Apple's HomePod Plans: What's in the Works for 2023 and Beyond

[iBreatheApple]

HomePod could be amazing if it weren’t for apple and their mysterious decision making. It sounds great. But you can’t connect any device via Bluetooth. Which is absolutely wild. And don’t get me started on Spotify. For some reason I am having a hard time believing Spotify is the only reason it’s not available. Is Apple making it harder for them some way? Or is Spotify that incompetent? Then there is Siri who is such a joke tbh. And I’m a huge Apple fanboy. I comment about Siri negatively a lot. She’s super ignorant but I continuously use her when away from Alexa. So it’s not for lack of trying. I use Siri and Alexa all day every day. Siri doesn’t come close. Digressing…. HomePod sounds great. But it has external factors that make it less desirable than devices with half or even a quarter of the sound quality.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

since when has any apple device been priced aggressively to sell?
Never. Thats not how they do business.

I don't think they would be interested in giving their products away at cost just to saturate the market which is exactly what Amazon have done.

Apple devices will always have that 'apple tax' and always be 'reassuringly expensive' however there is no denying their quality - you mostly get what you pay for in terms of hardware. The HomePod minis only sold in numbers due to the magic under '100' (dollars, pounds etc) price, sure - and arguably a new version of the OG HomePod will have to be cheaper than it used to be in order to sell. I don't see it being successful if it's triple the cost of the mini. They will still have an issue when comparing audio quality and for many people the minis are good enough.

Ive always wondered who buys the amazon echo dot, in preference to the standard echo - the audio quality is much better on the standard echo and its not really all that much more money - both are still under 100.

Apple are touting their smart home - and with Matter this removes some barriers but ironically increases choice. Apple therefore want people to be all in on Siri and their Home app - and right now they are still glitchy and need a lot of work.. however are far more promising than others out there such as Alexa - if only they could get that reliability.

Apple will never 'halve' the price of their products - but they will make them far more attractive, compelling, and almost worth the price they will ask for them.


Personally I ditched a house full of Alexas to replace them with HomePod minis and one second hand OG HomePod.
The setup has been very unreliable - although apparently I 'have too many' (6 minis and 1 OG - 4 minis as 2 stereo pairs) which is just ridiculous but thats another story....
BUT - although the audio quality of the OG HomePod is undeniably good - I am pleasantly surprised at how good the minis are, especially when in a stereo pair. You also have to bear in mind that if Apple expect you to have multiple HomePods (fix the software please!) - then the OG HomePod or its replacement really isn't needed in many situations - minis are often far more realistic in the kitchen, bedroom, study etc - and the OG HomePod more suited to the living room.

I’m sure Apple won’t halve the price of their products but I suppose the Mini was their attempt at attracting people. Unfortunately I think most of the market are already invested in Amazon and Google products and those that want superior sound quality seem to go for Sonos systems. Apple screwed it up early on with only offering a £300+ HomePod that only connected to Apples own services. Apple Music back then was also around £5 a month more expensive than Spotify and Amazon Music. What really puzzles me though is why Siri is so crap? They launched it years before Amazon entered the market yet Amazon have blown them away? Not sure what Apple predicted with the HomePod and if they never intended to go after the mass market, they certainly succeeded.

Maybe Apple never expected smart assistants to be as big as they got so put the least amount of effort in? Who knows.

 

[Le0M]

Units sold prove $300 was too much. But also value perception. You could pick up an Amazon Echo for $50 on sale. The figures show that is what people did, well along with Google and Sonos. There is no need to argue over sound quality between the original HP and an Echo but for the vast majority of people, the sound from the echo is perfectly good for their needs and Alexa is far superior to Siri if it's important.

Don't want Echo? Go for Sonos, I would argue sound quality is slightly better than the HP and still cheaper. There were more reasons to opt for something other than a HomePod depending on your needs.

Sure, but HomePod was obviously not meant for those who don't care about sound quality much, so I wonder: did Apple expect to sell more units to that small piece of market made of people who actually enjoy sound quality?

 

[PauloJMParreira]

Apple seems to be testing multiple different ideas for future feature additions for the HomePod smart speaker, so we thought we'd highlight all of the different speaker rumors that we've heard so far.

At least one HomePod update is expected in 2023, though we may be waiting longer for some of the more fantastical functionality that we've seen rumored.

