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HomePod Costs £319 in UK and $499 in Australia, Launches in France and Germany in Spring 2018

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In addition to the HomePod launching February 9 in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, Apple has also revealed that its Siri-enabled speaker will launch in France and Germany at some point "this spring," suggesting a release date between March and June at the absolute latest in those countries.

homepod-france-germany.jpg

France and Germany will be the first HomePod launch countries where English isn't the primary language spoken. Siri on the HomePod should be able to answer French and German queries as on the iPhone and other devices.

While we already knew the HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, Apple today confirmed the speaker will cost £319 in the United Kingdom and $499 in Australia. Apple hasn't revealed pricing information in France or Germany yet, or provided release dates for other countries like Canada at this time.

Apple has primarily positioned the HomePod as a speaker that can stream Apple Music, but with built-in Siri, users can send messages, set timers, play podcasts, check the news and weather, control HomeKit-enabled smart home accessories, and complete other tasks without needing to take out their iPhone.

The high-fidelity speaker is equipped with spatial awareness and Apple-engineered audio technology, including a seven-tweeter array and high-excursion woofer. The nearly seven inch tall speaker is powered by Apple's A8 chip.

HomePod is Apple's answer to the Amazon Echo and Google Home. The speaker was originally set to be released in December, but Apple delayed the launch, and missed out on sales during the holiday shopping season in the process.

Article Link: HomePod Costs £319 in UK and $499 in Australia, Launches in France and Germany in Spring 2018
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/01/23/homepod-france-germany-release-date/
profets said:
Yeah, for real. Why no launch in Canada?
Click to expand...

Probably has to do with getting government certification or some type of licensing. I can't think of another explanation why it would launch in Australia alongside the U.S., but not Canada.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Probably has to do with getting government certification or some type of licensing. I can't think of another explanation why it would launch in Australia alongside the U.S., but not Canada.
Click to expand...

Yeah, must be something along those lines.

Also strange how there's France and Germany listed for the spring. I wonder what the roadmap is like for other countries as well.

Actually I wonder what would happen if I purchased one in the US (I live 20 minutes from the border) and attempted to use it with my Canadian Apple ID.
 
profets said:
Actually I wonder what would happen if I purchased one in the US (I live 20 minutes from the border) and attempted to use it with my Canadian Apple ID.
Click to expand...

Guessing it wouldn't work because it wouldn't let you set it up with a Canadian IP address. Maybe if you had a VPN or could otherwise spoof a US IP address. That's the problem with all these "connected" devices now. We customers really don't have any control over them.

I have a "smart scale" and just yesterday got a note saying they were going to remove a feature by forced firmware update because the FDA has now decided it's now a medical device after being on the market for 2-3 years. Ridiculous.
 
Canadians should have the option of purchasing the product outside of Quebec until the French language is enabled. Many other products are designated in the same way because they do not contain French language instructions, etc.
 
Danoc said:
Maybe because CAD is weak. USD 350 means CAD 450. Plus sales tax, we are close to 500.
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$350USD is $437CAD right now so it would probably be priced at $450, which I don’t this is too bad considering a Sonos Play:5 is $649 and there’s clearly a market for high-end consumer speakers.
 
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Jut give Canada a release date already... for someone who likes to feel like they are an early adopter of technology, Apple is sure making it hard to not buy a competing product!
 
Maybe the french speaking Siri isn’t on par with the english speaking one.
Weird. I was looking forward to buy one in Canada.
 
The USA and UK always seem to be at the top of the tree for new product launches.
It’s a bi cheaper than I expected at £319. Happy to pull the trigger on a preorder
 
That's just shut. I bought two Bose SoundTouch 10s for less than one homepod.
We should send a message by NOT buying.
They've really hurt themselves too by missing Christmas sales to google Home and Alexa devices.
 
DamoTheBrave said:
That's just shut. I bought two Bose SoundTouch 10s for less than one homepod.
We should send a message by NOT buying.
They've really hurt themselves too by missing Christmas sales to google Home and Alexa devices.
Click to expand...
Dude, you bought two overpriced speakers over one overpriced speaker! Congrats!
 
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