Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

[JoshBoy]

I have both the HomePod I purchased at launch and a mini I purchased a few months back.
both a great speakers but the mini doesn’t compare to the original as far as sound quality goes. I was really hoping to purchase another to set up two for my Apple TV and remove my sound bar.

 

[hexcalibur]

This action by Apple is another reason I have concern they cannot be trusted. I do not own a HomePod. I put off purchasing one to see how it played out. It appears that was the correct decision.

When Apple messed up the AppleTV and destroyed the Airport it became clear Apple does not have a coherent strategy in the home entertainment and home automation space. HomeKit is an absolute mess.

HomeKit entirely defeats me. I bought a HomePod and could not believe it *required* connection to a wifi network just to set up. The "Home" app on my phone seems to have been designed by aliens who had earth dwellings described to them over the radio. Easily the worst user experience since Apple eWorld.

It's unfathomable to me that the same company that makes iPhones and AirPods produced the HomePod mini and HomeKit.

 

[FelineTech]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a combined soundbar/Apple TV product which you could add HomePod Minis for a full surround sound experience.

That is my hope. Yes, the current model is being discontinued. It doesn't mean Apple is getting out of the high end audio business.

 

[SeattleMoose]

Price point and competition = R.I.P.

 

[EdT]

A lot more expensive than the products it was competing against. Once sound reaches an acceptable level people care more about cheap than about quality. Not versatile enough for audiophiles because you couldn't connect it to a tape/turntable/cd system, perceived to be worse at being a voice assistant (whether true or not) and more expensive than an Alexa by a factor of 3. Maybe if it had been a high end consumer grade general speaker, usable with a lot of brands of music sources, it may have made it, but probably not. People never got over the price.

 

[gene731]

That might actually make sense.

Bang & Olufsen would make more sense as Apple seems to like to be more of an upscale company these days.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

HomeKit entirely defeats me. I bought a HomePod and could not believe it *required* connection to a wifi network just to set up. The "Home" app on my phone seems to have been designed by aliens who had earth dwellings described to them over the radio. Easily the worst user experience since Apple eWorld.

It's unfathomable to me that the same company that makes iPhones and AirPods produced the HomePod mini and HomeKit.

HomeKit IS horrible. And the HomePod setup is awful. Yes — designed by extraterrestrials would make sense. It seems that Apple simply did not pay enough attention to this sideline 'project' at various steps in development and integration.

I have two HomePods and I love them - love the sound, which is perfect for my apartment. Siri is outrageously BAD. I really only use them to stream Apple Music and as an alarm/timer. Trying to do anything more complex is an exercise in frustration verging toward rage at the poor capabilities of Siri.

 

[FriendlyMackle]

I'll lead with "I love my HomePod", but that's in spite of Siri. I wanted a voice enabled music speaker with good bass in a small footprint. My needs were obviously not the market. Most people want "good enough" audio - they're not willing to pay for great audio.

Unfortunately, the HomePod BigBoy did not deliver the home automation market to Apple or jumpstart their service subscriptions. Selling the HomePod BigBoy and AirPods Max, as awesome as they are (up for debate), will never move the needle on a trillion dollar company. As long as Apple remains hardware focused, they're just one product design failure from a stock downturn - whereas if they lock in service subscription revenue they can smooth over those revenue peaks and valleys, justify their stock valuation and present a coherent growth story.

In order to grow those services, Apple needs to give consumers access to their services everywhere. Once you have a service business set up, it's amazingly cheap to service the next customer and the margins are immense. No warranty claims, recalls, physical store space, inventory, etc. Apple doesn't need to offer the best audio, video, tactile experience... They just need you to have a way to consume their services via AirPlay on Sonos, AppleTV inside your Vizio - not tied to purchasing a best in class physical product.

I won't buy a second HomePod BigBoy now and obviously the Mini doesn't fit my needs. I'm also not going to sell my HomePod because it does what I want it to do and will for at least the next couple years. If something better comes along that works well with my existing Apple devices, then I may make a move.

Two HomePods (set up in stereo) do sound much fuller than one. That's the only reason I'd recommend a second one for you or anyone. But I certainly understand not wanting to purchase a discontinued product. I bought my second 'pod over 1-1/2 years ago. Hopefully they will remain viable for playing music for at least another 5-10 years.

 

[Wolf Of Infinite Loop]

SK also had hearing issues according to at least one biography.