Larger-Sized HomePod (2023)

Apple in 2021 discontinued the original full-sized HomePod in order to focus on the more popular HomePod mini, but rumors suggest that Apple is once again ready to try selling a larger HomePod speaker.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said in 2020 that Apple is working on a HomePod that would be larger than the HomePod mini and closer in size to the original HomePod. It could be between the HomePod and HomePod mini in size, sound quality, and cost, offering an option for those who want something bigger than the mini but not as expensive as the first HomePod.

Such a speaker could be priced somewhere around $150 to $200, which would exceed the price of the $99 HomePod mini, but would be more affordable than the $299 HomePod.

Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo in May 2022 said that Apple is designing a new HomePod, but he did not provide specifics on sizing and he said there "may not be much innovation in hardware design" for the new HomePod. It's possible that he was talking about the same middle-tier HomePod that Gurman has mentioned, but with a design similar to the HomePod.

The new HomePod could feature a multi-touch display on the top for physical control purposes, along with an S8 processor, the same processor that's in the Apple Watch Series 8.

Kuo said that the new HomePod could come out in late 2022 or early 2023, while Gurman says the larger HomePod is on track for a 2023 launch.

With 2022 out now that the year is close to over, it's sounding like we could see some kind of new HomePod option in the first quarter of the year, if the rumors are accurate. Apple could, perhaps, pair a new speaker announcement with the launch of Apple Music Classical, a new Apple Music feature that was slated for 2022 but did not come out.

New HomePod Mini (2023)

Alongside the larger HomePod that's in the works, Apple could do a simple refresh of the HomePod mini. New features are not expected, nor are design changes, but updated colors would be easy enough for Apple to debut. If a new HomePod is slated for 2023, it's likely that a minor refresh to the HomePod mini would come at the same time.

Apple TV and HomePod Hybrid

Apple in the future could combine the Apple TV and the HomePod into one device, creating a set-top box with high-end audio capabilities, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

This HomePod and Apple TV hybrid device could feature a camera for video calls, with a connected TV serving as the screen. It would function like an Apple TV, offering gaming, support for streaming content, and music playback.

The project was described as being in the early stages in 2021, and it is not yet clear if Apple will move forward with it, but it is a design idea that makes a lot of sense because the HomePod mini and the Apple TV both run the same operating system and are often used for some of the same purposes.

iPad and HomePod Hybrid

Apple has been experimenting with future HomePod designs that could include a screen of some kind, akin to the Google Nest Hub Max, the Echo Show, and the Facebook Portal.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has described the device that Apple is working on as a high-end HomePod speaker connected to an iPad using a robotic arm. The arm would be able to rotate and move, following a user around the room when on a video call, for a more advanced version of the Center Stage video feature that Apple has added to some of its products.

The iPad/HomePod hybrid has been described as a device that is in the conceptualization stages, so there is a good chance that this one might never see the light of day. If it does come out, it could launch in the form of deeper integration between a future HomePod and iPad, along with an optional accessory arm to connect the two.

Apple has experimented with deeper integration between products for the past few years. The iPad and the Mac can link together to be controlled with one mouse or trackpad and one keyboard, for example, and the iPhone can link to a Mac to serve as its camera, so it would not be out of the question for Apple to pair the HomePod and iPad in new ways in the future.

Article Link: Apple's HomePod Plans: What's in the Works for 2023 and Beyond

I was given an Home Pod Mini for Christmas but I was really disappointed, iPhone has Portuguese Siri but Home Pod Mini doesn't??? What?? Please upgrade. It has Dutch... and Portuguese (the 5th more spoken language in the world) doesn't.

 

[unculturedswine]

I'd love if Apple would acknowledge Fartgate and fix my HomePod at no charge.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Sure, but HomePod was obviously not meant for those who don't care about sound quality much, so I wonder: did Apple expect to sell more units to that small piece of market made of people who actually enjoy sound quality?

I think it’s highly likely that is what they expected. They probably thought that tiny market would be swayed towards ‘Apples way’ but they didn’t factor in that Sonos, Bose and others had already established their reputations to that limited audience. They also forgot perhaps that again within that tiny market, not everybody uses an iPhone. In hindsight it was a ruddy strange market to go after and sadly those iPhone users that did want a great sounding speaker were left with a great sounding speaker with a poor service’s implementation and Siri which is perhaps one of the worst voice recognition softwares in the industry.

