HomePod HomePod Discontinued... Discussion.

[The-Real-Deal82]

Most people in my circles use Spotify or have Amazon music through their Prime accounts. Apple Music seems to be the less popular of the three and the fact Apple stopped people using third party music subscriptions through the HomePod is rather telling as to why they’re not selling as well as Amazon and Google alternatives. The HomePod undoubtedly has the best sound quality, but I don’t think the average joe really cares about that too much. Charging £299 in a market where alternatives are £50-£120 just goes to show Apple misjudged their market. The Mini is more in line I think but Apple need to realise they can’t expect to force just their services on people when they usually carry a premium over the competition.

 

[- rob -]

I have an original white HomePod and bought two minis when that was announced.

I generally like the HomePod, though I rarely get to use it and substantial volume.

Apple Music, frankly, isn’t that great. It tries to play cheap covers instead of original classics. It lacks style.

For years Apple Music thrusted random pop artists on me despite Apple having a deep bench of data on my prior listening habits. It felt like payola.

Apple Music technically works, though and as long as I go figure out the new albums on my own, and build the playlists myself it’s OK. AM’s playlists can be OK. None of it is great.

I have not had a good experience with Siri on HomePod. It isn’t exactly HomePod’s fault but it also is because that’s what it is supposed to be good at.

Siri’s voice sounds out of date. She is almost always too loud. At one point we changed her to Australian accent because word was that version didn’t have so many quips.

Most importantly Siri “can’t do that on HomePod.” I have heard that so many times, it feels like the Product is incomplete years after launch.

The most useful thing about Siri and HomePod is controlling Homekit. I have Watch and an iPhone but very often having a touchless ambient control over the home matters.

I realize now this may be part of the reason the minis were alluring—they were better at the things I used these integrated devices for.

Before HomePod I used airport expresses and airplay a lot. I even have a powered DAC so I could play optical out to some really nice studio monitors.

I was cleaning the other day and came across the equipment, cables, AXP and wondered almost if it was time to give it away.

Reading comments here about how good speakers don’t care if their manufacturer supports them made me think about this mothballed kit.

Would I go back? Is audio bound for an unbundling?

No I don’t think so. I think HomePod was way too expensive and Apple got absolutely creamed by Alexa products because the Mini took too long to bring to market.

I think most of the issues I have with HomePod / Siri can be overcome. There is value in integrations like this, and no one can touch the privacy / quality / design compromise Apple pulls off, making HomePod the worst of the best.

Thats no good place to be. I hope ditching this will yield something more balanced. i have a hard time imagining Apple giving up on bigger sound, but it is possible we see a retreat for a while.

 

[marlman]

So glad I managed to pick a white one up on Friday to go with my other one.

I honestly think they sound brilliant I have been playing with audio equipment all my life and never been really satisfied until now.

Never had any problems with Siri she doe's everything I need her to do.

 

[srl7741]

I wasn't surprised to read it was discontinued. I have 2 HomePods and 2 HomePod Minis and think they are a great product w/good sound. I have the opinion (at the moment) Apple will release a newer version of the HomePod (II/Pro, etc) with improved internals and cost a little less. I just don't see Apple having 1 product called a Mini.

What we need at the moment is a new Apple TV! 🤦‍♂️

 

[Macguy31]

This is disappointing as I love my HomePod. I bought mine a year ago and because of it, I subscribed to Apple Music. While it's not necessary, it does make the HomePod more useful. Now with Dolby Atmos as a feature and being able to use the HomePod as the default speaker with my AppleTV 4K it got even better. I have two HomePod mini's which are perfect for where they are located in my apartment but the original HomePod does have better sound.

 

[darthbane2k]

Probably now focusing on the Mini because it’s more competitive in the market at £99. At least at the lower price it enables people to have multiple ones across their homes.

If Apple think they can promote the mini as a product that stands as the ‘best way to experience Apple Music’, they will flat out humiliate themselves.
The mini is woefully inadequate for serious music listening and is a nice bedside table speaker at best. Even when paired.

 

[darthbane2k]

My main concern is continued support for homepod. If support was guaranteed I’d buy three more.
I don’t want to go the route of Sonos, the Sonos one sounds like garbage and the Sonos 5 is £500.
If I go Sonos then I’d need a HomePod mini to place alongside it to invoke HomeKit, which means it’s probably better off ditching HomeKit and going full Alexa considering the new Sonos models all support it.
Apple have killed HomeKit too with the dumb decision. They’ve literally handed the smart home market to Amazon.

