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HomePod Mini Available to Order in Finland, Norway, and Sweden

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Apple is accepting orders for the HomePod mini in Finland, Norway, and Sweden on its online store. The smart speaker is available in space gray, white, blue, orange, and yellow and is estimated for delivery in 4-6 business days in each country.

homepod-mini-thumb-feature.jpg

HomePod mini pricing is set at €109 in Finland, 1,249 kr in Norway, and 1,295 kr in Sweden, compared to $99 in the United States.

Apple previously announced that the HomePod mini would be available in these countries starting December 13 and orders can be placed in advance. Apple said the HomePod mini will also be available in South Africa starting December 19 and in Denmark next year.

Apple first released the HomePod mini in the U.S. and select other countries in November 2020. With Siri, the smart speaker can be used for listening to music, controlling HomeKit smart home accessories, setting a timer, and other tasks. Beyond new colors, the device has not received any hardware changes since launching two years ago.

Article Link: HomePod Mini Available to Order in Finland, Norway, and Sweden
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2022/12/09/homepod-mini-finland-norway-sweden/
Well so much for rumors of an updated replacement. That is, unless (unlikely) they are offloading the rest of the current model in new countries?

No real changes since 2020 and still being introduced to new countries. Not terrible, but not great for their only (current) shipping smart speaker.
 
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It's very strange how Apple half-heartedly market some products or leave others to wither on the vine like the Mac Pro. It's hard to fathom why HomePod mini took so long to reach Scandinavia and it's interesting that Apple Card has never reached the UK. My own conclusion is that Apple release products to suit themselves and their shareholders and not their customers.
 
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Im assuming these are extremely important markets for Apple, since Portuguese speaking countries have yet to wait for Siri to learn Portuguese so that we can go out and spend our money on HomePods. But Tim knows better, right?
 
This is really interesting.

At this stage its a 2 year old piece of hardware.

Sure, it's good. It sounds good... and arguably it doesnt need replacing yet...
But at 2 years old... and only to just start offering it in these countries... surely for them it will not last long until the HomePod Mini 2 appears..?
 
840quadra said:
Well so much for rumors of an updated replacement. That is, unless (unlikely) they are offloading the rest of the current model in new countries?

No real changes since 2020 and still being introduced to new countries. Not terrible, but not great for their only (current) shipping smart speaker.
Click to expand...

Apple has never been shy about selling a product like it's brand new (and for full price) right up until the moment it is unceremoniously dropped down the memory hole.

I don't think even Apple knows what they want to do with the HomePod. They entered the market so late, I think most people are already either sick of smart speakers or are firmly entrenched.

If they really want people to take HomePod seriously, they need to put real work into Siri first.
 
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That's not the point.

I bought the mini in November 2020, in my country it arrived a year and a half later.
Until the official sale I could only use it in English and the Genius Bar was not prepared to provide service, they were asking me how to do it.
From this moment on, even North European customers can finally use HomePod in their own language, even if Siri, since the iPhone 4S, has greatly worsened.
 
840quadra said:
Well so much for rumors of an updated replacement. That is, unless (unlikely) they are offloading the rest of the current model in new countries?

No real changes since 2020 and still being introduced to new countries. Not terrible, but not great for their only (current) shipping smart speaker.
Click to expand...

What exactly would you add? They will get at least 5 years out of this until anything is changed, and even then it'll probably be minor internal updates.
 
tomtad said:
What exactly would you add? They will get at least 5 years out of this until anything is changed, and even then it'll probably be minor internal updates.
Click to expand...
I actually think this is a very realistic and sensible viewpoint.

Yes.. what exactly would apple be able to do with a HomePod mini 2?

I know we shouldnt be complacent and think things cant change... of course they can, and should.

But, for its size, it sounds very good indeed. I don't think It needs or requires a new form factor, new shape.... I suppose they can always update the internals and squeeze even better sounding speakers out of it - but the fact this is still a current model and only just releasing in some counties in its existing form does definitely point to the fact there are no updates due in the short term at least.

We are far more likely to see a new version of the OG bigger HomePod coming up rather than changes to the mini.
 
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stocklen said:
I actually think this is a very realistic and sensible viewpoint.

Yes.. what exactly would apple be able to do with a HomePod mini 2?

I know we shouldnt be complacent and think things cant change... of course they can, and should.

But, for its size, it sounds very good indeed. I don't think It needs or requires a new form factor, new shape.... I suppose they can always update the internals and squeeze even better sounding speakers out of it - but the fact this is still a current model and only just releasing in some counties in its existing form does definitely point to the fact there are no updates due in the short term at least.

We are far more likely to see a new version of the OG bigger HomePod coming up rather than changes to the mini.
Click to expand...
They’ll upgrade the processor eventually and one would hope a smarter on device Siri. Also wouldn’t hurt to add an actual display of some sort or even a clock like others have done… would also be nice if the cord was detachable.
 