SK?

 

[ericwn]

SK?

My bad, Autocorrect jumped from SJ (Steve Jobs) to SK. I’ll correct my post, thanks for the pointer.

 

[Wolf Of Infinite Loop]

My bad, Autocorrect jumped from SJ (Steve Jobs) to SK. I’ll correct my post, thanks for the pointer.

I read you, no worries. I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t missing something.

 

[robjulo]

How about you?

It makes me wonder if you actually read what Apple said. They are discontinuing and focusing on the mini....yet you expect them to reverse course in 9 days. You clearly didn't read it.

Your first response was to defend Apple and carry the flag for them. See your retraction in nine days. Some objectivity is healthy.

 

[Cameron Hood]

It's a shame, because they are pretty much revolutionary as far a shame audio goes. Two in a room, and the audio is even everywhere, and I measured it with a decibel meter. Sounds as good standing right beside one of them as it does out front. Amazing stereo imaging, and the deep bass they reproduce out of such a small thing is astonishing. None of the other home speakers are even in the same league, I'm sorry; boxy, zero midrange, and horrible for the most part.

 

[Ollé]

Can't say I'm surprised as the Siri experience is pretty damn horrible (on any device) - I don't think that there is a smart speaker/voice assistant that I'm enamoured with at the moment. Even google assistant seems to be getting worse.

It'll be interesting to see what Apple come up with to fill the gap.

 

[I7guy]

It makes me wonder if you actually read what Apple said. They are discontinuing and focusing on the mini....yet you expect them to reverse course in 9 days. You clearly didn't read it.

Your first response was to defend Apple and carry the flag for them. See your retraction in nine days. Some objectivity is healthy. Apple doesn't need you to shill for them.

Apple has been known to reverse course. Stylus (aka Apple Pencil), large phones. But it doesn't mean another high-end spreaker in some derivative of the mini isn't in the works.

 

[diamornte]

Still very upset by this news as an owner of several HomePods, mini and non-mini. This feels like a slap in the face to people who bought these, hoping for upgrades, & future software service/improvements. If I knew they would do this, I would not have bought these. Can’t help but feel cheated - like this retired hardware was just another cash grab.

 

[danny842003]

Still very upset by this news as an owner of several HomePods, mini and non-mini. This feels like a slap in the face to people who bought these, hoping for upgrades, & future software service/improvements. If I knew they would do this, I would not have bought these. Can’t help but feel cheated - like this retired hardware was just another cash grab.

I’m sorry to tell you this but every business is a cash grab that’s the point.
I got one at launch still use it, have since bought another big one plus a mini. I will happily keep enjoying using them.

 

[Sciomar]

Did they say “I’m seriously going to kill myself … [rest of sentence]”? That has happened to me a few times and others when making an exaggeration. “Seriously” almost always trips up “Hey Siri”.

No, I was saying how I'm worried for how his toxic relationship seems to be pushing him and that I've tried talking to him about what I see...that's when she started talking. I could imagine her saying something after saying "seriously" but I don't remember using that word.

 

[EdT]

Apple has been known to reverse course. Stylus (aka Apple Pencil), large phones. But it doesn't mean another high-end spreaker in some derivative of the mini isn't in the works.

I doubt it. They didn’t seem to know what to do with the HomePod from day 1. Announced its existence and then no details until it was released. And it could initially only use Apple Music or your iTunes and it couldn’t coordinate with other speakers and it didn’t work well as a voice control for HomeKit Devices. They pushed the quality of its sound, but it was an above average speaker sound at a lot above average cost.

 

[hauntvictim]

HomeKit entirely defeats me. I bought a HomePod and could not believe it *required* connection to a wifi network just to set up. The "Home" app on my phone seems to have been designed by aliens who had earth dwellings described to them over the radio. Easily the worst user experience since Apple eWorld.

It's unfathomable to me that the same company that makes iPhones and AirPods produced the HomePod mini and HomeKit.

I doubt it. They didn’t seem to know what to do with the HomePod from day 1. Announced its existence and then no details until it was released. And it could initially only use Apple Music or your iTunes and it couldn’t coordinate with other speakers and it didn’t work well as a voice control for HomeKit Devices. They pushed the quality of its sound, but it was an above average speaker sound at a lot above average cost.

THIS! I was baffled at how backwards the set up was, I had been contemplating purchasing one but its a pass. Also, it looks like there are a ton more reasonably priced speakers that do way more then this.

