Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

[Mac... nificent]

will be annoying if they stopped homekit support. i would have to DOWNGRADE the big HomePods to use the HomePod mini for my security cameras and smart lights.

Not to worry. HomeKit will be gaining traction this year. Look for HomeKit enabled routers soon.

 

[4jasontv]

Ok, you're mixing up what we're talking about here.

Sound and UI are different deals and very subjective depends upon the people, the situation, the need, etc.

For instance - the Acoustic Surface on the Sony OLEDs?
Super impressive and I'll bet sufficient for the vast majority of folks, at least for everyday viewing (not focused "movie time" stuff).

I get that you and I like Apple for "reasons" -- but it's important to look at this from a wider lens, as Apple does as a company.

I am mixing them, but my point still stands. There is no other solution on the market that offers an ad-free, low latency, premium streaming solution. You can't get that as part of a smart-tv, nor can you buy any other brand streaming box. There is a lot of reasons the AppleTV hardware needs to stay. It's one of my hills. XD

 

[mg51015bb]

When a company starts discontinuing things left and right, it’s a good sign about the direction the company is going. Good strategy isn’t about saying “yes” to everything, it’s about choosing when to say “no”

Yeah I know that’s kinda a Steve Jobs quote, but you’ll find that philosophy in most business journals.

Part of the appeal of apple is the ecosystem, so it's important to have a breadth of products. Especially when it's a locked down ecosystem. I'm pretty invested in HomeKit. Once the HomePod sells out, the Mini will be the only option to use Siri to control my HomeKit devices outside of an iPhone/iPad/iWatch.

 

[turbineseaplane]

I am mixing them, but my point still stands. There is no other solution on the market that offers an ad-free, low latency, premium streaming solution. You can't get that as part of a smart-tv, nor can you buy any other brand streaming box. There is a lot of reasons the AppleTV hardware needs to stay. It's one of my hills. XD

I agree with your reasons for using Apple TV!
It's why I also prefer it. We are a little bit of outliers though I think.

I don't agree that Apple TV hardware "needs to stay" necessarily...not after seeing so many people I know who just use the TV's built in stuff.

They care about the content, not the UI.

They fire up an app and start the show and spend almost no time with the UI.

Apple understands this if we're being honest. That's why they've made sure you can get AppleTV+ "everywhere" and are making sure AirPlay 2 is "everywhere".

Just get the content playing - that's the key.

I'm not really sure there's a great long term hardware play on the TV--- at least not at the margins Apple likes to command.

 

[noraa]

Really hoping we see some good fire sales for the remaining in-stock HomePods. I’d love to setup a stereo pair in my living room.

 

[swingerofbirch]

Still is if you can find them. It was a great way to integrate AirPlay into any system.

I think Apple had the makings of a great audio ecosystem, but they didn’t put it together in their heads. If they added a centre channel speaker, with two HomePods and two HomePod Minis, you'd have a pretty nice Dolby Atmos system.

Yeah, I use my Airport Express every day. I have it connected to two Audio Engine A5+ speakers. Also have them connected to my TV. So they work as both computer speakers via AirPlay and my TV speakers.

I tried ChromeCast at one point, and at least on the Mac, it didn't really work out at all for my purposes. What I love about AirPlaying audio is that whatever system audio is playing plays on my speakers. I don't to worry about whether the app can cast or not.

I think Apple is maybe better at mobile consumer products. I never used a HomePod but I've used things like it, like the UE Boom --except it's waterproof and has a built-in battery. They might have gone better in that direction.

I think most people who wanted a home music experience probably already had that set up in some way or another (and to that end as I said Airport Express is great). But for people who wanted to bring a speaker to a park, etc., maybe they would have had more luck doing a battery based speaker.

 

[japanime]

Apple discontinues original HomePod, will focus on mini | TechCrunch

Apple has discontinued its original HomePod after four years. It says that it will continue to produce and focus on the HomePod mini, introduced last

techcrunch.com

Thanks, @JBaby. My MacBook is having connection issues with TechCrunch, because when I click that link, I get a page that says "An error occurred with this part of the page, sorry for the inconvenience." I'm able to view it on my iPhone, though.

 

[dukebound85]

Not surprised at all. Was not a fan from the onset yet many here claimed it to be a godsend that would not be like the ipod hif. Many here claimed that the HomePod was revolutionary

talk about koolaide

ill talk quality “dumb” speakers that can last decades over this crap

 

[nicho]

Was the TechCrunch article pulled? Can't find it on the site.

Edit: @JBaby helped me find the story. Thanks!

If only there was a link in the news story.

 

[matrix07]

Why? Do you live alone in the mountains or are you secretly annoying everyone nearby and never noticed? Cause those are the only two options.