 

[Itinj24]

I think the two biggest factors in the downfall of the HomePod were the price and lack of Bluetooth support for audio. Apple can usually get away with charging a premium but they’ve alienated all non iPhone users. AirPods, which I’ve always considered to be portable HomePods, can Bluetooth so of course they’ll gain more market traction. They knew their price was absurd early on with the permanent price drop but it only went from absurd to still not good. Not sure what the cost is to produce each unit but they seemed to fly off the shelves at those 199 sales prices. Well at least they did at my local Best Buy.

 

[Itinj24]

If Apple think they can promote the mini as a product that stands as the ‘best way to experience Apple Music’, they will flat out humiliate themselves.
The mini is woefully inadequate for serious music listening and is a nice bedside table speaker at best. Even when paired.

I agree. I have at least one HomePod where I have a TV/AppleTV in my house and Minis scattered around mainly for HomeKit control only, where a HomePod is overkill, like my foyer.

 

[darthbane2k]

I think the two biggest factors in the downfall of the HomePod were the price and lack of Bluetooth support for audio. Apple can usually get away with charging a premium but they’ve alienated all non iPhone users. AirPods, which I’ve always considered to be portable HomePods, can Bluetooth so of course they’ll gain more market traction. They knew their price was absurd early on with the permanent price drop but it only went from absurd to still not good. Not sure what the cost is to produce each unit but they seemed to fly off the shelves at those 199 sales prices. Well at least they did at my local Best Buy.

This is what baffles me. Sonos doesn’t support Bluetooth, their prices are just as high. I suppose supporting only Apple Music harmed The HomePod. Support for other services was only introduced very recently, too little too late.
what Apple should have done was include a years worth of Apple Music with the original HomePod or opened it up to other services from day one.

 

[Itinj24]

This is what baffles me. Sonos doesn’t support Bluetooth, their prices are just as high. I suppose supporting only Apple Music harmed The HomePod. Support for other services was only introduced very recently, too little too late.
what Apple should have done was include a years worth of Apple Music with the original HomePod or opened it up to other services from day one.

Got greedy and took the hit I suppose. Subscriptions return a way higher revenue than hardware and the fine minds over at Apple took a shot. I subscribed to Apple Music for the integration but the reason I love Apple products so much is the integration and eco system. Most people, I gather, are not fond of an ongoing monthly/yearly payment when you have other necessities to worry about like rent/mortgage, car, utilities, credit cards, etc... The goal is to reduce monthly bills, not tack them on lol.

 

[boltjames]

his is what baffles me. Sonos doesn’t support Bluetooth, their prices are just as high. I suppose supporting only Apple Music harmed The HomePod.

HomePod was a success at retail. It’s just over designed and likely not profitable enough to justify its continuance. It was built to be a $350 product.

When Apple gets through its Mini cycle they will revisit and release HomePod Pro which support the right retail and the right profit margin.

 

[Itinj24]

HomePod was a success at retail. It’s just over designed and likely not profitable enough to justify its continuance. It was built to be a $350 product.

When Apple gets through its Mini cycle they will revisit and release HomePod Pro which support the right retail and the right profit margin.

“Success” to me translates to “profitable enough”. C’mon, James, what company axes a successful product? I’m a fan of it but it was not successful.

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is what baffles me. Sonos doesn’t support Bluetooth, their prices are just as high

Sonos offers a complete ecosystem up and down the situation scale, including things like a sound bar.

Apple needs to either get “all in” or just get out here...

People investing in this space expect options for all the situations around the house, as well as flexibility in how you can use it (wired when it makes more sense, at TV for instance) and good long term support.

 

[volcanic]

Damn... They must have shipping containers filled with pallets on top of pallets of these then. People on Reddit that bought a HomePod back in November/December were reporting an early 2018 manufacture date. I haven't seen anyone with a HomePod newer than early 2018. The 3 brand new ones I bought and several warranty replacements (bought 6 others from eBay) all have late 2017 or early 2018 serial numbers.

Why did you need warranty replacements? I have 7 and haven’t noticed problems. Curious what you encountered ?

 

[Itinj24]

Why did you need warranty replacements? I have 7 and haven’t noticed problems. Curious what you encountered ?

A user on here, believe it was “dot.me”, had all (think it was nine) of their HomePods brick after a software update. It was a 13.something update. That update did a number on a lot HomePods. Not saying that was ouimetnick’s issue but an example of what can happen.

 

[boltjames]

“Success” to me translates to “profitable enough”. C’mon, James, what company axes a successful product? I’m a fan of it but it was not successful.

