Off to TRX Apple Store…

It’s the big day and I still haven’t decided what, if anything to buy at the new official Apple Store in Kuala Lumpur. Homepod Mini? Airpods? Pencil? Wish I had saved more money. Still 2 hours till I start off. Time to plan ahead. More later…

In front of the Apple Store rooftop holding my HomePod Mini

The AS was packed. We had to leave without sampling all of the goodies, movies etc. I noticed the staircase wobbles a bit when kids ran up and down but otherwise it's a well designed space.

Had to come home with something so I got a Homepod Mini for my reviews channel and my Garageband work. YouTube watching, etc. Feels substantial / heavy. Will test it out later as I'm typing this from a beef noodle tuck shop with the folks. More later ...

Feeling a little tired but I will try to describe the listening experience concisely. You’ve heard about the muted treble at high volumes, the powerful Lower midrange / upper bass punch / kick, the “sounds big for a small speaker” descriptions. All that is true. And so is the clarity / crispiness from the s5 chip’s moving EQ. This translates to an engaging if not-accurate listening experience. If you use this for background while you work, it will do okay. Hearing a bit of tightness in the capsule which MAY air up nicely after break-in. [Be sure not to overdrive tight new speakers]

There are some downsides. The main one is being ‘locked in’ to streaming services / DRM services / dedicated apps for consuming content like YouTube. There is also a reset inconsistency where old tracks play instead of current chosen tracks. This needs a bug fix IMHO, tho it’s workaround-able.

My budget Apple iPad 5 setup with BT peripherals

As far as build goes, it’s very well put together and feels like a quality product, even the unboxing was fun, as if someone loved me (and not just loved taking my money). Well done, Apple and congrats on the new Store!