Initial reviews for the Apple HomePod smart speaker have been mixed but a new, unexpected issue with the device emerged this week: It leaves white ring stains on wooden surfaces.
The silicone base of HomePod leaves a stained ring after sitting on wooden surfaces for as short as 20 minutes, according to product review sites Wirecutter and Pocket-Lint. The stains are not permanent and disappear after a few days.
In response, Apple released an online support page on how to clean and take care of the HomePod. Apple explained that such stains can be typical in speakers.
“It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-damping silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces,” wrote Apple. “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.”
Apple offered a few tips on how to take care of the HomePod, which included not placing the HomePod on a wooden surface. Apple recommended wiping the surface gently with a soft damp or dry cloth to remove the marks, but if it does not work, the company advised users to follow the “furniture manufacturer’s recommended cleaning process.”
Many tech journalists and Apple watchers took umbrage at the fact that the HomePod is the only major smart speaker that leaves such stains, and to Apple’s response.
Nicole Nguyen from BuzzFeed went to an Apple store to see whether their wooden tables were stained by HomePods (they were not) and received advice from Apple employees on what to do to prevent the stains.
“Though an employee did tell me he put his on a COASTER which, are you kidding me,” tweeted Nguyen.
Popular YouTube gadget reviewer Marques Brownlee poked fun at Apple’s response to preventing stains.
“If that isn’t CLASSIC Apple, I don’t know what is,” tweeted Brownlee.
Despite the pile-on against Apple, the HomePod is not the only smart speaker that can stain one’s coffee table. The Sonos One speaker also left a white ring — albeit a smaller one — just like the HomePod’s, according to the product review site Tom’s Guide.