With sales in the neighborhood of 15M units and revenue of $4.5 billion dollars? LOL, that is a massive success by any measure. Sonos, as a reminder, does the same $1.5 billion in sales per year as HomePod and that's with dozens of different products, installations, accessories, etc. Do not forgeet the impact to Apple Music, the biggest streaming music entity in the United States, which overtook Spotify during the HomePod's first two years.

Thousands of companies axe successful products. And success in consumer acceptance and sales is allowed to be different than success on a P&L if it is a new product that enters a new market. Apple dropped the most successful music player in history, the iPod Mini, because they developed a superior product to advance its market position, not because it made more money than its predecessor. Macintosh ran in the red for its first several years. The first few years of mobile phones in the US, all the phones were money losers, the carriers were giving them away to entice subscription models- similar to HomePod and its relationship with Apple Music.

The HomePod is eventually going to be replaced with a new premium version. In the meantime, the Mini can add millions of new Apple Music subscribers and help grow Apple's smart home business. Remember, a $300 audiophile mono streaming speaker isn't for everyone. I'd argue that anyone who wanted a HomePod already has one and Apple knows this. They will figure out a way to build something similar for $199 and HomePod Pro will no longer be as much of a niche.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

With sales in the neighborhood of 15M units and revenue of $4.5 billion dollars? LOL, that is a massive success by any measure. Sonos, as a reminder, does the same $1.5 billion in sales per year as HomePod and that's with dozens of different products, installations, accessories, etc. Do not forgeet the impact to Apple Music, the biggest streaming music entity in the United States, which overtook Spotify during the HomePod's first two years.

Thousands of companies axe successful products. And success in consumer acceptance and sales is allowed to be different than success on a P&L if it is a new product that enters a new market. Apple dropped the most successful music player in history, the iPod Mini, because they developed a superior product to advance its market position, not because it made more money than its predecessor. Macintosh ran in the red for its first several years. The first few years of mobile phones in the US, all the phones were money losers, the carriers were giving them away to entice subscription models- similar to HomePod and its relationship with Apple Music.

The HomePod is eventually going to be replaced with a new premium version. In the meantime, the Mini can add millions of new Apple Music subscribers and help grow Apple's smart home business. Remember, a $300 audiophile mono streaming speaker isn't for everyone. I'd argue that anyone who wanted a HomePod already has one and Apple knows this. They will figure out a way to build something similar for $199 and HomePod Pro will no longer be as much of a niche.

The funny thing is 15 million is actually a very small proportion of the smart assistant market, although I have to admit I couldn’t care less how much Apple has made from it if I’m brutally honest. Amazon have sold more than 230 million smart echo devices and in 2020 sold 100 million in just 12 months. This is why we all know so many people who have these devices rather than HomePods. They may sound largely inferior if the sound is studied by people in the know, but they are cheap and serve the purpose. Apple need to decide if they are competing in the mass consumer market or continuing to target specialists much like they do with the AirPods Max. If they are in it for profit over outreach and popularity, then nobody can criticise that strategy. It’s not so good for consumers looking for products driven by competition though.

 

[haralds]

If they do not announce a replacement end of this month, I will keep my eyes open for an additional white one to pair up with my first at a discount. I also have a stereo pair of the black version. The sound really opens up in that mode. The same is true for my white pair of minis. I do have a black singleton of that version, too.

 

[Itinj24]

With sales in the neighborhood of 15M units and revenue of $4.5 billion dollars? LOL, that is a massive success by any measure. Sonos, as a reminder, does the same $1.5 billion in sales per year as HomePod and that's with dozens of different products, installations, accessories, etc. Do not forgeet the impact to Apple Music, the biggest streaming music entity in the United States, which overtook Spotify during the HomePod's first two years.

Thousands of companies axe successful products. And success in consumer acceptance and sales is allowed to be different than success on a P&L if it is a new product that enters a new market. Apple dropped the most successful music player in history, the iPod Mini, because they developed a superior product to advance its market position, not because it made more money than its predecessor. Macintosh ran in the red for its first several years. The first few years of mobile phones in the US, all the phones were money losers, the carriers were giving them away to entice subscription models- similar to HomePod and its relationship with Apple Music.

The HomePod is eventually going to be replaced with a new premium version. In the meantime, the Mini can add millions of new Apple Music subscribers and help grow Apple's smart home business. Remember, a $300 audiophile mono streaming speaker isn't for everyone. I'd argue that anyone who wanted a HomePod already has one and Apple knows this. They will figure out a way to build something similar for $199 and HomePod Pro will no longer be as much of a niche.

