Apple drops surprise HomePod mini update—but not the one we want

It’s been more than three and a half years since the first-gen HomePod mini was released, and honestly, we thought Apple had forgotten about it. Then on Monday, Apple dropped a surprising update to the tiny speaker—but unfortunately, nothing has really changed.

Beginning Wednesday, the HomePod mini will be offered in a new Midnight color, replacing the previous Space Gray colorway. That leaves the AirPods Max and iPad Air as the only remaining Apple products that come in Space Gray. 

Apple previously offered the 2nd-gen HomePod in Midnight when it arrived last February, so it’s somewhat surprising it took this long to come to the mini. However, the two colors are extremely similar, with Midnight having a very slight dark blue tint in certain lighting. Otherwise, the new HomePod mini is identical to the previous model, with the same $99 price tag and specs. 

Apple appears to be on a mission to replace all of its Space Gray products. Last year, Apple retired the Space Gray MacBook Pro in favor of Space Black and the MacBook Air’s longtime Space Gray color was replaced with Midnight when the M2 model arrived in 2022.