Mike Wuerthele
A day after a debacle began about the HomePod silicone ring on the base of the unit was causing a stain to appear on some wood surfaces, it looks that the Sonos One has a similar issue with its own vibration-insulating feet.
A reviewer at Tom's Guide noted the markings that were caused by the feet of the Sonos One. Instead of a solid ring, Sonos has elected for four raised "feet" — and contact with those feet is similarly inducing the temporary markings on furniture.
The HomePod's manifestation of the white markings was first spotted on Wednesday. it is manifesting from contact with "oiled" wood surfaces and the silicone ring on the bottom of a HomePod.
It is not appearing on all wood surfaces. AppleInsider's HomePod used for testing has been in a fixed location on a finished wood surface since Saturday, and no ring has developed.
"It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces," the Apple support webpage for the HomePod reads. "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. If not, wiping the surface gently with a soft damp or dry cloth may remove the marks. If marks persist, clean the surface with the furniture manufacturer's recommended cleaning process. If you're concerned about this, we recommend placing your HomePod on a different surface."
It appears that glass, granite, MDF plywood, polyurethane-sealed wood, and laminate furniture such as that found in Ikea are not affected by the problem — which makes sense if the problem is a reaction between different silicone mixes.
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58 Comments
People have been complaining about things leaving marks on their wood furniture since people started putting things on their wood furniture.
Consumer electronics were always a biggie. I've had people complain about speakers, VCRs, TVs, stereo and then home theater receivers and then some.
A speakers main job is to vibrate and although they try to dampen the vibrations that don't come directly from the drivers no speaker enclosure is perfect ( they all have resonant vibrations). So of course you should be aware of what you place it on.
But but but Apple! Shortcomings! Shoddy QA! They said it was Apple...they said...
This is just silly. I'd be pissed with white rings on my tables from a speaker. So now I have to think about what kind of table I place my speaker on? Now pointing out that the SONOS 1 does it also. This is bring back Steve Jobs coming out and showing how holding other phones just right blocks the antenna also as the iPhone 4. Do wee really need to go back to that kind of thing?
The simple fact is, Apple didn't have to use Silicon. If that was rubber on the bottom, it wouldn't matter what table you placed it on, it would be fine. There would be no markings. This is really just another design flaw. Tell it as it is. These excuses are weak. Now we have #ringgate!!
This is a issue that didn't have to exist. To me, it's more poor testing from Apple. I don't know if it's just so afraid of leaks that outside testing is really locked down?!?! Doing everything in the LAB is not REAL WORLD. This looks like it's going to be another Class Action on Apple. It just didn't have to be this way. Stop with the lame excuses on this.