Apple Cuts HomePod Orders After Sales Prove to Be Lackluster

[PickUrPoison]

It’s nice inflammatory click-bait language—typical of Bloomberg—but the purported “piling up” of inventory at Apple stores doesn’t ring true.

Apple doesn’t stuff the Apple retail store channel. They order as needed.

The article discredits itself, but it may be true it isn’t selling as well as Apple had hoped. Of course, it may be selling better than Apple expected. We’ll never know, and I don’t think Bloomberg knows either.

btw, the headline is clickbait-ish, since sales have NOT proven to be lackluster. Sales claimed or said to be lackluster, sure. But there’s certainly no proof to be found anywhere.

 

[762999]

It takes courage to release a product almost no one want while other products : mini, monitors, routers, mac pro are either cut or ignored.

 

[Blakjack]

Coming in and grabbing 10% of the smart speaker market in just the first couple weeks, with a premium priced product is a big accomplishment. Not enough credit is being given here. Can you imagine if Ferrari came out with a car that captured 10% of the total market?

Far better to have to cut orders than have too few to meet demand. It's a smart move by a company that understands supply chain better than most.

This sales were to fanboys who were going to get the device regardless. Thats why sales dropped off so fast. Everyone else who felt fishy about the product waited and still haven't found reason to buy one yet.

 

[toptekjon]

Not mention a high return rate. I think people including myself got one. It was initially really sweet, but then it sinks in. I just spent $400 on a speaker with the tax and while it sounds great, what does it really bring to the table. Siri isn't that great. I ended up going with Echo Dot's connected to my JBL Xtreme's. One in my living room and one in my bedroom. I am happy. I think many have done this and decided this speaker just isn't the cost of admission.

Completely agree. I bought one and I'm returning it. I wanted to use it almost exclusively as a "soundbar" for my Apple TV, in a room where I do not want any wires being run. It is a HORRIBLE soundbar. Airplay cuts out frequently (my wifi is flawless otherwise), airplay forgets to connect to the speaker, and the speaker does sound good but does not get nearly loud enough. For $350, no thanks.

 

[Westside guy]

Being $100 overpriced will cause lackluster sales.

Being $200 overpriced will make sales drop even more...

 

[eoblaed]

Once stereo and multi-room support come out, I imagine orders will pick up.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Coming in and grabbing 10% of the smart speaker market in just the first couple weeks, with a premium priced product is a big accomplishment. Not enough credit is being given here. Can you imagine if Ferrari came out with a car that captured 10% of the total market?

Far better to have to cut orders than have too few to meet demand. It's a smart move by a company that understands supply chain better than most.

I don't know about that. Having too few iPhones on launch day only seems to strengthen the demand and increase the hype.

This is a product aimed at audiophiles; not the folks who want a reasonably to lower cost smart speaker.

I think the problem is the audiophiles willing to shell out top dollar have been using and will continue to go with other options, like actual stereos.

 

[MacLoveMacHate]

Apple Quietly Introduces Support for Spotify on its HomePod Speakers

 

[montycat]

Ill stay with my Bose SoundLink Mini for the time being. Its portable, has decent sound and I can play anything I want to on it. The HomePod is just too expensive for my needs.

 

[timborama]

This is news?!?

 

[OTACORB]

Completely agree. I bought one and I'm returning it. I wanted to use it almost exclusively as a "soundbar" for my Apple TV, in a room where I do not want any wires being run. It is a HORRIBLE soundbar. Airplay cuts out frequently (my wifi is flawless otherwise), airplay forgets to connect to the speaker, and the speaker does sound good but does not get nearly loud enough. For $350, no thanks.

I was talking to the manager at Best Buy and he said they have not sold as many as projected, but the big thing is that about 50% who bought them ended up returning them. So you and I aren't alone. Perhaps if they would have allowed 3.5mm input and/or bluetooth connectivity more would have kept it.

