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HomePod HomePod Discontinued... Discussion.

boltjames said:
This. Perfectly stated. Apple has nailed Music. iPod. iTunes Music Store. Apple Music. AirPods.

A Soundbar for a home theater. Mini for quick control everywhere. HomePod Max as a standalone room-filling stereo system. That's what they should be focusing on. I still believe they should be making TV's, expand further from Audio into Video, I'd buy a 65" Apple Television with built-in ATV and HomePod speakers. Apple is already big into displays, every iPhone, iPad, Macbook, and Watch has them.

Stop with the IoT and Search distractions. Bring the whole Audio + Video experience together. Focus on sound and video quality.
Click to expand...
It’s virtually at that point - you can get almost all of this on current round of smart TVs as apps - airplay, HomeKit, ATV app and Apple Music. Everything except HomePod integration, and privacy. If Apple follow through on their current ATV strategy, the sound bar/ATV hybrid would fit perfectly; plugs into to any tv, plays all formats and syncs sound, keeps you in the protected space of the walled garden, links with subsidiary homepods. I do hope it’s not going to manifest as a google nest home hub style gadget - the centre of the home (for good or bad reasons) is the tv, and that’s where the Apple hub should be centred. Totally agree this would be where their strength lies - although I would like to see a push into home internet security from Apple, and wish they hadn’t dumped their routers. Something like these guys: https://hedgehog.ai/
What worries me is the summary way OG homepods have been dropped without replacement. Hope there is more to it than meets the eye.
 
boltjames said:
This. Perfectly stated. Apple has nailed Music. iPod. iTunes Music Store. Apple Music. AirPods.

A Soundbar for a home theater. Mini for quick control everywhere. HomePod Max as a standalone room-filling stereo system. That's what they should be focusing on. I still believe they should be making TV's, expand further from Audio into Video, I'd buy a 65" Apple Television with built-in ATV and HomePod speakers. Apple is already big into displays, every iPhone, iPad, Macbook, and Watch has them.

Stop with the IoT and Search distractions. Bring the whole Audio + Video experience together. Focus on sound and video quality.
Click to expand...
TV is a loser business. The whole reason they have all those darn services and make you put your TV on the internet is to pay the bills
 
kurtatx said:
TV is a loser business. The whole reason they have all those darn services and make you put your TV on the internet is to pay the bills
Click to expand...
I agree - TVs are a losing business. Apple previously looked having Apple Televisions made and realized there's no money in it - Samsung and LG pump out millions of TVs and make virtually nothing on them, they rely on volume for a small profit. Not the Apple model!

Instead, make a soundbar with eARC connection that can use the screen to display SIRI answers such as weather, recipes etc.
 
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kurtatx said:
TV is a loser business. The whole reason they have all those darn services and make you put your TV on the internet is to pay the bills
Click to expand...

TV is a loser business because all TV's are essentially the same, it's a price business, it's a race to the bottom. And just like all their other premium products, from Apple there is room for a premium television with something, finally, that sets it apart from the rest.

The point is that as a consumer, it would be great to have a television made by Apple that does everything I want right out of the box. Plug it in, connect to wi-fi, done. Multiple Apple Televisions, just like iPhone, you hit a button, it sets itself up, all your apps, all your settings, automatically pairs to HomePods and AirPods, no passwords, no configuration, Siri able to control it all without conflicts, it just works. And with an Apple panel, the settings are always spot-on, no variable in picture quality like we get today from those who have crappy low end TV's and those of us with the very best.

And as we inch closer to a cable-cut model, don't kid yourself. An Apple Television becomes more relevant as the years go by. It's cable that controls the UI. Once cable is gone, Apple can outdo everyone else on UI, just like they have done on all their devices. Apple TV as a standalone hockey puck sucks; but an Apple Television, different story, it can do so much more when Apple controls every aspect of the UI and all the annoyances that come with setting up and configuring the panel itself.
 
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boltjames said:
TV is a loser business because all TV's are essentially the same, it's a price business, it's a race to the bottom. And just like all their other premium products, from Apple there is room for a premium television with something, finally, that sets it apart from the rest.