I know people here are hoping for a new HomePod in the next couple of years but I can’t help but think that ship sailed long ago with other companies already dominating. It reminds me a bit like Microsoft’s attempt at entering the smartphone market a couple of years too late.

 

[Coochie Boogs]

HomePods are such a good product, I really enjoy my two large and mini's all over the house. I am definitely in for Apple to create Apple TV/HomePod hybrid, with proper surround sound. Its doubtful it would happen though, for Apple and their thinking it seems a bit messy.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

After the disgrace of the original HomePod and its timebomb power supply I will never buy anything like that from Apple again. I have 4 working units left but they have had Siri completely disabled to avoid overheating like my 2 dead units and they are currently unplugged until I decide whether to keep or sell them on or open and replace or modify the power boards.

So sell. Someone like me will snap them up. Despite effed up marketing, original HomePods are a genius product, not a "disgrace."

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Units sold prove $300 was too much. But also value perception. You could pick up an Amazon Echo for $50 on sale. The figures show that is what people did, well along with Google and Sonos. There is no need to argue over sound quality between the original HP and an Echo but for the vast majority of people, the sound from the echo is perfectly good for their needs and Alexa is far superior to Siri if it's important.

Don't want Echo? Go for Sonos, I would argue sound quality is slightly better than the HP and still cheaper. There were more reasons to opt for something other than a HomePod depending on your needs.

HPs are not just basic speakers. Sonos are good speakers, but in a complex spatial environment the way the original HP self-configures is unmatched. Unfortunately Apple marketed improperly.

 

[Wanted797]

though I don't think Apple will bring out such a thing...
have you seen the battery docks you can get? might be just what you are looking for there.

Do any have the U1 chip?

 

[sdwaltz]

They need to improve the latency between Mac and the Homepod. Been itching to replace my computer speakers with a Homepod Mini but the latency issues keep me waiting until they fix it.

 

[LeeW]

Sure, but HomePod was obviously not meant for those who don't care about sound quality much, so I wonder: did Apple expect to sell more units to that small piece of market made of people who actually enjoy sound quality?

I think that is exactly what they expected but didn't get. Hence we never saw an update. That is until the Homepod Mini which is clearly targeted at the mass market much like the Echo and others.

 

[Dahl]

Apple always seem to know what they are doing.

The OG HomePod was too expensive, didnt sell well, and the software wasnt up to scratch including SIRI capabilities when compared to the competition.

It had to go......

But how clever... bring out the mini..... it sounds OK, but create the hunger for the bigger larger more expensive model that never existed before..... absence makes the heart grow fonder after all.

I think it will look like a squat version of the OG, slightly smaller, and a much better audio than the mini.


THAT SAID...

the software is STILL horrible - not so much SIRI but the home app, and the multi room music performance of the minis. Theres no point reintroducing more expensive models that still simply don't work reliably.

I love my HomePod and I'm happy to read they may be coming out with the HomePod 2.0. But the Home app needs a makeover, the UI/UX is not good enough.

 

[hardeep1959]

I've got three of the OG HomePod, and they're great. Bring them back, Apple!

I have got 10 of these and love them. Please bring it back and allow at least 4 of these work together with apple tv and offer way to increase volume

 

[stocklen]

Do any have the U1 chip?

the docks? why would they need such a thing when its in the HomePod itself?

 

[Nozgog]

All we want is the ability to set up a proper HomePod home theater. Support for real surround sound with 4 or 5 speakers would be amazing.

Yes please.

2 large HomePods in the front and as many HomePods Mini in the back, side and on the ceiling as you want. (Dolby Atmos supports „ceiling channels“)

The only surround system that is plug in and go (zero config)

And your iPhone can be placed where you sit and could take sound measurements to optimize the outputs of each HomePod or suggest repositioning.

 

[sparky1499]

Yep same. I’ve had a Harmon Kardon Onyx for years. It sounds good but is cumbersome and switching Bluetooth pairing with devices gets messy.

I have a HomePod mini and I love how easy it is. It’s also small I’d love to place it on my bench while I’m prepping dinner. Usually I have to bring the HK out. A little battery mini that just easily paired to my phone/iPad would be awesome.

Fellow HK Onyx user here.

 

[tubular]

Unfortunately Apple marketed improperly.

Agonizingly. One of the rare cases where Apple's marketing snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

 

[pdmpolishing]

Yes please.

