Google looks to be prepping a successor to the Home Mini - The INQUIRER
The Home Mini could soon get a Nest version
GOOGLE NEST looks to be preparing an updated version of the Home Mini to celebrate its newly merged status.
The Google Nest Mini will be the second product to come from the combined stable, following the Google Nest Hub Max which was released in the US last month, with a European launch likely to be imminent.
Looks-wise, don't expect much change between the old and new Mini. If it's a different size, it'll be a matter of millimetres and the design theme of hessian fabric (made from old plastic bottles, doncha know) is exactly as it was.
The big differences will be in sound quality. We're told it'll be a bigger, louder and more bassy sound than the first generation. More notably perhaps, it gains a 3.5mm jack point, which could mean it's designed to take on the functionality that was lost when Chromecast Audio was discontinued last year.
That would mean it could turn any speaker into a Google Assistant speaker, which is, let's face it, way cool.
It's also increasingly likely that there'll be some kind of gesture control aboard. With this device likely to arrive alongside the Pixel 4 phone range in October, which is apparently going to be all about the contactless gestures. There's already some gesture control in the Google Nest Hub Max.
This could mean that the Nest Mini could be used as a presence sensor in your home security system, something that the Google Assistant ecosystem has been lacking.
We're expecting the Google hardware event, which is also likely to see further announcements about the future of Google Play Music, in early October, much as in previous years. That's when we'll probably get details on colour options and pricing. Unless Google accidentally leaks everything first, like it usually does. µ