 

[shareef777]

Coming in and grabbing 10% of the smart speaker market in just the first couple weeks, with a premium priced product is a big accomplishment. Not enough credit is being given here. Can you imagine if Ferrari came out with a car that captured 10% of the total market?

Far better to have to cut orders than have too few to meet demand. It's a smart move by a company that understands supply chain better than most.

Except Ferrari, COULD have large sales of a $30k car just because of their name. Apple seems to still think their name is enough to sell anything.

 

[cycomiko]

Coming in and grabbing 10% of the smart speaker market in just the first couple weeks, with a premium priced product is a big accomplishment. Not enough credit is being given here. Can you imagine if Ferrari came out with a car that captured 10% of the total market?

Far better to have to cut orders than have too few to meet demand. It's a smart move by a company that understands supply chain better than most.

Apple is not the ferrari of the speaker world. More like a honda compared to a diahatsu

 

[Switched2aMac]

Lower the price to 199.99 and I’ll head down to an Apple Store and buy one. Can’t justify buying one at 349.00. I heard one in an Apple Store and was impressed but the high price tag kept me away.

 

[OTACORB]

Apple Quietly Introduces Support for Spotify on its HomePod Speakers

Yeah FAT CHANCE!

 

[EvilEvil]

Is that a notchless iPhone X in the photo?

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

Coming in and grabbing 10% of the smart speaker market in just the first couple weeks, with a premium priced product is a big accomplishment. Not enough credit is being given here. Can you imagine if Ferrari came out with a car that captured 10% of the total market?

Far better to have to cut orders than have too few to meet demand. It's a smart move by a company that understands supply chain better than most.

Apples doesn’t have 10% of the total market share, show me multiple creditable sources that show otherwise.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

If only Siri worked, huh...

 

[TwoBytes]

Even 200 is expensive! You can buy 2 Maybe 3 echos for that much and have tour whole home setup.

 

[jerry16]

1. Siri sucks
2. No screen (of utility)
3. Price
4. Missing promised features
5. Delays
6. No aux input
7. Bluetooth is lacking
8. Not portable although marketed as more a speaker than assistant

What excitiement I did have for this device wore off in all the time it took between announcement and launch. I’m an admitted fan boy but coupled with factors above, it’s not even on my radar at this point.

*edited to fix words, clarify and add more factors as I thought of them

 

[RagingBrosGaming]

Hmm strange. Everyone I know has a HomePod. I’ve must have purchased about 40 of them as gifts as well. I own 3 of them because the sound quality is crazy good. I love taking FaceTime audio calls on it as well.

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

Lower the price to 199.99 and I’ll head down to an Apple Store and buy one. Can’t justify buying one at 349.00. I heard one in an Apple Store and was impressed but the high price tag kept me away.

$174.99 and I'll buy one. Found out my Bose isn't updateable, looking for something with good sound, and not too much automation. :-O

 

[PinkyMacGodess]

1. Siri sucks
2. No screen
3. Price
4. Missing promised features
5. Delays

What excitiement I did have for this device wore off in all the time it took to launch. I’m an admitted fan boy but coupled with factors above, it’s not even on my radar.

What, there is a screen... Sort of...

 

[Michael Goff]

Make your software intuitive and fun to look at and use again, then watch the $$ roll in.

What software are you going to be looking at on a HomePod? And how would you make it fun?

 

[ersan191]

Not surprising - probably going to sell mine soon. The sound is great but it has a bunch of small quirks that irritate me and make it less than ideal as a smart speaker. It's pretty pathetic that I can make calls on my Echo's but not my HomePod which is directly tied to my iPhone... Amazon and Google are also constantly releasing updates making their products better but Apple's last update did nothing (a lot of people think it made the sound worse), and there's nothing on the horizon that we know of (besides multiroom and stereo pairing, which aren't enough to save it) - certainly nothing anytime soon.

I'll wait til WWDC but I don't expect much.