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Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini
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Well this is a bummer and I can’t help myself to be angry at Apple this time as they have disrespected from the beginning this fantastic piece of audio equipment and the customers that bought them. They never properly presented it in the store and on their webpage. They were slow to move to link it properly to Apple TV when it was from the beginning what people wanted and a few months after they do they scrap it before an upgraded version of Apple TV ! To focus on HomePod mini which are nice but nothing else ... high end Audio is not design to last a few years but decades. If they launch and treat their Apple car like they do with their audio (some beats are still with old usb connectors etc ...) , I am not going to buy one.
Selling “great sound” is the hardest thing to do. The Apple store just can’t showcase how much better or worse speakers are than the competition.
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
So you’re eventually competing on price and capability and that’s where the HomePod never had a chance really.
its never been competivly priced compared to the Sonos one or google / Alexa speakers and no one thinks Siri is any good compared to google or Alexa anyway. Finally, having it tied to just one music service for so long really just made it lack appeal to anyone unless your a die hard apple fan.
im sure it’s technically the best speaker but most customers ears are not that critical really. And if you’re an audiophile you’re never going to be into a speaker like this any way.
the question is that so much of this is obvious that you have to ask why did the product launch like this in the first place?
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When I read the spec and see no AUX no BT, I can make a decision in seconds.
I’m pretty sure the only new products sonos has launched since the HomePod are sound bars and portable speakers, so I’m not sure what you mean by they “came along”.
From day one I called this product DOA (got flamed here too for my personal opinion) due to its limitations and price point and where I really wanted to like it and buy one I held off. From the onset the sales were lackluster and disappointing..... Nice to see that Apple finally conceded. Hopefully something more worthy is on the horizon. Im optimistic.
Always wanted to buy (at least one) Homepod but held off due to the price (around EUR 320,- including VAT in Austria). I'm more into good sound than into the "smart" features of modern speakers and I think the HomePod might be right for me. Since 2012 I stream music via AirPlay to my B&W Zeppelin Air from early 2012 - which I love - but it has become somewhat glitchy over the last few years. It will be interesting to see (hear) if I like the sound of the Homepod more. If so, I might actually pull the trigger on a second one (for a stereo pair) before stock runs out. Anyway, I think it is a shame that Apple decided to kill the original homepod although I might have never bought one if I didn't currently feel the fear of missing out. 😂
Sonos also has no BT and no AUX. I dont think it was generally why it didnt sell.
If apple have any sense, they will release a soundbar with computational audio. If they can pull great base and surround sound off from a single bar then they will easily be able to charge £600 and people will lap it up.
The only mistake that Apple made with the HomePod is that you could not say sync to sony panasonic tvs to use as main speakers blue tooth not compatible with anything other than iPhone iPad etc they missed on a huge market .
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
Apple's wording says otherwise. Either that or they are being incredibly, and uncharacteristically, misleading.
Sonos Five has aux in. Sonos One doesn't, but it is compatible with all major streaming services and is far more open than the HomePod. Given that the HomePod falls between the two in terms of both price and, imo, sound quality, it's hard to know which is the fairer comparison. I'm not interested in bluetooth at all for audio, but the HomePod would still feel like a decent long-term investment if it had a 3.5mm-in.
When I got my HomePod it was a straight decision between a Sonos One and this, I plumped for the HomePod because I liked the idea of much fuller integration with my Apple gear, and thought I might end up using Siri as an actual digital assistant to take notes and add reminders etc. The integration has been useful I admit, but Siri is next to useless, and after this announcement I definitely wish I'd just gone with Sonos. I'd also feel far more comfortable adding to my setup that way. Now I either buy another discontinued HomePod, or get the far inferior minis?
I was thinking of getting a mini anyway. I want to put it in the basement, where we have our "covid home gym". HomePod would be too big...mini would fit nicely on the table under where the TV is mounted.
Sure, I'm moving house soon and if I decide to get a small speaker for the new kitchen or something it'll probably be a HomePod mini. They're really good value and definitely have 'good enough' sound and Siri, while generally rubbish, is good for setting timers etc. I'd still rather use it than anything put in my home by Amazon or Google. But the HomePod is for my main listening in my office where I want something bigger and might want to expand further one day. Don't feel like I can do that now with the HomePod.
why? While Bose has excellent engineers, so does Apple. It didn’t sell poorly due to poor acoustic engineering on apple’s part; it sold poorly because Apple overpriced it to what the market was willing to bear. And it’s not like Apple needs help from anyone with supply chain, Apple has never wanted to chase the low end (nor has Bose for that matter)
and be integrated with a TV panel running TVOS and have a webcam/Lidar sensor for FaceTime/Apple Fitness +. This will get Apple Music into the sitting room and also Apple Arcade without a separate box!
