Apple Discontinues Full-Sized HomePod to Focus on HomePod Mini

[DanTSX]

Shame. It’s a great sounding speaker, but kind of a dump product niche.

I imagine that it will be succeeded by a “pro” or “Max” product of some sort. Maybe an Apple TV integrated version. Maybe not.

 

[stevet]

I absolutely LOVE my HomePod. Such a wonderful and incredible sounding kitchen speaker. Siri is just ok, but I keep it simple to home control and timers and she doesn’t miss for that. I only hope this means a HomePod 2 is in the future with a newer chip etc, I would have already replaced the 3 airport express’s in my house with HomePod minis if they only had a headphone jack, which will never happen but I can dream. They sound good for the size but will never replace my jbl bookshelf speakers, but a large HomePod 2 might.

They don't discontinue products like this if a new version is in the offering.

 

[ericwn]

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.

Please make a bookmark and come back to call them out.

 

[stevet]

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).

Bluetooth as one glaring example. Just because you expect and use it in a way that works for you doesn't mean everyone else should. It's pretty clear you are in the minority of customers that are happy with it because people weren't buying it for reasons that it wouldn't work for them. Inflexibility is the main reason.

 

[UBS28]

I thought the problem of the Homepod, is that the Homepod is not very smart, especially Siri, in comparison to the competition.

So instead of fixing the software part, they strip away what the Homopod had going for itself, which was sound quality?

 

[cosmichobo]

Was going to ask - do you think that means we'll be able to pick these up cheap - either discontinued stock or second hand... But with 1000 replies - there's obviously a lot of interest.

 

[ericwn]

HomePod Max maybe in the works?

Based on the huge success of the first one?

 

[threesixty360]

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).

Well other people need things like:

(initially HomePod didnt have)
access to services other than Apple
Stereo pairing
Use as surround sound speakers

(and still hasn't got)
Better smart services than siri
Cheaper
Add a sub woofer ?

etc...

May not interest you but if Sonos is offering more or less the same thing with better features then you're only really buying home pod for the sound which maybe better, maybe not (I heard its good but its not night and day(.

 

[ericwn]

Was going to ask - do you think that means we'll be able to pick these up cheap - either discontinued stock or second hand... But with 1000 replies - there's obviously a lot of interest.

Since the device basically flipped many online stores don’t have stock. In Canada the grey one is sold out since the announcement and only the white can be purchased.

 

[SirAnthonyHopkins]

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!

Given that Sonos charges £800 for its high-end soundbar with Atmos, Apple's equivalent would definitely be coming in at £1,000 minimum.

 

[gnasher729]

You’re right that it plays all current video and audio formats, but it doesn’t bring anything compelling to the table for its price tag. ATV has never been a runaway success, its App Store largely failed and its future is uncertain. Maybe Apple will try again one more time with some unique new features (gaming, smart home, ...) but if the productcannot do anything more than a Chromecast that costs 1/10th of the price, I’m not very optimistic.

My quite old AppleTV lets me play Netflix more reliable, lets me play Prime TV on my TV, lets me play iPlayer on my TV, all my DVDs on my Mac, lots of things.

 

[I7guy]

Well other people need things like:

(initially HomePod didnt have)
access to services other than Apple
Stereo pairing
Use as surround sound speakers

(and still hasn't got)
Better smart services than siri
Cheaper
Add a sub woofer ?

etc...

May not interest you but if Sonos is offering more or less the same thing with better features then you're only really buying home pod for the sound which maybe better, maybe not (I heard its good but its not night and day(.

It's a good thing there is competition then. Apple didn't build the homepod for everybody's specifications (and this applies to the mini as well).

If Sonos to some offers more or less the same thing with better features, then I say, buy that. For me, if I wanted Sonos I would have bought one, but I bought a homepod.

 

[I7guy]

Bluetooth as one glaring example. Just because you expect and use it in a way that works for you doesn't mean everyone else should. It's pretty clear you are in the minority of customers that are happy with it because people weren't buying it for reasons that it wouldn't work for them. Inflexibility is the main reason.

My point above, is that Apple (or any manufacturer) doesn't build every product to everybody's specs. And it's great that there is competition. To the 15,000,000 million or so customers that bought the Homepod....I guess are in the minority. But the sound is awesome, so I will put up with the supposed inflexibility.

 

[gnasher729]

my living room speakers are from the early 70s and they sound fantastic.

I have living room speakers from the 80’s that sounded fantastic until my now wife moved in with no appreciation of good sound at all. A single speaker with decent sound quality that can be hidden anywhere in the living room is well worth it.

