Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

[ouimetnick]

When Apple drops support and it can no longer connect to any Apple device, these homepods will Be useless since they can’t be repurposed. A8 chip holds it dead in the water. Whoever sells them now I’d argue has the right mind to do so while the price is still high.

Seems pretty dumb to introduce a new device using a chip that is already 3.5 years old. Once R&D costs are recovered, is it really any cheaper to produce an old chip? Is the cost of actual semiconductor fabrication cheaper for an older design? Should have put an A10 inside instead (A11 was announced after the HomePod was announced)

Perhaps they had a bunch of A8 chips already produced laying around somewhere? Or maybe the development team of the HomePod started design of the brains when the A8 was the latest (back in 2014??) We know that because of how secretive Apple is, certain teams aren't allowed to actually talk to each other.

 

[ralphthemagi]

Siri is the Achilles heal for HomePod. The sound quality of HomePod is arguably as good or better than Sonos, or Bose. It's a shame to see it end like this.

It's better than the Sonos Ones, but it isn't better than the Fives. It's on par with the Fives in a small room at moderate volumes.

Two HomePods in a stereo pair are really great in a small room, say 120-150 sq ft.. But as the volume increases the quality degrades rapidly. They can fill a large room, but not well. The spatial audio work for a large room but quality really does fall apart at louder volumes.

I wouldn't be too surprised if they get replaced with a flagship halo-ish product like the AirPods Max. It seems to me like the design of the HomePods would scale really well. They could double its size and probably get a speaker that actually outperforms any Sonos offering.

I have both HomePods and Minis and there is actually a lot of overlap between them. The HomePods work so well for me because I have such small rooms. In a big room they are still usable, but they aren't really that special anymore and they don't get loud enough for most home theater setups. But in a small room they are almost perfect.

 

[Chafka]

Kind of like Kellogg’s frosted mini-wheats. They don’t sell frosted “big wheats” anywhere that I know of.

Its just called "shredded wheat". When I was younger we called them hay bales because some were really big.

 

[ouimetnick]

It's better than the Sonos Ones, but it isn't better than the Fives. It's on par with the Fives in a small room at moderate volumes.

Two HomePods in a stereo pair are really great in a small room, say 120-150 sq ft.. But as the volume increases the quality degrades rapidly.

I wouldn't be too surprised if they get replaced with a flagship halo-ish product like the AirPods max. It seems to me like the design of the HomePods would scale really well. They could double it's size and probably get a speaker that actually outperforms any Sonos offering.

I have both HomePods and Minis and there is actually a lot of overlap between them. The HomePods work so well for me because I have such small rooms. In a big room they are still usable, but they aren't really that special anymore and they don't get loud enough for most home theater setups. But in a small room they are almost perfect.

Once the initial demand of the AirPods Max has been met, who knows how well that product will sell. The HomePod sold great for the first several months as all the fanboys ran out and bought one. I bought my first one in May 2020 on sale for $199... It seems that they are having a hard time meeting demand for the APM, but that could be because they aren't able to crank out the same amount of APM as they do with regular AirPods.

I haven't heard of any regular people running out to buy the AirPods Max, just the Apple fans that would buy anything and curious audiophiles. I'll buy them once the demand has been met and they go on sale.

 

[ralphthemagi]

.

 

[smulji]

Gruber speculates 6 years or so of support.



That’s why I don’t think an auxiliary line input is a stupid idea. These things will end up in landfills once Apple stops supporting it on their servers.

Gruber is dreaming.

 

[smulji]

The addition of Thread in that HP Mini is going to be a game changer in smart home business. Big things ahead for the Mini besides its good sound. It works great with my Nanoleaf essentials which run on Thread - seamless and speedy interaction.

Agree. HomePod mini is going to be Apple’s gateway drug for home automation.

 

[arcadelt]

These will go for $1k+ on eBay within the month.

It could go completely the other way when there is no guarantee of longevity.

 

[c5z]

H

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

Homepod Pro coming out in summer.

 

[MICHAELSD]

Seems pretty dumb to introduce a new device using a chip that is already 3.5 years old. Once R&D costs are recovered, is it really any cheaper to produce an old chip? Is the cost of actual semiconductor fabrication cheaper for an older design? Should have put an A10 inside instead (A11 was announced after the HomePod was announced)

Perhaps they had a bunch of A8 chips already produced laying around somewhere? Or maybe the development team of the HomePod started design of the brains when the A8 was the latest (back in 2014??) We know that because of how secretive Apple is, certain teams aren't allowed to actually talk to each other.

An A8 should be powerful enough for a device like this that doesn’t have a visual operating system. It being supported in iOS is irrelevant to HomePod.

 

[smulji]

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.

There is one => gaming. I think the next ATV will be very gaming focused. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is positioning Arcade to be their version of Steam.

 

[Abazigal]

There is one => gaming. I think the next ATV will be very gaming focused. I wouldn’t be surprised if Apple is positioning Arcade to be their version of Steam.