The point is that as a consumer, it would be great to have a television made by Apple that does everything I want right out of the box. Plug it in, connect to wi-fi, done. Multiple Apple Televisions, just like iPhone, you hit a button, it sets itself up, all your apps, all your settings, automatically pairs to HomePods and AirPods, no passwords, no configuration, Siri able to control it all without conflicts, it just works. And with an Apple panel, the settings are always spot-on, no variable in picture quality like we get today from those who have crappy low end TV's and those of us with the very best.

And as we inch closer to a cable-cut model, don't kid yourself. An Apple Television becomes more relevant as the years go by. It's cable that controls the UI. Once cable is gone, Apple can outdo everyone else on UI, just like they have done on all their devices. Apple TV as a standalone hockey puck sucks; but an Apple Television, different story, it can do so much more when Apple controls every aspect of the UI and all the annoyances that come with setting up and configuring the panel itself.
Click to expand...
I disagree - keep the TV as basically a monitor and let the soundbar (BarPod?) do everything. TVs are now basically monitors anyway - I don't even know why they continue to have built in TV tuners, no one uses them.

The reason is cost - lets not overengineer the TV and price it so only very few will buy it (see HomePod). Have a midrange soundbar control software for audio, homekit and SIRI, and additional speakers if desired.

If you want a super screen, get a Panasonic, Sony or LG OLED at the desired screen size, others will be content with a more basic TV.

Add optional subwoofer (WoofPod?) and you have a good system to start with.
 
boltjames said:
TV is a loser business because all TV's are essentially the same, it's a price business, it's a race to the bottom. And just like all their other premium products, from Apple there is room for a premium television with something, finally, that sets it apart from the rest.

The point is that as a consumer, it would be great to have a television made by Apple that does everything I want right out of the box. Plug it in, connect to wi-fi, done. Multiple Apple Televisions, just like iPhone, you hit a button, it sets itself up, all your apps, all your settings, automatically pairs to HomePods and AirPods, no passwords, no configuration, Siri able to control it all without conflicts, it just works. And with an Apple panel, the settings are always spot-on, no variable in picture quality like we get today from those who have crappy low end TV's and those of us with the very best.

And as we inch closer to a cable-cut model, don't kid yourself. An Apple Television becomes more relevant as the years go by. It's cable that controls the UI. Once cable is gone, Apple can outdo everyone else on UI, just like they have done on all their devices. Apple TV as a standalone hockey puck sucks; but an Apple Television, different story, it can do so much more when Apple controls every aspect of the UI and all the annoyances that come with setting up and configuring the panel itself.
Click to expand...

It would be great to have an Apple Television.

But it’s very unlikely to happen. I would not hold my breath at all.

As @kurtatx & @AEWest correctly said, “TV is a loser business.” —> AKA Being a TV manufacturer (even high-end smart TVs) is a LOW-PROFIT-MARGIN business.