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I really regret the loss of the Home Pod All because they misjudged he market when it appeared. Siri was terrible, they said. Well, they made the Siri in the Home Pod only know about Music, TV and Movies, and sort of General Knowledge. Who cares? What why are were the speakers of the future. For their price, this is wonderful. And AFTER their disappearance, they got new life: a firmware update gave it Dolby Atmos. Part two Home Pods, get sound with Apple Music and other things. What can the minis give you? Siri, smallness, and pretty nice stereo — for their size. No H1 chip. No Atmos. I did buy two Home Pods on the pretty vigorous market that sprung up when Apple wasn’t going to make HomePods 2. So for $400, I have an Atmos setup Just listened to the Atmos Revolver. If they had just hung on, they could keep the basic Home Pod alive.
 
hagar said:
Great! Now Scandinavia can also enjoy those feelings of rage when shouting at Siri and hearing back she doesn’t know how to help you.
Click to expand...
I pretty much always get the response of "I won't respond to that" eventually :)
 
HomePod mini gen 1 will likely sell along side HomePod mini gen 2, as was done with AirPods, MacBook Air, etc. Gen 1 will likely be maintained at the same price (but discounted by non Apple vendors); whereas, Gen 2 will likely have a $129-$149 price point. Thus selling Gen 1 now will not likely preclude an introduction of Gen 2 early next year.
 
Awesome that we'll finally be able to buy it in Finland.

But... I'll be waiting for the next generation before buying one.
 
840quadra said:
Well so much for rumors of an updated replacement. That is, unless (unlikely) they are offloading the rest of the current model in new countries?

No real changes since 2020 and still being introduced to new countries. Not terrible, but not great for their only (current) shipping smart speaker.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what an updated HomePod mini could improve on. It's far more likely that they'll expand on the lineup with additional SKUs: a HomePod classic release and an Apple TV + HomePod hybrid that can be connected to a TV for Echo Show/Nest Hub type experience while the mini stays in the lineup.
 
tomtad said:
What exactly would you add? They will get at least 5 years out of this until anything is changed, and even then it'll probably be minor internal updates.
Click to expand...

ipedro said:
I'm not sure what an updated HomePod mini could improve on. It's far more likely that they'll expand on the lineup with additional SKUs: a HomePod classic release and an Apple TV + HomePod hybrid that can be connected to a TV for Echo Show/Nest Hub type experience while the mini stays in the lineup.
Click to expand...
Far better audio quality is what I am after. The current units have good BOOM, but are quite flat on mids and highs.

Personally I think this would be achievable by Apple considering the classic Apple Pro speakers are far more sharp, and provide better clarity. There are a few other opinions within a similar news story topic posted recently.

I like my stereo pair of HP Minis, but the sound quality is far below the OG Homepod, and even behind the older Sound stick / Apple Pro speakers once offered by Apple.
 
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840quadra said:
Far better audio quality is what I am after. The current units have good BOOM, but are quite flat on mids and highs.

Personally I think this would be achievable by Apple considering the classic Apple Pro speakers are far more sharp, and provide better clarity. There are a few other opinions within a similar news story topic posted recently.

I like my stereo pair of HP Minis, but the sound quality is far below the OG Homepod, and even behind the older Sound stick / Apple Pro speakers once offered by Apple.
Click to expand...
But, we are talking about the HomePod MINI here.

It is what is is.

You don't like the sound for its size.. I understand that but expectation levels should be reasonable. Personally I think it sounds far better than it should at that size and especially when in a stereo pair.... more than adequate for a lot of people.

Of course the OG HomePod is far superior... AND that is the device that Apple are far more likely to replace than the mini right now.

Think about it.....

Apple release the OG HomePod.... great quality but too expensive and they didnt sell well.
They then release the mini which hits the sweet spot of affordability and *acceptable* sound quality - and very quickly discontinue the OG HomePod. HomePod mini sells far better.....
... they then allow a few years for the mini to take hold.... and people to *love* (ish) the HomeKit experience but hanker after better quality speakers... maybe they have multiple minis in the house which are fine for a bedroom or study but really want a better quality speaker for the living room.
Boom... 2023 - band new and probably still quite expensive new HomePod launches... but this time people are waiting for it... wanting it.... have an appetite for it.. and are ready to buy it.


Also... on topic here too - look at Amazons echo line.
They *used* to replace them with new models every year without fail.
Now, however, weve basically had the same Echo for 3 years without alterations - the sound is very good for the size and price point - and they simply haven't needed to update it again.
The 'dot' has seen an update but sonically it really hasn't made much of an impact.

So, are we ready for a new HomePod mini yet? not really - seems unnecessary for at least another year or so.
However.. im sure a new bigger HomePod isn't far off now.
 
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