 

[vipergts2207]

It's been a problem throughout Cooks tenure as CEO, they make money (mostly from iPhone and iPhone accessories) but beyond that they are strategically all over the place, throwing things at the wall and hoping it sticks.





Because it has next to no market share, that is why it is doomed to failiure as a hardware product. It's been left behind.

As for 'Apple has never competed on price' Great, but in some categories they will fail with that approach because nobody wants something that costs multiple times more that the competing products in that category. That is exactly what has happened with the Homepod.

Has the Apple TV ever been a big seller? And it’s been around this long. The ATV is one of the only ways Apple has to bring their ecosystem into the living room. And while Apple has expanded some of the experience to third-party TV hardware, it’s only available on TVs made in the last 2 years or so. Apple Arcade isn’t available on third party devices and bringing that to third-party devices is more complicated because they’d have to account for numerous different hardware capabilities versus what’s in the ATV. And Apple is only diving further into using their own silicon. Relying only on third-party hardware would be a step in the opposite direction. I think it’s also important to note that Apple didn’t discontinue the mini. Clearly Apple still wants their foot in the smart speaker space. I don’t see them not wanting their foot in the streaming device space as well.

 

[bigjnyc]

You missed where apple added the ability for Siri to learn where to get music in 14.5?

I thought that was only on the phone... and isn't that still in beta?

 

[BornAgainMac]

My only complaint is that you can really crank up the volume with two of them in the room. Could never do that without bothering my neighbors in the Apartment complex. So I'll never really get to experience the power of these speakers.

 

[vipergts2207]

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.

Why isn’t your home already outfitted with all the HomePods you need? Because they’re too expensive? That only helps justify Apple dropping a product that apparently moves in anemic numbers. The market has told Apple they’ll buy a $100 speaker, but not a $300 one.

What innovations have arrived on smartphones that have had a significant impact on our lives lately? If there were meaningful innovations still occurring on smartphones that would be reflected in sales figures with people ‘needing’ these new innovations.

 

[hanske68]

Still waiting for the HomePod to arrive in my country (The Netherlands). Just to hear it is dead before arrival. too bad, I would have purchased several if they had been available. For those tempted to buy one of the 'last remaining' HomePod's: keep in mind that without proper software support they might not last that long...

 

[stillcrazyman]

I’m hopeful that Apple will improve the HomePod experience.
I have a HomePod in my office and a HomePod mini in the kitchen. For what they are, they work very well. Siri doesn’t present any problems for my use case.
I have zero interest in having Google or Alexa in my home.

Sonos is great too. I have the Beam, two Play Ones and their Sub for my main sound system. At the time I bought it there was no offering from Apple. Didn’t miss what I didn’t have.

 

[HeinoM]

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

Jeeez. All they really had to do was lower the price. They would have sold boat loads at a sub 200 price. That’s the only reason I didn’t buy one. The mini at $99 - I got 5.

 

[mtneer]

Joking? No. The ipad 2 last year received some ios update to 9.3.6. 9 years after introduction. I expect a speaker to work for a long time, even if the underlying operating system isn't getting updated.

the speaker may work... but without any physical connections what’s the likelihood the Homepod survives Apple updating its Airplay standard?

 

[kk200]

Sonos also has no BT and no AUX. I dont think it was generally why it didnt sell.

3 years ago, I was looking for a speaker for

1. my home cinema projector, which can be put together under my side table
2. command center of smart home
3. read story for kids
4. play some music

And I have iPhone iPad AppleTv iMac Macbook. I was ready to buy a speaker like homepod. Price war never a problem.

Without AUX, goal 1 is not reachable. AppleTV can though sync to Homepod, but I heard it is not reliable, especially for airplayed display.

Homekit, at that time, was just an expensive toy world. Goal 2 is not reachable

Goal 3 should not be a problem with homepod

Goal 4 ...... I have amazon prime, no interesting to have 2. subscription.

Now I use a EUR19 Echo dot for goal 2+3+4, and an old (and free) logitech 2.1 subwoofer + a smart plug for goal 1.

Maybe I'm not the target audience of Apple, then Homepod got what it is designed for.

 

[Romeo_Nightfall]

No other streaming box you attach to a tv has speakers. People tend to have an entertainment system in place.

Yeah - and that’s the trick - it would be the only one like that - high margins possible!

 

[SactoGuy18]

Let's face it. Besides, the high price, the HomePod was going to sooner or later face competition from Amazon, Sonos, etc. I think the big killer for the HomePod was the Amazon Echo Studio, which came out in late 2019. Unlike the HomePod, the Echo Studio takes full advantage of the widely-used Amazon Alexa ecosystem, and also supports Bluetooth and Aux In connectivity, too. Sound quality is almost as good as the HomePod. And most importantly, retails for only US$199.