Apple already has their hands VERY FULL now with their 3 main R&D priorities:
1. WEARABLES —> APPLE GLASS/VR GOGGLES:
  • Apple has already successfully launched two new wearables platforms so far: (a) on your wrist (Apple Watch), (b) on your ears (AirPods). The 3rd wearable platform is....Apple VR Goggles/Apple Glass. (= on your eyes)
  • APPLE GLASS (AR/VR mixed reality glasses): This is THE next revolutionary device, and has great potential — potentially a “smartphone-killer”. But more likely it will become as popular as the smartphone, ie we will all need or want one.
  • APPLE’S VISION FOR AR: Over the last 7-10 years, Tim Cook has told us in numerous interviews about how revolutionary & how important AR is to Apple’s future.
    • Apple has been steadily building the building blocks required for an Apple Glass device (a fully-immersive/mixed reality AR device):
      • created ARKit,
      • adding LIDAR to iPhones & iPads,
      • Trialing/testing pilot AR applications on a limited scale — eg. AR experiences for launching new products (eg. iPad Air 4 product launch)
    • AR DEVICES:
      • Apple VR Goggles = Apples’s more niche fully-immersive VR device, for gamers & first adopters.
      • Apple VR Goggles will likely have partial AR/mixed reality functions as well, like a prototype Apple Glass.
      • Apple Glass = Apple’s mainstream mixed reality/AR device
  • Apple will launch with the Apple VR Goggles (AR/VR mixed reality goggles) first in ~2022-2023, and after a few years/iterations they will improve upon them and then launch Apple Glass (potentially a game-changer device).
  • It’s hard to fully predict the impact (of Apple Glass) on our lives, but over the next 5-10 years after they’re launched, I expect many many people to own a pair of Apple Glass.
  • Apple’s Apple Glass team are fully dedicated to this, and I fully support Apple in this.
  • This is also why Siri, Smart Home Hub/IoT (including Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini), Apple Maps, Apple Fitness+/Apple Music/Apple TV+/etc are all vitally important to Apple’s ecosystem, because all these services will be seamlessly integrated into the Apple Glass mixed reality (AR/VR) displays. Apple is already working on improving Siri’s web search/Siri Shortcuts/etc capabilities, and improving all these devices & services I’ve just listed.
2. Apple Car
  • This will likely be a fully-self-driving car, although Apple may choose to release an initial non-full-self-driving version first, as they get to grips with car manufacturing with Foxconn/other contract car manufacturers.
  • Huge huge project. Potentially transformative also, though it will take time.
3. Apple Silicon, AI (machine learning), and all other areas of Apple (Hardware, Software, and Services)
  • Continuing to seek improvements/innovations & excel in all their current markets

Apple may have a very large $200+ billion war chest that they’re sitting on, but their BIGGEST LIMITATION is their TIME & ATTENTION.

The Apple ID (Industrial Design) team can only focus their innovative efforts on a limited number of areas.

My educated guess is that
  • they will create some key high-profit Smart Home/IoT devices that are INTEGRAL to the HomeKit & Apple ecosystem — eg. HomePod Max/Video HomePod, ?a soundbar, HomePod mini, Apple TV
  • And leave the low-profit areas to other companies. Eg. Making TV sets, smart light bulbs, Google/Amazon areas of strength (ie. Google in search, Amazon in retail & cloud computing services)
So
- Apple TV (set-top box), plus
- the “Apple TV” app on iOS/iPadOS/macOS
serves as Apple’s vision for television.
Together, they already do most of what Apple needs from the TV.

I feel it’s very unlikely that in the Smart Home IoT market — that Apple will go beyond selling a few HomePod products + the Apple TV (+/- any new Smart Home/IoT device invented in the future, that becomes ESSENTIAL for HomeKit & Apple ecosystem).
 
Last edited:
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boltjames said:
TV is a loser business because all TV's are essentially the same, it's a price business, it's a race to the bottom. And just like all their other premium products, from Apple there is room for a premium television with something, finally, that sets it apart from the rest.

The point is that as a consumer, it would be great to have a television made by Apple that does everything I want right out of the box. Plug it in, connect to wi-fi, done. Multiple Apple Televisions, just like iPhone, you hit a button, it sets itself up, all your apps, all your settings, automatically pairs to HomePods and AirPods, no passwords, no configuration, Siri able to control it all without conflicts, it just works. And with an Apple panel, the settings are always spot-on, no variable in picture quality like we get today from those who have crappy low end TV's and those of us with the very best.

And as we inch closer to a cable-cut model, don't kid yourself. An Apple Television becomes more relevant as the years go by. It's cable that controls the UI. Once cable is gone, Apple can outdo everyone else on UI, just like they have done on all their devices. Apple TV as a standalone hockey puck sucks; but an Apple Television, different story, it can do so much more when Apple controls every aspect of the UI and all the annoyances that come with setting up and configuring the panel itself.
Click to expand...
It was rumoured many years ago that Apple was going to bring out a TV but as has been stated there's no money it, and I would imagine if Apple released an expensive TV it would potentially be repeating the HomePod's history i.e. a great product that doesn't appeal to the masses due to the high price compared to its peers.
 
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AEWest said:
I disagree - keep the TV as basically a monitor and let the soundbar (BarPod?) do everything. TVs are now basically monitors anyway - I don't even know why they continue to have built in TV tuners, no one uses them.

The reason is cost - lets not overengineer the TV and price it so only very few will buy it (see HomePod). Have a midrange soundbar control software for audio, homekit and SIRI, and additional speakers if desired.

