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New HomePod Facing Significant Delay in Certain Markets as Pre-Orders Continue

MacRazySwe said:
Well, re-releasing basically the same product years later - that’s just weird. The OG Homepod was released in 2017!

Six years later, I would have expected some kind of innovation to make it more appealing than the first one.

Anyone want a 2017 MBA for the MSRP of a new 2022 M2 MBA with Retina Display? If so, I have one to sell you. 😁
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oh it is *much* more appealing than the first one.

Current sales and shipping delays should tell you that if they arent being manipulated of course.

But... here's my perspective.

As I mentioned in another reply up-thread...
I used to have multiple Amazon Echos and for my own reasons decided to move to HomeKit and set about replacing them with HomePod minis...
The minis sound great - they really do - a more than adequate replacement for the full sized Echo device. But, ive been waiting for this upgrade for a while and now they are available I can replace a couple of minis where I feel I need bigger sound for a bigger room.
I am an example of where the demand is, and the appeal too.

Sure you can compare specs - and tweeter numbers but that is entirely ill-advised right now as specs on paper DO NOT translate to the listening experience and apparently its phenomenal - certainly you dont notice the 'missing' tweeters according to early reviewers. Add to that the better chip, the proximity functionality and temp sensors that the minis have...
.. and you get a very compelling purchase frankly.

Its NOT the same as the OG.
 
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Two things to consider..

1) Most people will now be ordering this thing in a pair.

2) Apple would have been much more conservative with the number of units produced.

Both factors explain the slip in shipping date. Not necessarily a surge in demand.
 
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beanbaguk said:
The interesting trend happening now is the increase in value of 1st gen HomePods. I've seen them increase by about 50eur already. Presumably this is down to the poorer audio specs. However, time will only tell, and I'm eagerly looking forward to the detailed audio reviews.
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@squirrellydw I'm confused. Why do you disagree?
 
I was a couple of days late pre-ordering the midnight one here in the UK but still got launch day delivery date luckily.

Didn’t get the OG one so really looking forward to hearing the difference compared to my minis.
 
I'm thinking of picking up a pair as a gift for a living room set up, but I'm worried they'll lack a satisfying bass when in use. Suppose there's no way to be certain they'll fit the bill without trying them, and if they don't work out, could always just return them to Apple...
 
BrownyQ said:
I'm thinking of picking up a pair as a gift for a living room set up, but I'm worried they'll lack a satisfying bass when in use. Suppose there's no way to be certain they'll fit the bill without trying them, and if they don't work out, could always just return them to Apple...
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exactly. plus you are about to get deluged with YouTubers desperate to be the first to review the product...

there will be a lot of information and real world opinion available very soon.

That said, if it was me id just buy it, and try it for yourself as sound is VERY subjective - your opinion is the one that matters and if you dont like it you have a window to return it for a refund.
 
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stocklen said:
interesting this one.

Sure theres the tinfoil hat perspective... i.e Apple making less as they dont have the confidence it will sell... or theres some kind of marketing-related artificial constraint to bolster the 'i want' factor - as they more they are delayed the more someone will regret not ordering it and the more they *want* one.

The reality is probably somewhere midway - yes they simply didnt make enough and probably mis-judged the demand...
However it does go to show that regardless of a lot of the pundits attitude of "whats the point its still expensive and people wont pay that"... this is untrue as 2 years off the market forcing people to learn the "joys" of multi room music (when it works, apple!) a lot are hungry for the sonic upgrade that of course the new model will bring.
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The artificial supply/demand thing doesn’t have the same luster as it did years ago. Maybe the very small percentage of Apple fan boys will panic buy but I’m betting the average consumer is ok waiting for such product.
 
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H.E. Pennypacker said:
The artificial supply/demand thing doesn’t have the same luster as it did years ago. Maybe the very small percentage of Apple fan boys will panic buy but I’m betting the average consumer is ok waiting for such product.
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probably so.

Many will be waiting to see/hear it for themselves of course... as you really should given that sound is subjective.

You will see lead times shrink dramatically soon i suspect.
 
stocklen said:
in a nutshell its a thread border router... and that means that other smarthome devices that are thread compatible are able to create their own 'mesh' network and connect to each other instead of relying on a potentially weak wifi signal each device is capable of extending the network.
You need at least one device that is a thread border router in order for thread to function in this way.. and the new HomePod is one.. along with the older HomePod minis and the appleTV.
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Ok I was assuming that, thank you- but what on earth is thread and why do we need it if we now have Matter?
Can actually the older homepods serve as matter routers too?

From what I understand from google, thread is a mesh network like zigbee, but newer? But all the new MATTER devices can use different networking options? oh lord, I thought they would now all be always on a mesh network to improve stability and range, but now I read that philips hue for example is passing on thread but participating in Matter? smh
 
chfilm said:
Ok I was assuming that, thank you- but what on earth is thread and why do we need it if we now have Matter?
Can actually the older homepods serve as matter routers too?
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thread is the protocol that enables each individual device i.e. a bulb, camera, thermostat, motion sensor to form its on connectivity between each other instead of using wifi.
with wifi, each smart device needs to be close enough to the router to connect. With thread, it is not using wifi and therefore it each device only needs to be close enough to its neighbouring device to get a strong connection AND in doing to also grows the reach of the thread network in the house. Should a thread device break, then the network will 'self heal' i.e. the other thread devices will seek out the next strongest neighbouring device to maintain that network.
Thread comes into its own in large homes with greater distances in-between the smart device and the wifi router as that becomes irrelevant.

