Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple Drops HomePod Price to $299, Down From $349
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Good! Now it’s merely ridiculous instead of outrageous.
Apple today cut the price of HomePod on its online store by $50, with the smart speaker now listed for $299, down from $349. The price drop follows recent promotional discounts at several third-party retailers across the U.S.
Similar price reductions also appeared in other regions and territories on Thursday, with the price of a HomePod in the United Kingdom falling from £319 to £279, for instance.
Apple's expensive HomePod speaker accounted for just six percent of the U.S. smart speaker installed base through the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a February report.
Research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that the U.S. installed base of smart speakers reached 66 million units last quarter of 2018, suggesting HomePod sales in the country totaled around 3.96 million units since the speaker became available to order in January 2018. Apple does not disclose exact HomePod sales figures.
By comparison, the Amazon Echo and Google Home reportedly accounted for 70 percent and 24 percent of the installed base respectively, with both products proving to be popular holiday gifts.
In April 2018, well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was "mulling" a "low-cost version" of the HomePod, potentially due to shipments of the current version being "far below market expectations." A report out of China said the lower-cost HomePod could be priced between $150 and $200 in the United States.
Article Link: Apple Drops HomePod Price to $299, Down From $349
The competitions high quality speakers that are equivalent to the HomePod are all at this price or higher.
Apple today cut the price of HomePod on its online store by $50, with the smart speaker now listed for $299, down from $349. The price drop follows recent promotional discounts at several third-party retailers across the U.S.
Similar price reductions also appeared in other regions and territories on Thursday, with the price of a HomePod in the United Kingdom falling from £319 to £279, for instance.
Apple's expensive HomePod speaker accounted for just six percent of the U.S. smart speaker installed base through the fourth quarter of 2018, according to a February report.
Research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners estimates that the U.S. installed base of smart speakers reached 66 million units last quarter of 2018, suggesting HomePod sales in the country totaled around 3.96 million units since the speaker became available to order in January 2018. Apple does not disclose exact HomePod sales figures.
By comparison, the Amazon Echo and Google Home reportedly accounted for 70 percent and 24 percent of the installed base respectively, with both products proving to be popular holiday gifts.
In April 2018, well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple was "mulling" a "low-cost version" of the HomePod, potentially due to shipments of the current version being "far below market expectations." A report out of China said the lower-cost HomePod could be priced between $150 and $200 in the United States.
Article Link: Apple Drops HomePod Price to $299, Down From $349
I'll pass. For me, money has nothing to do with it. I don't like anything that listens and operates from voice commands. Total and complete invasion of privacy. I'm old school and would be happy with a flip phone, turntable, CD's etc. Just say NO to streaming and CLOUD for any and everything! Life was much better before all this cloud based crap existed.
Last edited:
So what you're telling me is you never used one. Got it!
So what you’re saying is besides having no clue about what high quality speakers cost, you also have absolutely zero clue what Apple does and doesn’t do with user data
I've used Alexa, and I've used HomePod. Alexa has a broader range of questions she can answer fluidly, but that's not why I have my HomePods.
HomePods sound significantly better. In tandem, they sound very nice indeed, and their integration with all my Apple stuffs makes them a huge addition to my home. I have a total of four, and don't regret purchasing them at all.
HomePods sound significantly better. In tandem, they sound very nice indeed, and their integration with all my Apple stuffs makes them a huge addition to my home. I have a total of four, and don't regret purchasing them at all.
Nope, not kidding. Siri on the HomePod isn't as advanced in terms of features, but it's not as bad as you make it out to be. Here is an example comparing all 3. It's improving and performed better than Alexa in some areas. Personally, I have really only found Siri to be lacking when it comes to asking it random trivia type questions, but I don't personally see a ton of value in that aspect. Of course, I'll welcome any improvements they bring to the HomePod.
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/20/siri-on-homepod-vs-alexa-google-cortana/
Last edited:
We've seen older products being sold for the same price in 2018/19 ( for example ) as they were being sold for 5 years ago, yet, component prices had been reduced.
edited.
HomePod needs to be $249, get a software update so that developers have a SiriKit API to build for, and get an digital optical out. That would be a great product
Hey Siri, 22% more base.
I prefer knobs for quick adjustments.
Both methods are a must in today’s world.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know what you mean by base....are you looking for a baseball score?”
These kinds of "everyone universally agrees" statements are always suspect, but it's been used countless times against Apple despite their continued success. I honestly cannot think of a product Apple has put out that hasn't been subjected to that "everyone hates it/agrees it sucks" argument. And what's even more curious is that it has a protesting-too-much feel to it, as if everyone knows Apple tends to do these things best and everyone has to rush in to tear it down to defend their choice of Alexa/Google/etc.
I think the most amusing and the most vitriolic example was the introduction of the iPod. There's an infamous Slashdot forum discussion out there somewhere that has been archived showing almost across the board negative, snotty and sneering reactions to the product from so many in the "tech industry" who were absolutely convinced it was a ridiculous folly on the part of Apple and would crash and burn because it failed in so many ways. And that went on for years, with people constantly talking about the mythical "iPod killer" that never arrived.
This kind opinion is meaningless, no matter how many people share it or convince each other of its validity.
For the most part, I find Siri perfectly workable for my needs. I have gripes of course. I welcome improvements, but the concept of controlling a tech device via voice commands is still in its infancy and demanding perfection or some kind of all-knowing HAL 9000-like AI is ridiculous to begin with.
Last edited:
Used more as a phone assys. Not desktop. That's a phone culture item. As is the watch. My point stands.
The sound quality in this is superior than sonos offering.
And for the kind of audio tech embarked in this, its well worth the price.
I love my HomePod, great for music and pretty decent for watching movies -- I want to [ick up a second one but am thinking they could have a 2nd gen coming since they dropping prices of gen1?
Airpods are used with every apple product seamlessly that's the biggest selling point.
What room do you have it in that you don’t talk? People around here talk in every room including the bathrooms, closets, and basement.
I wanted a Homepod but ended up buying a set of Klipsch speakers roughly a month before it finally got a release date. Still kinda annoyed about that.