Why? Because it's quicker and easier, and because it rarely fails. 🤷🏻

Do you call someone by dialing? Do you set a timer by going to an app? Want to know a song name you use Shazam on Control Center? There are tons of tasks that Siri do better and quicker.
..and on iPhone you can't even set a timer in seconds without using Siri.

 

[4jasontv]

I agree with you reasons for using Apple TV! It's why I also prefer it.

But I don't agree that it "needs to stay" necessarily...not after seeing so many people I know who just use the TV's built in stuff.

They care about the content, not the UI.

They fire up an app and start the show and spend almost no time with the UI.

At the risk of sounding rude, that's just because the public is educated. That was my sister. She had an AT3 and it couldn't get a lot of the new content she wanted so they went and bought a new TV. I watched her over thanksgiving trying to use her new Samsung TV's built-in apps and the next morning I ordered her an AppleTV. Once she had something better she had no interest in using the alternatives. Good-enough = don't know better. It's why people drink 120 for $17.99 k-cups and $5 sunglasses. Sure, money is also an issue for some - but people who look at the options and go 'I don't see a difference' simply haven't used it.

Heck! I did that with Apple News. I just signed up for it and OMG it's so much better than I thought it was.

 

[4jasontv]

Why? Because it's quicker and easier, and because it rarely fails. 🤷🏻

Do you call someone by dialing? Do you set a timer by going to an app? Want to know a song name you use Shazam on Control Center? There are tons of tasks that Siri do better and quicker.

I don't make noise when an alternative method is available. It doesn't matter if it works 100% of the time and is twice as fast. If someone else is in the room they hate it. I don't just mean siri's voice but also the request. I don't care if you want to know a song name, or turn on a light. You are looking at a screen just tap it. People talk way too much already.

Silence.

It's what everyone needs to learn.

 

[Shadab121]

That’s good of Apple. Apple has lot of products now and they should streamline their entire product line. Good thing they are discontinuing their lackstur slow moving products. Hope one day they streamline their confusing ipad product line too

 

[Zboi]

Look, I’m sorry but Siri has fallen so far behind the competition that it’s barely even usable anymore.

I have no idea how Apple ever expected to sell a Siri device for $250 when Alexa devices are sometimes as low as $25.

I’m sure the HomePod series has really amazing audio quality, but it doesn’t really matter if the whole device barely works.

The reason Amazon can sell at $25 and even give away free devices is because they sell your data. Amazons goal is to have Alexa everywhere possible because its a data harvester. More data equals more money for them. Siri isn’t as good because Apple only collects data for diagnostic and update purposes. I’d rather have Siri then an Alexa device any day.

 

[arcadelt]

I’m actually pretty shocked by this. Yeah they priced it too high but the sound is incredible for it’s size. Why not just lower the price and keep it around for 199

Maybe it cost more than that to make?

 

[Minato1990]

iPd hi-fi all over again
I also have 2 of them that are connected to my tv for gaming while my apple tv is connected to my two homepods

 

[japanime]

If only there was a link in the news story.

I clicked the link in the story, and it didn't work. Which is why I asked.

 

[jameskachan]

I was waiting for a refreshed second generation HomePod, sigh… I was going to buy two of them.
Okay, so, since Apple isn't going to produce high-end audio, then, where is the 2021 version of an Airport Express to connect to other speakers?
ugh....

 

[arcadelt]

I think that $200 was the sweet spot for the HomePod, but they couldn't make it work. But I think the big thing holding back the HomePod is the lack of an App Store. (i.e An apple equivalent to Alexa skills). The iPhone took off when they introduced the App Store. The Apple TV took off when they introduced the App Store. Learn from history Apple.

Please No! We do not want HomeKit to end up like Alexa.

 

[Paclypse71]

I'd been meaning to buy a second Space Gray one for a stereo pair, this made me pull the trigger today. Best Buy has them.

 

[Starfia]

Brotha' just paste it in - here, I'll do it for you.

I see you've kept from transferring the final hyperlink, utterly depriving all passers-by of any avenue to finding and following it.

I suppose you could just re-upload that entire documentary into this thread as well.

 

[ouimetnick]

Hoping we see $199 fire sale from Best Buy, but they haven't been on sale in quite some time.

 

[ian87w]

Probably more like Apple phasing out the A8. It is probably costing Apple more to keep manufacturing the A8 than getting revenues from the HomePod sales.

 

[Chungkring]

Apple never even put the HomePod on sale in New Zealand, so it's not surprising they didn't sell many here. The HomePod Mini isn't for sale here either (see screenshot). No reply from Tim Cook when I wrote and asked why. My guess is some part of the tax code here would have been more irksome to deal with than the gain from selling it.

 

[farewelwilliams]

I don’t think this can happen as HomeKit (AFAIK) is solely based on your local network (with the exception of the remote access via home hub).

Not sure what you mean "based on your local network". My HomePod currently is set as the HomeKit hub which processes my HomeKit video clips.