Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

[tomtad]

I'm convinced they'll be a HomePod Max in the near future. All this talk about the HomePod not selling well and being too expensive, I mean guys have you seen the price of the AirPods Max they've just launched!

This seems to be a decision to focus sales on the mini for now with the idea being you get one, and you'll then get a few more. The HomePod while sounding better is too similar to the mini to differentiate and those that are sold currently take sales from the mini and don't have much margin.

A larger, stereo, HomePod Max would be a clearly differentiated product enabling Apple to charge quite a premium over the mini and I can see this being an ideal one purchase living room speaker which pairs with the Apple TV. Who knows they may even announce it along side an updated Apple TV.

 

[Will Co]

I doubt that Apple are simply going to retire this line. They may well do a refresh - slightly lower price, perhaps, to try to boost sales. Maybe they will go the other way and aim for something much more pricey and aimed at the top end of the wireless market. Watch this space.

 

[jsamuels]

Apple never committed to the product. Global distribution was very limited. It was never offered in most of the EU.

 

[iJustines]

As with other smart speakers, the deal breaker on these was the lack of an aux in. I would have bought two for my office if that existed !

You are right, Apple should update it to include additional USB-C for using adapter that can support AUX-IN with HomePod 2.

 

[leman]

It's a bit sad, since it is a really interesting product technology-wise, and I hope that they will integrate all the amazing tech developed for it into other products (like the laptop speakers). But it is also true that HomePod always felt like that awkward step-child. You still can't buy it in Switzerland for example...

 

[Digital Dude]

I highly doubt this, mainly due to the name. If there’s just a HomePod mini, that’s kind of stupid.
That would be like them discontinuing the regular iPad, and all the other iPads, but keeping around an iPad mini.
But not completely unexpected

Frankly, I wish they would scale back on every single hardware item they produce and focus on iOS and macOS.

 

[rp2011]

I was dragging my feet, but If ever there was motivation to rush out and get one. I better get one before they completely sell out. They are going to go fast.

 

[sunapple]

I use my HomePod everyday and I love it. It was never available in The Netherlands and I even paid over.

Was thinking about forming a stereo pair but now I’m very concerned about support in the future. I want Spatial Audio surround sound connected to my Mac mini and TV badly.

 

[UrbanJoe1]

Maybe 🤔 the tea leaves 🍃 will bring us a HomePod mini+ ???
I still wish they would stick to innovating screens, computers and speakers 🔊 before becoming an automobile manufacturer.

 

[unobtainium]

This is exactly why I never bothered with these..

Overpriced and now on the way to becoming useless paperweights due to no alternative input options and thus ways to keep using them.

Awful

It’s not like Apple is going to stop supporting AirPlay to the OG HomePods. You can still AirPlay to an airport express..

 

[Macaholic868]

They should kill both then.

The Mini sounds absolut crap for what it is and Siri is still as useless as ever. Either get a better speaker system (UE, Bose, Sonos, whatever you like) or get a better voice system (Alexa, Google).

I prefer not having everything I say sent to Amazon or Alexa then tied to me. If you do, that is nice.

 

[macduke]

I was right all along. And this is just a sample:

Apple Sold an Estimated 600,000 HomePod Speakers During the First Quarter of 2018

I'm willing to pay more for a superior sounding speaker, but the fact remains that Siri is kinda garbage and I just don't think this device is very useful or smart at this point. This is like Apple launching the $999 iPhone X in 2007 or the $4999 iMac Pro in 1998. You start out with the mass...

forums.macrumors.com

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Apple Details How HomePod Can Detect 'Hey Siri' From Across a Room, Even With Loud Music Playing

And yet my iPhone and iPad, when playing audio at lower to medium volume, doesn't respond to "Hey Siri" from a few feet away most of the time and when it does, it starts by transcribing what is being said in the audio! Even raise to speak on my Series 4 Apple Watch has some problems recognizing...

forums.macrumors.com

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'Apple Glass' Rumored to Start at $499, Support Prescription Lenses, and More

I’m equal parts creeped out and intrigued by AR. It will be interesting to see how they pull it off and how far it pushes things. Hopefully I can pinch the stem to toggle the AR layer on/off so I can disconnect. That $500 price seems low. Will it be able to do much at that price? LOL, not...

