The second-gen HomePod may be easier to repair than the first<p>The <a data-i13n="cpos:1;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/2018-02-13-apple-homepod-review.html">original HomePod[/url] was notoriously difficult to repair, to the point where cutting tools were sometimes necessary. Apple isn't giving nearly as much grief with the <a data-i13n="cpos:2;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apple-homepod-review-2nd-generation-140040630.html">second-gen model[/url], however. iFixit has <a data-i13n="elm:affiliate_link;sellerN:YouTube;elmt:;cpos:3;pos:1" href="
https://shopping.yahoo.com/rdlw?merchantId=89f68c82-f255-44fa-8db9-03fec996b93a&siteId=us-engadget&pageId=1p-autolink&featureId=text-link&merchantName=YouTube&custData=eyJzb3VyY2VOYW1lIjoiV2ViLURlc2t0b3AtVmVyaXpvbiIsInN0b3JlSWQiOiI4OWY2OGM4Mi1mMjU1LTQ0ZmEtOGRiOS0wM2ZlYzk5NmI5M2EiLCJsYW5kaW5nVXJsIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cueW91dHViZS5jb20vd2F0Y2g_dj00b2NjTjRIQTBTZyIsImNvbnRlbnRVdWlkIjoiZTJiODVjY2QtZjBiNi00ZWVjLWJmOWYtMTJjMjU4NTQ5YzE5In0&signature=AQAAAQjPJ1_RpPP1okmbcpPrF400r6xDEBAotv6CxpIWnbmg&gcReferrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4occN4HA0Sg" class="rapid-with-clickid">torn down[/url] the new smart speaker and discovered that it's far easier to pry open. The large amounts of glue are gone — you can get inside using little more than a screwdriver, and the internal components are similarly accessible. Combine this with the detachable power cord and it should be feasible to fix at least some parts yourself.</p><p>iFixit cautions that it hasn't tested for possible <a data-i13n="cpos:4;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apple-iphone-13-face-id-third-party-replacement-215624361.html">software restrictions on repairs[/url]. It's not clear that you can replace circuit boards and still expect a functioning HomePod. Even so, it's evident Apple considers repairability to be a priority this time around, much as it does with the <a data-i13n="cpos:5;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/iphone-14-teardown-more-repairable-172505261.html">standard iPhone 14[/url] and other recent products.</p><span id="end-legacy-contents"></span><div id="a53a6ec644bb4fe3b1cec3a243f29139"><div style="left:0;width:100%;height:0;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;"><iframe src="
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4occN4HA0Sg?rel=0" style="top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;position:absolute;border:0;" allowfullscreen scrolling="no"></iframe></div></div><p>Not that Apple has much choice but to make the HomePod more fix-friendly. Both <a data-i13n="cpos:6;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/biden-right-to-repair-ftc-apple-microsoft-214015408.html">federal[/url] and <a data-i13n="cpos:7;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/new-york-right-to-repair-law-kathy-hochul-184654713.html">state[/url] governments are pushing for right-to-repair mandates. If Apple didn't make the speaker easier to maintain, it risked a political pushback. And while we wouldn't count on Apple adding the HomePod to its <a data-i13n="cpos:8;pos:1" href="
https://www.engadget.com/apple-m1-mac-desktops-studio-display-self-service-repair-205016531.html">Self Service Repair program[/url], the second-gen's design makes that prospect more realistic.</p>
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The second-gen HomePod may be easier to repair than the first
