect etched circles on my more expensive furniture. Guess I can not move it now to cover up the mark. Evil geniuses you are. #applesupport pic.twitter.com/eZng16barS
— Guy San Francisco (@Guyinsf415) February 10, 2018
Product reviewers, including Stuart Miles from technology site Pocket Lint and Jon Chase from the New York Times’ Wirecutter also noted marks also appearing on some surfaces to varying degrees, which faded but not disappear over time.
The Guardian found that the HomePod did not leave marks on glass, Formica or plastic-coated reconstituted wood commonly used in flat-pack furniture.
Apple said in a support page: “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.”
The company suggests the marks can be remedied by wiping the wood down with a soft damp or dry cloth, but failing that, the surface will need to be cleaned or resurfaced.
also, here’s my subtle HomePod ring. please don’t tell me to oil my wood pic.twitter.com/4gE452qtUB
— Federico Viticci (@viticci) February 14, 2018
The issue appears to be related to the oils and surface polish in the wood reacting negatively with the silicone foot on the bottom of the 2.5kg speaker. The speaker requires a flat and solid surface in order to function correctly. Placing it on a coaster or mat negatively affects the audio quality, diminishing the bass response of the speaker – one of its key selling points.
Other speakers, including Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home, do not appear to leave similar marks, despite having rubber feet or pads. But at least one person has discovered similar marks from the feet of the Sonos One.
- This article was updated on 15 February to reflect the fact at least one user claims Sonos One causes marks on wood surfaces.