I just picked up two yesterday. One from an Apple Store and one from Best Buy. Apple store date on the box is 2017 and Best Buy is 2018. They stopped producing these things pretty much the same time they were released. You are the only one claiming the HomePod to be a successful product. Companies axe successful products when they have a newer better version to replace it with. They threw in the towel on this one. Their market share was in the single digits. Face it, they got rocked by Google and Amazon in this segment.

 

[boltjames]

The funny thing is 15 million is actually a very small proportion of the smart assistant market, although I have to admit I couldn’t care less how much Apple has made from it if I’m brutally honest. Amazon have sold more than 230 million smart echo devices and in 2020 sold 100 million in just 12 months. This is why we all know so many people who have these devices rather than HomePods. They may sound largely inferior if the sound is studied by people in the know, but they are cheap and serve the purpose. Apple need to decide if they are competing in the mass consumer market or continuing to target specialists much like they do with the AirPods Max. If they are in it for profit over outreach and popularity, then nobody can criticise that strategy. It’s not so good for consumers looking for products driven by competition though.

Agree completely, RD. As an example, because I'm a YouTube Premium subscriber, out of the blue they gave me a Google Home Mini, free of charge, it's in my son's room, he uses it to get sports scores and listen to bedtime stories. They're cheap and they're helping grow their userbase, but these things aren't being used for music. They are reading texts and scheduling appointments and giving homework answers and acting as alarm clocks.

HomePod is something else. It isn't "a confused attempt at a personal assistant". It is the greatest wireless speaker ever, an audiophile's entrée into streaming. The media wanted to play the "Apple fail!" card and chose this product for their misinformation campaigns, but those in the know know what's what. HomePod is 50 million songs and a subwoofer. It's not a PDA. I love mine. Discontinued or not, it's my favorite Apple product and will be until they come out with a high quality replacement.

 

[boltjames]

I just picked up two yesterday. One from an Apple Store and one from Best Buy. Apple store date on the box is 2017 and Best Buy is 2018. They stopped producing these things pretty much the same time they were released. You are the only one claiming the HomePod to be a successful product. Companies axe successful products when they have a newer better version to replace it with. They threw in the towel on this one. Their market share was in the single digits. Face it, they got rocked by Google and Amazon in this segment.

HomePod is not a personal assistant or a Siri machine designed for the smarthome market.

It is the world's best streaming speaker designed for those who care about music and sound quality. No one spends $350 to turn on a lightbulb or set a cake timer. It is 50 million songs a mere "Hey Siri" away. It's like the quality mini-systems from the 90's, those compact stereo systems that let you play a small compact disc in a small enclosure and fill a room with high quality sound. Think Bose Wave CD player. Look up the Sony CMT-EX1. That's what HomePod is.

 

[Htsi]

I adore my HomePods. The ecosystem and walled garden has a lovely user experience. I will unsubscribe from Apple Music if my HomePods crap out and there isn’t a better replacement.

 

[Htsi]

HomePod is not a personal assistant or a Siri machine designed for the smarthome market.

It is the world's best streaming speaker designed for those who care about music and sound quality. No one spends $350 to turn on a lightbulb or set a cake timer. It is 50 million songs a mere "Hey Siri" away. It's like the quality mini-systems from the 90's, those compact stereo systems that let you play a small compact disc in a small enclosure and fill a room with high quality sound. Think Bose Wave CD player. Look up the Sony CMT-EX1. That's what HomePod is.

Anyone who wants HomePod for music has a stereo pair is what id say. I hate that they are going away from the high end audio space.
and HomePods got me into HomeKit. I will not discount that as a use case. Sure didn’t buy it for HomeKit. I got it for audio

 

[Htsi]

I just picked up two yesterday. One from an Apple Store and one from Best Buy. Apple store date on the box is 2017 and Best Buy is 2018. They stopped producing these things pretty much the same time they were released. You are the only one claiming the HomePod to be a successful product. Companies axe successful products when they have a newer better version to replace it with. They threw in the towel on this one. Their market share was in the single digits. Face it, they got rocked by Google and Amazon in this segment.

Google & Amazon gained market share by free and cheap speakers + the ginormous amount of devices. The user experience may be trash but they are the market leaders. I’m unhappy because apple can afford to keep this low selling product but it chooses to discontinue it and alienate its users who have spent a lot of money in the walled garden. Not good.