This week:

The HomePods are arriving at people's doorsteps and the reviews are in — let's have an honest chat about HomePod V2. Plus: Apple is planning an even BIGGER Ultra Watch, and a folder iPad is in the works!

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This week's stories

HomePod 2 review roundup: Great sound but no giant leap forward

• If there’s a bottom line to HomePod 2 reviews published Tuesday by the likes of CNET, The Verge, TechRadar and TechCrunch, it’s that the new full-size HomePod is a fine choice for hardcore Apple users of means — but not so much for anyone else.

HomePod 2 wait times stretch out until March

• Order the recently unveiled HomePod 2 from the online Apple store today and it might not arrive until March. Preorders for the revived version of Apple’s full-size smart speaker have surpassed the launch-day supply.

Kuo: Apple to Release Foldable iPad With Carbon Fiber Kickstand in 2024

• Apple will launch a foldable iPad with a carbon fiber kickstand sometime next year, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

Apple Smart Home Display: Everything We Know

• Apple is working on a new Home accessory that is designed to serve as a central hub for smart home management. The Apple TV and the HomePod are already home hubs and almost all Apple devices can control a HomeKit setup, but Apple is designing an all-in-one home management product to make control even easier.

The giveaway this week is from SwitchEasy it's for the Orbit Universal Magnetic Stand.

• SwitchEasy’s Orbit Universal Magnetic Stand is fully adjustable and extendable for the perfect view, with strong magnets to mount any MagSafe-compatible iPhone (or compatible case).

Apple Watch Ultra With Nearly 10% Larger Display Rumored to Launch Next Year

• A new Apple Watch Ultra with a larger 2.1-inch display will be released in 2024, according to a report today from Taiwanese publication DigiTimes, citing industry sources.

Jony Ive creates ‘perfect’ schnoz for Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day

• Legendary Apple design chief Jony Ive, responsible for the look and feel of iconic products like iPhone, grabbed headlines Wednesday for a new creation — a big, red paper nose. That may sound odd, but it’s for a good cause.