Well, and I did it. I said I'd never do it.
I bought a HomePod. The sound is amazing. The bass is a little to heavy, but the mid and high range is just amazing. And it's HEAVY. I don't know how well it will integrate into my bizarre life, but I'll give it a try. I still think they missed the boat making it corded only, but it can be a 'boombox', or portable radio replacement. Well, not so portable radio, but I'm from the times where most portable radios weren't very portable if you wanted to use them for any length of time. *shrug*
And Siri will take some getting used to. It's jokes are a little weird. 'Someone asked me to contribute to a new community swimming pool. I gave them a glass of water.'
I bought a HomePod. The sound is amazing. The bass is a little to heavy, but the mid and high range is just amazing. And it's HEAVY. I don't know how well it will integrate into my bizarre life, but I'll give it a try. I still think they missed the boat making it corded only, but it can be a 'boombox', or portable radio replacement. Well, not so portable radio, but I'm from the times where most portable radios weren't very portable if you wanted to use them for any length of time. *shrug*
And Siri will take some getting used to. It's jokes are a little weird. 'Someone asked me to contribute to a new community swimming pool. I gave them a glass of water.'
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I don’t know what happened at your home, but Siri on the HomePod listens _in hardware_ for the words “Hey Siri”. Then it takes the microphone input, subtracts what the HomePod itself is playing (so it can filter out loud music played by the HomePod or say an audiobook that you are playing), and then it has analysed the voice saying “Hey Siri” and filters out anything that was spoken by another person.
So hypothetically it could be activated by a voice on your TV saying “Hey Siri” but would only listen to the TV voice and ignore what you say.
I'm wondering if Apple overpriced it or Amazon and Google were willing to subsidise as they could recoup the money on transactions and ads? Apple could only have subsidised if they felt it was going to be offset by Apple Music subscriptions. Now with anti competitive legislation the HomePod needs to run competitors platforms so Apple would be subsidising Spotify for example...
Yes only the 5 has an aux in I think of the current line up. The playbase has an optical in for the tv but that's even more niche really.
But I agree, the HomePod came out at over £100 more than the Sonos One but apart from the better sound (which is hard to judge in a shop etc..), it just didnt have as many features as the Sonos product.
It couldn't pair in stereo for a long time, couldn't play Spotify etc.. And Siri isn't even fast at responding in the way google and Alexa are. I just dont know where Apple were going with this?
Also, I have a Sonos "system" which has even longer backwards compatibility than Apple does! So my playbase pairs up with 2 old Sonos speakers for surround sound. Then I add my Sonos one to the other room and it can all sync up perfectly. Plus you can use pretty much all the services (soundcloud, deezer, Spotify etc..).
With Sonos or Bose you get a company who's bread and butter is speakers and especially with Sonos, an ecosystem that has been going for ages. I cant recommend them enough!
Apple was never "at it" with HomePod.
It has 8 speakers, 8 amplifiers, and 6 microphones. It automatically scans the frequencies and adjusts the sound it puts out based on the reflected sounds from local obstructions. It has MONSTER bass, from a really small woofer. They did that by making the excursion of the coil longer, not the typical larger cone. A large part of the heft of the HomePod is that woofer magnet. It has beam forming tweeters.
There is a LOT of engineering that went into that speaker. More than Bose puts in to theirs. I'm sure Apple was thinking that their creation would survive on the sound reproduction alone. I've been disappointed by the Bose speakers I've purchased in the recent past. I love my QC cans, but the speakers are 'Meh'. I've donated a few to the local Goodwill, probably brightening someone's life.
I wonder the future of the Mini, but maybe smaller is better. It's also way cheaper. $100? That could be the sweet spot to make the HomePod idea more palatable to the masses.
It's pretty simple. They were too expensive and limited. @$350 and no aux input or even BT capability they are non-starters for a lot of people. At $99 it's easier for people to grab one and use in a kitchen or office.
I didn't understand why they entered that space, the hi-fi low flexibility hime audio space. Sono's has the high end wrapped up already and there are WiSA speakers and hubs out there that sound great. Then there's Siri good in some ways, not good in a lot of others. Until they turn Siri around, which is hard to believe they will after all this time, then this space really is going to be tough for Apple to enter and maintain good sales.
What features? The Homepod pays music, which is does well. Siri finds the music I want to play, which it does well. That's all I expected and all I need. (Occasionally I ask Siri to set a reminder).