I do wonder if the reason we haven't seem an updated Apple TV is because there simply isn't much to update. It's a plastic box that runs (mostly) content streaming apps. 3gb ram and A10x more than suffices for this. Sure, Apple could stuff it with 4-6gb ram and an A12z or A14x chip, but this simply isn't going to be a noticeable improvement on performance.

I don't think Apple is interested in having it double as a router either.

The next two things I can think of is spatial Audio support (for the AirPods Pro / Max) and some sort of native fitness app so users can stream Fitness+ classes directly from their Apple TV. But like the Siri remote, these are features that aren't applicable to users outside of the US, which is a shame.

I would like to see more games come to the Apple TV, but I think Apple neglected it for so long that developers see it as a lost cause. The only reason why we even have Apple Arcade games for the TV is because it's in the developers' contracts, so I assume they are being adequately reimbursed to support a niche platform.

 

[citysnaps]

Loving all the: Oh noes...the sky is falling, the sky is falling!

 

[ericwn]

What apple did NOT say is that they’re probably working on a HomePod pro. The regular HomePod doesn’t have thread or UWB. Making one HomePod with those features and an older one with the same name without is confusing.

Apple would have conveniently used the launch to replace one with the other suggesting that they are exactly the opposite, as in done with smart speakers.

 

[outskirtsofinfinity]

Siri is the Achilles heal for HomePod. The sound quality of HomePod is arguably as good or better than Sonos, or Bose. It's a shame to see it end like this.

The first thing I did was completely disable Siri on my Mini. I just never saw the point of Siri on a speaker. I just want to play my music and podcasts. I stream it all from my iPhone onto my Home Pod Mini. First I was disappointed there was no aux cord, but it works wirelessly just fine (AirPlay ftw).

 

[I7guy]

In other words “you” don’t have a clue and are wrong.

In that vein, I suppose you don't have a clue either and are just spitballing.

 

[ericwn]

I think they're probably refreshing it with a new design so they're just being transparent with the fact this one is being phased out. I may pick up another one.

Being transparent would be a first for apple product launches. If they were they’d have said they’re working on a new one. They’re not.

 

[ouimetnick]

An A8 should be powerful enough for a device like this that doesn’t have a visual operating system. It being supported in iOS is irrelevant to HomePod.

I'd agree with you except for the fact that it is relevant. Apple doesn't develop software or updates for devices it stops supporting regardless of how capable the hardware is. Considering the HomePod and Apple TV HD both have the A8 and run tvOS (HomePod used to run iOS, but now runs a stripped down version of tvOS) I'm guessing once Apple discontinues and stoops supporting the Apple TV HD, HomePod is finished.

 

[pcd213]

I

The first thing I did was completely disable Siri on my Mini. I just never saw the point of Siri on a speaker. I just want to play my music and podcasts. I stream it all from my iPhone onto my Home Pod Mini. First I was disappointed there was no aux cord, but it works wirelessly just fine (AirPlay ftw).

I think I would have appreciated my HomePods more if I took this approach of disabling Siri, but I didn’t realize it was an option until after I sold my four speakers. In my opinion, Siri ruins the product experience. When I needed her in a pinch to call my wife so we could go to the hospital, she told me she didn’t recognize my voice and to enable access in the settings app, which I had already done. After that, I knew I had to sell them.

I’m much happier on the Sonos platform, but I was impressed by the HomePod’s sound quality, though I felt it was too bass heavy.

 

[Ulfric]

I was thinking of buying two to set them up in a stereo config with the new Apple TV they will be coming with. That plan goes to drain now.

 

[xraydoc]

and some sort of native fitness app so users can stream Fitness+ classes directly from their Apple TV.

It’s already there. Syncs with the Apple Watch and shows your metrics live on-screen.

 

[mi7chy]

People actually expect to be using a HomePod in 20 years?

What tech products from 2001 are you using right now?

I have a ~1998 Altec Lansing ADA305 speaker system that will outlive HomePod in usability and probably sounds better too.

 

[MICHAELSD]

I'd agree with you except for the fact that it is relevant. Apple doesn't develop software or updates for devices it stops supporting regardless of how capable the hardware is. Considering the HomePod and Apple TV HD both have the A8 and run tvOS (HomePod used to run iOS, but now runs a stripped down version of tvOS) I'm guessing once Apple discontinues and stoops supporting the Apple TV HD, HomePod is finished.

Regardless since it’s been discontinued I don’t think we’ll see new features added via software updates.

It should be supported for the foreseeable future (5-10 years) for reliability and to ensure it’s working as intended.

 

[SuperMatt]

Its just called "shredded wheat". When I was younger we called them hay bales because some were really big.

I remember it too… but much like the full-size HomePod, good luck finding it anymore…

 

[txpilot82]

I have a stereo pair that is used with my tv that works well. But at $600 it is ridiculously over priced. A sound bar with a built in Apple TV in the $300-400 range is what they need.