If you want a super screen, get a Panasonic, Sony or LG OLED at the desired screen size, others will be content with a more basic TV.

Add optional subwoofer (WoofPod?) and you have a good system to start with.
Click to expand...

I have a Sony TV. Several of them. And they have an extremely convenient Android UI. And with one remote I can jump from cable to get to all my apps immediately and seamlessly, jump between an app and live TV very quickly, one remote for the wife and kids to memorize.

I don’t use Apple TV anymore, its only there to bring Apple Music to my living room occasionally and to show home movies very rarely. For Netflix, Prime, HBO, and all the rest I’m using the Sony remote and inadvertently becoming an Android man. Apple doesn’t want that.

The TV is crying out for an Apple UI and an Apple integrated experience. Not to mention what they could do to revolutionize things like voice control, color calibration, noise reduction, upscaling, and audio output, things people don’t understand or don’t want to deal with. What Steve Jobs said about “the lower 40” regarding so-called smartphones and their fixed plastic buttons at the iPhone launch 15 years ago is the UI mess that watching a TV is like today.

They really need to make a line of televisions. The world needs their help. Apple is losing the premium home entertainment battle to Google and they shouldn’t.
 
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pencilscribbler said:
It would be great to have an Apple Television.

But it’s very unlikely to happen. I would not hold my breath at all.

As @kurtatx & @AEWest correctly said, “TV is a loser business.” —> AKA Being a TV manufacturer (even high-end smart TVs) is a LOW-PROFIT-MARGIN business.

Apple already has their hands VERY FULL now with their 3 main R&D priorities:
1. WEARABLES —> APPLE GLASS/GOGGLES:
  • Apple has already successfully launched two new wearables platforms so far: (a) on your wrist (Apple Watch), (b) on your ears (AirPods). The 3rd wearable platform is....Apple Goggles/Apple Glass. (= on your eyes)
  • APPLE GLASS (AR/VR mixed reality glasses): This is THE next revolutionary device, and has great potential — potentially a “smartphone-killer”. But more likely it will become as popular as the smartphone, ie we will all need or want one.
  • Apple will launch with the Apple Goggles (AR/VR mixed reality goggles) first in ~2022-2023, and after a few years/iterations they will improve upon them and then launch Apple Glass (potentially a game-changer device).
  • It’s hard to fully predict the impact (of Apple Glass) on our lives, but over the next 5-10 years after they’re launched, I expect many many people to own a pair of Apple Glass.
  • Apple’s Apple Glass team are fully dedicated to this, and I fully support Apple in this.
  • This is also why Siri, Smart Home Hub/IoT (including Apple TV, HomePod, HomePod mini), Apple Maps, Apple Fitness+/Apple Music/Apple TV+/etc are all vitally important to Apple’s ecosystem, because all these services will be seamlessly integrated into the Apple Glass mixed reality (AR/VR) displays. Apple is already working on improving Siri’s web search/Siri Shortcuts/etc capabilities, and improving all these devices & services I’ve just listed.
2. Apple Car
  • This will likely be a fully-self-driving car, although Apple may choose to release an initial non-full-self-driving version first, as they get to grips with car manufacturing with Foxconn/other contract car manufacturers.
  • Huge huge project. Potentially transformative also, though it will take time.
3. Apple Silicon, AI (machine learning), and all other areas of Apple (Hardware, Software, and Services)
  • Continuing to seek improvements/innovations & excel in all their current markets

Apple may have a very large $200+ billion war chest that they’re sitting on, but their BIGGEST LIMITATION is their TIME & ATTENTION.

The Apple ID (Industrial Design) team can only focus their innovative efforts on a limited number of areas.

My educated guess is that
  • they will create some key high-profit Smart Home/IoT devices that are INTEGRAL to the HomeKit & Apple ecosystem — eg. HomePod Max/Video HomePod, ?a soundbar, HomePod mini, Apple TV
  • And leave the low-profit areas to other companies. Eg. Making TV sets, smart light bulbs, Google/Amazon areas of strength (ie. Google in search, Amazon in retail & cloud computing services)
So
- Apple TV (set-top box), plus
- the “Apple TV” app on iOS/iPadOS/macOS
serves as Apple’s vision for television.
Together, they already do most of what Apple needs from the TV.