forums.macrumors.com

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They should've started with the Mini and moved up to this one at a lower price. They also should've waited until the software was a bit more baked and useful like it became over time. The result is that it sputtered out of the gate and never became a thing that people really wanted, especially at that price point. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes back someday as a HomePod Max or something, lol. I think there is still long-term potential, especially after Siri gets really, really good and we're speaking commands into the air all the time. But I knew this thing wasn't selling well. Not even people on MacRumors seemed to really care much about it. That combined with the price cuts is how I knew this thing wasn't doing well. Meanwhile I'm thinking about picking up a couple more Minis because they're nice to have around the house, especially for intercom with my kids and spontaneous dance parties. What annoys me though is when I'm talking to my unlocked iPhone right in front of my face to ask it something and the HomePod Mini way behind me responds, even if I'm not being that loud, and tells me it can't do that because I need to use my iPhone. That and the auto volume leveling is no good so I can't hear Siri's response sometimes, and I wish intercom was always loud.

 

[iJustines]

Makes no sense. They are willing to release headphones that cost a bazillion dollars which only 5 people will buy, but somehow the HomePod ... which actually has home cinema potential ... gets canned?

They are the evil employee at Apple who wishes to discontinue a product that works well but Tim Cook refuses to follow-up that can be improved in the next revision of product.

 

[Eduardo1971]

As a owner of three Homepods-I’m heart broken as I love my HomePods.
Great sounding when paired.

 

[ballsop]

Whaaaat!? I literally just bought my third HomePod 3 days ago. I love the 2 minis we have for the rooms they are in but the big brothers are perfect for the living room (stereo) and bedroom. I’m genuinely shocked considering they are putting so much emphasis on audio right now. Surely the mini is a gateway product to eventually buying the HomePod for people?

 

[Rob_2811]

I'm convinced they'll be a HomePod Max in the near future. All this talk about the HomePod not selling well and being too expensive, I mean guys have you seen the price of the AirPods Max they've just launched!

Ok, nobody knows how that is going to pan out so that seems like a strange comparison to make.

I suspect we might be seeing an article like this about the Airpods Max in a few years, they seem way too expensive to get any kind of mainstream appeal.

 

[iJustines]

All they had to do was price it right, and so they made a choice. 🤷🏻‍♂️

It is not just the price was wrong and it made no sense that the airpodmax almost double the price to $600 and people don't want a speaker that looks like a trashcan.

 

[Seanm87]

I’m surprised but also kind of not. I think like the iMac pro something better is on its way to replace it.

 

[Rob_2811]

I’m surprised but also kind of not. I think like the iMac pro something better is on its way to replace it.

The Mac Pro has already reaplaced the iMac Pro

 

[k1121j]

They really need to work on the microphone on the mini, both the dot and google home are much better at picking things up it’s kinda annoying

 

[unobtainium]

I’m still disappointed by the discontinuation of Apple’s line of routers, now this. Don’t turn into Google, please..stick with products and keep iterating. It builds customers’ faith in your products and a willingness to invest in the ecosystem long term.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

Was already thinking of selling mine, not because I don’t like it but because it just doesn’t really fill a need for me, it’s a total luxury product. Siri is so rubbish that the device doesn’t really have a USP. It’s just a good sounding speaker, but that’s not enough to justify having it for me.

if this pushes the value significantly above the £200 I paid for it I’ll definitely get rid.

 

[Bogstandard]

To me, it was bad omen when a smaller item with superior silicon was hyped on us.
I was hoping that the chip in the homepod would be upgraded, to keep the product current, but, money talks.....

So they have now admitted that it was an over priced speaker, pretending to be smart and hi fidelity.
Or a marketing test.

 

[Black Belt]

I love the regular homepods. I have 4 of them. Very disappointed.

and I don’t get all the crying about Siri. It works fine. I use it every day

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I am really disappointed with Apple on this decision. Better would have been to bring down the cost. Sell bundles of 2 or add one of them to a bundle with 2 Minis as a subwoofer. Plenty of ideas. Instead they just give up?