Latest discovery on the HomePod shows that the speaker may leave white rings on wood surfaces with an oil or wax finish, as reported by both Wirecutter and Pocket-lint, while Apple confirmed the issue with a statement, other users were also shared same problem on their social networks.
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| Image Credit Pocket-lint |
Apple says that it is not unusual" for a speaker with a silicone base to leave a "mild mark" when placed on certain oiled or waxed surfaces, and it's caused by chemical interactions with treated wood. The company the says the marks can improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface, if not, they suggested users to clean the surface with the manufacturer's suggested oiling method.
Apple says “the marks can improve over several days after the speaker is removed from the wood surface,” and if they don’t fade on their own, you can basically just go refinish the furniture—the exact advice Apple gave in an email to Wirecutter was to “try cleaning the surface with the manufacturer’s suggested oiling method.”
At present, most HomePod users are not experienced any marking issues on various types of wood surfaces. It's not clear if this is limited to treated wood, or causes damage for the speaker. Just be sure that not placing your HomePod on a surface with an oil or wax finish if possible.