I feel it’s very unlikely that in the Smart Home IoT market — that Apple will go beyond selling a few HomePod products + the Apple TV (+/- any new Smart Home/IoT device invented in the future, that becomes ESSENTIAL for HomeKit & Apple ecosystem).
Click to expand...

Stop telling me about TV margins. I’m in the business. Apple is the one company that could make a profitable television because there isn’t a true premium TV brand and Apple could crush it with a revolutionary TV interface, just like iPhone did in 2007.

Don’t hold your breath for Glass. People don’t like wearing things on their faces. 3D movies, 3D TV, virtual reality goggles, Google Glass, it’s been tried over and over again and failed. Video games have marginal success. It’s a toy.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
Most people I know use the built in TV tuners on their TV’s and I use the one on mine. The alternative is paying extra for a satellite subscription and that’s a business that is starting to fall on popularity due to higher costs.
Click to expand...

OTA digital TV is a mess here in the States, another great opportunity for Apple’s engineers to figure out in their revolutionary UI for the Apple Television. An integrated antenna, or HomePods as a series of antennas, perhaps. Apple needs to try harder to solve the living room for us.
 
mikeb71 said:
It was rumoured many years ago that Apple was going to bring out a TV but as has been stated there's no money it, and I would imagine if Apple released an expensive TV it would potentially be repeating the HomePod's history i.e. a great product that doesn't appeal to the masses due to the high price compared to its peers.
Click to expand...

Like iPhone, people will pay a premium price for a premium product. And the premium isn’t materials or brand, though those would rock. It’s UI.

Cable is dying. Perhaps they’ll open their minds to UI control the way the cellphone companies did in 2007, relinquish that to Apple, and give consumers a reason to use cable instead of apps. Apps suck. They are inconvenient and inconsistent. The content is great, the money the providers make can be maintained, there is a better way to allow consumers to get to it and they’d pay Apple for that privilege.
 
boltjames said:
Stop telling me about TV margins. I’m in the business. Apple is the one company that could make a profitable television because there isn’t a true premium TV brand and Apple could crush it with a revolutionary TV interface, just like iPhone did in 2007.

Don’t hold your breath for Glass. People don’t like wearing things on their faces. 3D movies, 3D TV, virtual reality goggles, Google Glass, it’s been tried over and over again and failed. Video games have marginal success. It’s a toy.
Click to expand...
Apple COULD come out with a Panasonic HZ2000 level 55 inch TV and sell it for $2500 BUT how many people would buy one when they could get a basic Samsung for $750?
That's why I don't think they should - it would be a low volume product that wouldn't move the needle in terms of market penetration.
Keep the smarts in a soundbar with an Apple universal remote instead.
 
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AEWest said:
Apple COULD come out with a Panasonic HZ2000 level 55 inch TV and sell it for $2500 BUT how many people would buy one when they could get a basic Samsung for $750?
That's why I don't think they should - it would be a low volume product that wouldn't move the needle in terms of market penetration.
Keep the smarts in a soundbar with an Apple universal remote instead.
Click to expand...

Again, market penetration means nothing to Apple whatsoever (outside of iOS devices), it's not their priority.

They make a $250 pair of earbuds and a $550 pair of headphones, they're not going to conquer Coby and wind up in every dollar store in America, it's not their objective. Apple makes high-end computers and operating systems that despite 40 years of trying have never broken 9% market share, hell, iOS is only 27% and falling and they had a 5 year head start on Android.

As far as features/prices of an Apple Television, how much is splendid ease-of-use worth to a customer? Imagine a world where all you have to do is ask Siri to jump to a piece of content and have it just show up, instantly, doesn't matter if it's live TV, something on an app, something you've timeshifted, it just works. How about never having to fiddle with color/tint/contrast/motion/audio settings ever again because the TV feels the room and feels the content, optimizing a movie one way and a live sporting event another way. How about not needing a gaming console or an OTA digital antenna. Imagine what Apple can do in their biggest wheelhouses- UI and miniaturization.

