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Deals: HomePod Returns to Its Low Price of $199.99 in Best Buy's New Sale

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Apple's HomePod has again reached its lowest-ever price of $199.99 today at Best Buy. This sale is a solid $99 discount on the original $299.00 price of the HomePod, and it's one that Best Buy has offered a few times throughout 2020.

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Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

The discount is part of Best Buy's new "Dads & Grads" sale, which includes $50 off Powerbeats Pro, up to $200 off MacBook Pro, $100 off MacBook Air, and more. There are also discounts on 4K TV sets, smart home products, and Windows laptops.



Best Buy offers free next-day delivery for most shoppers in the United States, and there are also options to pick up devices at a local store. Both the White and Space Gray color options are on sale at Best Buy.

We track the best deals on HomePod every week, so be sure to bookmark our guide if you're on the hunt for solid HomePod discounts.

Article Link: Deals: HomePod Returns to Its Low Price of $199.99 in Best Buy's New Sale
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2020/06/12/deals-homepod-returns-to-199/
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Incredible how many HomePod still around in inventory. Apple must had manufactured a huge batch of them.
 
Priced at this level the advantages of quality, vs the enduring Siri & third party issues, make them a much more compelling purchase.

I'm late to this party but have my first 2 HomePods with the intent to buy more. Getting the price down was the dealbreaker for me. If I was telling Siri that I would have to repeat myself...
 
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So I'll repeat me question/issue from the Belkin speaker thread here for the wider audience. How do you all think Apple/Google/Amazon are doing to handle "smart speakers" in terms of the end of support or end of life cycle. I would be furious if I bought a Homepod and in 5 years it cannot accept any more updates. This is why the entire segment confuses me, by all means spend money on quality speakers but why would you want to gamble on a short life span from the "smarts" portion of the device when your phone can easily perform the same functions. Most of us upgrade our phones every 2-3 years so that hardware will never age but it is not unreasonable to want to keep quality speakers for 10 years + and I doubt Apple/Google/Amazon are going to support these devices that long.
 
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I’m also one who recently got two brand new for $399 from Best Buy and I’m loving it. It’s so nice having Siri that can hear me even through my cutting white noise on at night.

Homepod is fun even with its limitations. And the sound quality of stereo homepods is even more fun. I’m a believer now, but not for $349 each... maybe $249 each and really sell the stereo aspect? Even $299 each is stretching peoples’ ability to commit to two.

I bet Tim can see how many are selling and at what prices, and he can see that we really want an Apple smart speaker at a reasonable cost, but yes sound quality is super important too... I won’t accept $249 at launch if it sounds at all worse than current Homepods.

Edit: I American’d up the prices to make it easier to see.
 
I already have two(bedroom and living room) now just ordered two more for office and gym since remote life is looking to be a lot longer. They are smart enough for me. All I use them for is lighting(all are hue), playing music and setting timers and whatnot. I do like doing calls through them so the office one is especially exciting.

I also have a google nest(the screen and speaker one because it came with my nest thermostat), but beyond a few things it really doesn't do that much more.
 
In case anyone was wondering, you can get AppleCare on an open-box HomePod, but will require a phone call and proof of purchase with an AC associate. I got mine open-box back in November and after taxes (and PayPal 5% cash back), it only cost me about $190, so was happy to tack on $40 for AppleCare.

icanhazmac said:
This is why the entire segment confuses me, by all means spend money on quality speakers but why would you want to gamble on a short life span from the "smarts" portion of the device when your phone can easily perform the same functions.
Click to expand...
Valid points, but you aren't factoring in that smart speakers serve as smart home hubs. I think almost every household has some type of smart home device these days. Tech companies actually do generate revenue from that data too, so they have a reason to continue supporting these things.
 
This price drop pushed me over the edge and I couldn’t be happier. Sound is fantastic and it works with both Spotify and Apple Music well. The rumors that a new model is coming in a couple of weeks suggests that Apple is not giving up on this product and that software updates will continue to improve. I had committed to Denon’s HEOS system (too) early, and there was very little in terms of updates and support over the years. The fact that it couldn’t access my Apple library was endlessly frustrating, and I wasn’t surprised to see that they’re quietly letting the line die now. I’m glad I sold them when I did.

Is there room for the HomePod to improve? Absolutely. I find the “Home” app really lacking and I suspect it’ll be completely overhauled in the next iOS update. But I’m comfortable knowing that, unlike Denon, Apple is going to support and improve the product.
 
Soon to be cheaper. Google is now giving away some of their units through various programs. The market loves these devices, but has determined that most of these devices are not worth more than $100. Also, the ecosystem of connections to other services and devices (entertainment services, home control, search databases, etc) is key.