2 large HomePods in the front and as many HomePods Mini in the back, side and on the ceiling as you want. (Dolby Atmos supports „ceiling channels“)

The only surround system that is plug in and go (zero config)

And your iPhone can be placed where you sit and could take sound measurements to optimize the outputs of each HomePod or suggest repositioning.

+ One, Longing for new full sized HP. At the moment I'm using two HP Mini for tv sound output, I actually sold my Sonos system because I just got fed up with larger sized speakers in the lounge, I enjoy the sound of the mini but a full sized HP would offer so much more in a fairly small sized speaker.

 

[CarlJ]

I'd pay extra for a Homepod Mini with a rechargeable battery and cable that could be disconnected. I often want to have the Homepod out in my garage but don't want to leave it there permanently. A little more portability would be a great design upgrade.

It’s a road worth considering going down, but it would no longer be Mini. There isn’t sufficient space inside for a battery that would last a lengthy period of time. So, it would necessarily get bigger.

Frankly, I’m surprised that one of the more well-known battery/accessory companies (Mophie, Twelve South, Anker, Belkin) hasn’t released a purpose-built stand/battery for the HomePod Mini, where the Mini’s cord coils up in a fitting on the top of the stand, the Mini nestles in on top, and the stand contains a battery capable of driving the speaker for many hours.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

Sure, but HomePod was obviously not meant for those who don't care about sound quality much, so I wonder: did Apple expect to sell more units to that small piece of market made of people who actually enjoy sound quality?

Apple mis-marketed. The HomePod would be a good biz school case study. The HP Original is a superb product.

My guess is that Amazon's cheap product ending up defining the market space, and that Apple just let that happen, addressing it with the HP Mini going after that space instead of (back then) working to redefine the HP Original market space.

Today Apple could evolve their speaker product line and fix the old placement issues. They need to implement Thread/Matter anyway, so new hardware will be necessary for sure. The good news is that Apple still has the engineering competence of the HP Original in house (and thousands of HP users like me willing to brag it up).

 

[iGeek2014]

Almost 5 years old, and still doesn’t play the UK’s most popular radio stations (unlike the Google and Amazon alternatives). I’ll buy one when it does - and I’m sure I’m not the only person in the UK thinking this.

Also for the radio stations we can play in the UK… Why oh why does Siri have a split personality? I ask my Mini to play Absolute Radio 80s and it’ll either work or decide to stream a playlist with a similar name 🤷🏻‍♂️.

 

[JamesHolden]

I bought a HomePod when it launched and returned it. It sounded good (aggressive bass aside), but it seemed like a dead-end product to me. Skimming through this thread and reading posts about poor multi-room audio performance, the lack of surround sound, or the desire for Apple to release a soundbar makes me scratch my head and wonder why these people don't just buy Sonos? Sonos does all of that and much more. Today.

There's really no way for Apple to offer a better experience than what Sonos offers today. At best they can hope to one day match Sonos in terms of features and performance. If you want multi-room audio that works, if you want a soundbar with Atmos, if you want to be able to connect your record player and play your old LPs, if you want to be able to use multiple music and news and podcast services...the answer is Sonos and will likely never be Apple.

For a company that claims to love music so much, Apple has never stepped up and delivered a quality home audio solution. Personally I would never buy anything audio-related from Apple because history has shown just how fickle they are when it comes to home audio.

 

[Theodokos]

I would love an Echo Show type device. I've been debating adding a Show to my house but I might just hold off for now.

 

[JamesHolden]

HPs are not just basic speakers. Sonos are good speakers, but in a complex spatial environment the way the original HP self-configures is unmatched. Unfortunately Apple marketed improperly.

I don't think marketing was the problem. The problem was a lackluster product offering. The HomePod sounds good, but Sonos offers a better speaker, the Five. Beyond that, though, Sonos offers a complete solution and Apple did not, which is why they failed (again...let's not forget the iPod HiFi).

HomePod was an expensive smart speaker aimed at a market that doesn't really care about audio quality. In that sense, you're right that it wasn't marketed properly. However, there was no market for the HomePod. The smart speaker market doesn't care about audio quality and the HomePod wasn't an adequate solution for the home audio enthusiast market, the people who do care about quality. For that market, you need options, you need bullet-proof multi-room audio, you need surround-sound, you need Atmos, you need a sub, etc.

Had Apple launched a family of audio products and demonstrated a commitment to home audio, I think they could have been very successful. But let's face it, the only people who love HomePod are hardcore Apple fans. No one else even noticed.