There are lots of wealthy people in the world. The reason people get cheap with TV's is because there isn't a reason to spend more, they treat it like a dumb screen and plug a whole bunch of crap into it, and quality goes out the window because it's too complex for the typical person to calibrate a panel properly and there's too much content requiring different settings. Apple can fix all of this. Like HomePod, just plug it in the wall, connect to wi-fi, and that's it, you're done, Apple is managing all the settings, you don't have to worry about a thing.
 
The-Real-Deal82 said:
Most people I know use the built in TV tuners on their TV’s and I use the one on mine. The alternative is paying extra for a satellite subscription and that’s a business that is starting to fall on popularity due to higher costs.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Where I live the cable companies provide a set top DVR that plugs into HDMI port, bypassing the built in tuner.

I must remember that this forum is not local, but worldwide and situations can differ greatly!
 
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AEWest said:
Interesting. Where I live the cable companies provide a set top DVR that plugs into HDMI port, bypassing the built in tuner.

I must remember that this forum is not local, but worldwide and situations can differ greatly!
Click to expand...
Yep. I (rarely) use the TV tuner. It would be nice to just have the Apple TV remote (or iPhone) to control everything. If Apple would make a TV, I’d like:

1. Auto-Wake/Auto-Sleep for AirPlay connections.
2. Be able to control inputs from remote app or Siri remote (app tiles for Live TV and HDMI inputs).
3. External IR blaster and Audio outputs (RCA and TosLink) for those that don’t replace their amp and speakers with HomePods.

My current Samsung 50” works great with the remote for my Apple TV, unless I need to use another input (PS4 or Live TV). Then I’m digging out the other remote.
 
machenryr said:
I should have bought two more when I thoiught about it a few months ago.
Click to expand...
I don’t think anyone saw this coming. I was waiting for another 199 sale on these things but when I heard the news along with not being available at Apple store, I immediately began searching and was forced to pay full price for the last two needed at Best Buy.
 
Honestly, it‘s so annoying. People acting like a HomePod is the PlayStation 5-2.0 and selling it for 500-600 bucks, hoping to make quick cash.

My deepest condolences to anyone who falls for it. I‘m not selling my one HomePod I have for two smaller Minis, just to make a Stereo-pair.
 
Damoh said:
Honestly, it‘s so annoying. People acting like a HomePod is the PlayStation 5-2.0 and selling it for 500-600 bucks, hoping to make quick cash.

My deepest condolences to anyone who falls for it. I‘m not selling my one HomePod I have for two smaller Minis, just to make a Stereo-pair.
Click to expand...
Very annoying but it’s Economics 101. It’s the toilet paper of 2021 lol.
 
I think it makes sense to discontinue it, Apples vision for the future of Homekit is using the U1 chip which every new piece of kit has built in but the original Homepod doe's not have it.

Also I think Thread is also the future the mini also has that built in.

Apple will bring out another speaker with Thread and the U1 chip.

I love my original Homepods and not worried if they don't get any updates as long as they keep working.
 
marlman said:
I think it makes sense to discontinue it, Apples vision for the future of Homekit is using the U1 chip which every new piece of kit has built in but the original Homepod doe's not have it.

Also I think Thread is also the future the mini also has that built in.

Apple will bring out another speaker with Thread and the U1 chip.

I love my original Homepods and not worried if they don't get any updates as long as they keep working.
Click to expand...
Why not just have a revised one with the U1 chip ready to go then, like they do with every other device that gets updated?

Latest rumors are saying a speaker/display combo like the Echo Show. I’d welcome a dedicated “Home” display. I’m already set on my HomePods/Minis and won’t have to mount iPads to the walls which is overkill for just home control displays.
 
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Itinj24 said:
Why not just have a revised one with the U1 chip ready to go then, like they do with every other device that gets updated?

Latest rumors are saying a speaker/display combo like the Echo Show. I’d welcome a dedicated “Home” display. I’m already set on my HomePods/Minis and won’t have to mount iPads to the walls which is overkill for just home control displays.
Click to expand...

Because I would imagine the Mini is more popular with consumers and investing the R&D into a more expensive variant right now would be a waste of time.
 
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