 

[dfs]

This is sad. Devastating for me really. I have a stereo pair attached to my TV and couldn't be happier with the sound quality and the way they work with my Apple TV 4K. I don't understand why Apple don't just keep them around and update the internals. I absolutely love being able to play, pause, rewind, raise and lower volume etc. using Siri on my HomePods. It's a sad day!

Why would they discontinue the HomePod when they just rolled out with Dolby Atmos. The HomePod is the only one with the theater sound is the HomePod. That’s not a very smart move on Apples part.

blab

 

[dfs]

Apple has discontinued the standard HomePod to focus exclusively on the HomePod mini, reports TechCrunch. First introduced four years ago, Apple's larger HomePod has never sold well because of its high price tag.

Apple hoped that the HomePod's high-quality sound would give it an edge over competing products, but sales of the HomePod have always been lackluster with so many more affordable options on the market. Apple has been selling the HomePod for $299, but it was originally priced at $350. The HomePod mini is available for $99.

The HomePod mini offers all of the features of the HomePod in a smaller and less expensive package. Many reviews praised the HomePod mini for its sound quality relative to its size, and while it won't quite match the sound available from the HomePod, it features the same Siri integration, Apple Music support, and HomeKit controls.

In a statement, Apple said that the HomePod will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store and Apple retail stores.On Thursday, many tech sites noticed that the full-sized space gray HomePod was out of stock in the United States, but it was believed to be just a stock shortage. As it turns out, it was because Apple no longer plans to sell the HomePod.

The space gray HomePod can likely be purchased from third-party retailers, but it is no longer available from Apple, while the HomePod in white continues to be available for purchase as of right now.


Article Link: Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

 

[dfs]

For many years I was a whole hog Apple fan boy. Steve's vision was to empower the end user and boy did I feel grateful for being empowered, both personally and professionally! It was a genuine life changer. But after Tim came along Apple began to change its corporate philosophy, very much for the worse (for many years this philosophy has boiled down to "we understand your needs better than you do") and the Home Pod was a perfect illustration of this. Refusing to give us Bluetooth and/or an audio jack meant that we were able to use the thing only in the ways Apple wanted us to, not necessarily what we ourselves would have chosen. Then Sonos came long with its incredible flexibility and made the Home Pod look sick by comparison (we could have an argument about sound quality, but in terms of usefulness there's no comparison). Because of that and Siri's endless lameness (which Apple appears to be in no hurry to fix) I became increasingly disillusioned with Apple, at least some of its products and its corporate philosophy. Life in that walled garden was not always a happy one. Now I use Sonos audio gear and rely on Alexa-friendly products and I feel I am back in control of my electronic existence.

Oh, one other thing about the HP. It was fine for handling most of the stuff in my collection, but some albums had a lower-than-average gain and when I listened to them I used to get the idea that its amp was a tad on the wimpy side.

 

[golfnut1982]

HomePod Max maybe in the works?

 

[sidewinder3000]

I’m highly doubtful on most of what you said here. First, nobody is being abandoned. They’ll likely continue to actively support HomePods for at least another three years. And even after that, it’s highly unlikely Apple will decide to just brick them. Second, the smartphone sector is already mature. Almost everyone has one and has for years now. That’s why peak smartphone sales have already passed. Third, I have trouble understanding how a voice assistant is going to replace a smartphone. Folks are going to browse the Internet or answer emails on a smart speaker? They going to take it to work with them or to the doctor’s office to use in the waiting room. Smartphones and smart speakers are not at all in competition with one another.

Are you always this literal? Introducing a product and then not following through with a whole product line is akin to abandoning. If I’d known Apple would introduce it and then not have the balls to follow through when things got a little rough, I’d have never spent my money on them and bought into the Sonos ecosystem instead. So yeah, it’s virtual abandonment. The ”support” won’t help as I continue to fit my home with smart speakers.

Having peak sales? That’s maturity? Nah. Maturity is when the category stops innovating and/or stops changing, stops evolving in how it impacts our lives. Still plenty of that left for the category. Again, if you think of the smartphone as just a candy bar shaped thing with a screen, sure, be literal. But there are still many big changes ahead for phones.

Voice assistants won’t replace phones totally (again with the literal) but they have already started to impact how people use their phones, with many queries that used to go to phones going to virtual assistants. that’s not an opinion, its an objective fact.