FWIW, Amazon has 53%, Google 30%, Sonos 5%, Apple 3%.
 
At $199, the sound quality alone is enough to justify the price. I got one in January and liked how it sounded so much picked up another when it went on sale again. Because of Apple's privacy-first policies, Siri is understandably limited, but it is a comfort knowing Apple isn't data-mining my conversations and commands for money.

Back to sound quality, this is hugely subjective, but it punches well above its price point of $199. I made a stereo pair and the sound is truly impressive. Whoever did the sound engineering did their homework. I'm suspecting Apple used its ability to design high-quality components and have them manufactured to their high-specs in developing the HomePod. Smaller players in the speaker market don't have that capability and the Amazon/Google options put "smart" over sound quality (and data privacy).

At $199, get one.
 
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icanhazmac said:
So I'll repeat me question/issue from the Belkin speaker thread here for the wider audience. How do you all think Apple/Google/Amazon are doing to handle "smart speakers" in terms of the end of support or end of life cycle. I would be furious if I bought a Homepod and in 5 years it cannot accept any more updates. This is why the entire segment confuses me, by all means spend money on quality speakers but why would you want to gamble on a short life span from the "smarts" portion of the device when your phone can easily perform the same functions. Most of us upgrade our phones every 2-3 years so that hardware will never age but it is not unreasonable to want to keep quality speakers for 10 years + and I doubt Apple/Google/Amazon are going to support these devices that long.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Your point stretches into everything IOT also. Will smart lock/deadbolts get bricked all of the sudden? Will I have to replace my thermostat every 7 years? Etc. What about my smart alarm or video surveillance system? It's incredibly frustrating.

One thing for sure, never buying anything Sonos again.
 
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jerryk said:
Soon to be cheaper. Google is now giving away some of their units through various programs. The market loves these devices, but has determined that most of these devices are not worth more than $100. Also, the ecosystem of connections to other services and devices (entertainment services, home control, search databases, etc) is key.

FWIW, Amazon has 53%, Google 30%, Sonos 5%, Apple 3%.
Click to expand...

The Amazon and Google products are priced as low as $25

Apple revenue share is likely north of 25%+

Apple profit share for the category is likely 50%+

But that does not fit your narrative that Apple is "failing"
 
It was really bold (stupid?) of Apple to release this product. Here, you know the AI assistant that is by far the worst one in existence, the one we pack in for free in every device we make but is virtually never used for anything besides setting a timer? What if we had a device where that normally free novelty was literally the only thing it did? And what if we priced it at 4x of the prices our competitors charge for their far supperior products?

This is up there with the MacPro's Wheels in having the lowest value to price ratio, not just of Apple products, but of all products anyone has ever sold. Those little iMac plushies with faces on them that people mock have a better value to price ratio than the HomePod.
 
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icanhazmac said:
So I'll repeat me question/issue from the Belkin speaker thread here for the wider audience. How do you all think Apple/Google/Amazon are doing to handle "smart speakers" in terms of the end of support or end of life cycle. I would be furious if I bought a Homepod and in 5 years it cannot accept any more updates. This is why the entire segment confuses me, by all means spend money on quality speakers but why would you want to gamble on a short life span from the "smarts" portion of the device when your phone can easily perform the same functions. Most of us upgrade our phones every 2-3 years so that hardware will never age but it is not unreasonable to want to keep quality speakers for 10 years + and I doubt Apple/Google/Amazon are going to support these devices that long.
Click to expand...
Why are you assuming that no more software updates means they are bricking your device?
 
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It is unlikely I will ever own a HomePod. Not because I don’t think its a great product, but because I have 6 echo devices already and may add 1 or 2 more. Its our home intercom system. Most of those echoes were about $30.
I would need to drop $1,200 to replace them and fanboy as i am, I just can’t do it.
 
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Sam's Club had the HomePod Listed as Clearance but the prices was higher. Maybe they are getting ready to release a new one.
 
caliguy said:
Why are you assuming that no more software updates means they are bricking your device?
Click to expand...

I never said the device would be bricked, my specific comment was in regards to updates. Bricking however is a possibility if a massive change were made to the Siri/Alexa/Whatever Google calls theirs. My point was if you choose to buy a smart speaker you obviously value the smarts part and I think most people will acknowledge that the speaker hardware will outlive the smarts hardware.

My specific question to everyone here was how do you think the end of life for these devices will be handled and does that affect your buying decision.
 
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caliguy said:
Why are you assuming that no more software updates means they are bricking your device?
Click to expand...
It doesn’t have to be bricked to be worthless.

If it stops getting updates, then how will you set it up in the future if you have to reset it, but a new iOS device can’t connect to it?

What if Apple Music stops being supported on iOS versions older than iOS 19 or something in the future and it is stuck on 18?
 
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