Matter is a protocol at a higher level than thread and covers all devices and enables them to be used theoretically with any home assistant / voice assistant... its not quite the same thing.

But the HomePod being a thread border router is a good thing for the future.
 
I welcome that it's delayed by more than a month in my country. Otherwise I maybe would have bought one on day one. But the more of a cooldown phase I get and the more time I think about the long term value of a software driven speaker with no bluetooth connectivity and no audio in, the less I'll probably want one. That €700 for a stere pair would give me a pretty nice and way more versatile and longliving hifi system.
 
Unami said:
I welcome that it's delayed by more than a month in my country. Otherwise I maybe would have bought one on day one. But the more of a cooldown phase I get and the more time I think about the long term value of a software driven speaker with no bluetooth connectivity and no audio in, the less I'll probably want one. That €700 for a stere pair would give me a pretty nice and way more versatile and longliving hifi system.
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then its not for you.

I dont really get why people bang on about it not having line in and bluetooth. It is not supposed to be a generic bluetooth speaker and its not supposed to be a speaker that you can plug an android phone into or any other random music device.
It's an Apple HomePod and like pretty much all the other Apple kit its designed to be firmly in the Apple Ecosystem. To me this is fine i only have apple, iPhones, iPads, Macs and any music will come from these sources. Even if I chose another music provider, as long as it had the app on my iPhone I can use HomePods via airplay so its all good.

Its horses for courses as with all technology. If your need is a speaker that not only works well with Apple devices but also you want to use other external non-apple related devices too with it... then it simply isnt for you and the good news is there are ,many many other devices out there that will suit your needs perfectly.

The Amazon Echo studio sounds phenomenal... a stereo pair does a fantastic job at atmos (though ONLY via fire devices... so theres a bit of eco system restrictions there too) and of course it has bluetooth and line in AND its cheaper - everyone's a winner
 
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stocklen said:
Apple knows what they are doing...
You are ignoring other factors.

Sure, the original 'failed' if you want to see it that way - back then it was competing with a plethora of Amazon and Google lower priced more functional devices and of course it was not going to succeed - even the sound quality was not enough. Im not making excuses for them, it was an ill-judged under-utilised, over-priced device at the time.

Apple then tested the waters with the much lower priced mini, and it began to sell in greater numbers - far outpacing that of the main HomePod.... meanwhile slowly (arguably not that successfully) increasing the siri and multi room capabilities. The bigger HomePod was simply not worth making and selling anymore back then.

Now, absence makes the heart grow fonder... and 2 years later having flooded the market with the cheaper mini... many people will have the appetite to 'upgrade' from the mini to the big HomePod. Especially in the living room where a pair of minis, although sounding much better than they deserve to as a stereo pair, are still not suitable for that bigger room....

In its absence, apple have stoked demand... and that seems to be borne out through this current supply 'shortage'

That said.. the 'shortage' might well just be marketing guff and the harder it is to come by... the more people seems to want it (just ask those youtube goons who marketed the soft drink that keeps selling out!).
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@Eluder im intrigued...
what exactly do you disagree with there?
 
Apple is finally releasing the product in the order it should have been. The Minis - the introductory HomePod - should have come before the full version, to wet everyone's appetite and get them accustomed to whole-home audio. Then you release the even better, even bigger format. You can see their success with this release order with the AirPods line: AirPods >> AirPods Pro >> AirPods Max, and the Apple Watch >> Apple Watch Ultra. No doubt seeing the demand for the original HomePods on the secondary market convinced them to try again.

I'm guessing an even better, bigger HomePod is in the future. Maybe a HomePod Soundbar with Apple TV built-in? Roku has released something similar.
 
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tonie walker said:
…typical marketing strategy 😝. Also, Apple is releasing this Homepod to more countries compared to gen1. Ordered 2 and midnight seems the way to go.
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I was leaning towards the darker one, but that got vetoed in favor of the white since it "blends in better with the location." :)

I wonder if they are making equal numbers of each. I picked non-express shipping to get the pair on Monday vs Friday.
 
When Apple announced it was discontinuing the HomePod I immediately sold my two HomePods. I got what I paid for them. The HomePod relies on the Apple ecosystem, there is no way to connect to this device without it having an up to date software, they become paper weights. This new version of HomePod seems to be part of the new ecosystem, so I bought one. Believe me, if they go in a different direction again, I'll the same thing again.
 
vi2867 said:
When Apple announced it was discontinuing the HomePod I immediately sold my two HomePods. I got what I paid for them. The HomePod relies on the Apple ecosystem, there is no way to connect to this device without it having an up to date software, they become paper weights. This new version of HomePod seems to be part of the new ecosystem, so I bought one. Believe me, if they go in a different direction again, I'll the same thing again.
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I think you'll be fine.

I agree with your philosophy though - when a company discontinues something then its not worth hanging on to although Apple are a slightly different beast to be fair.

But, I think this time it will certainly 'stick' - Who knows at this point how successful the new HomePods will be... I suspect many will be happy enough with the minis and given the price difference they will not be swayed at all to purchase the more expensive model (and its great to have a choice again which to buy). They will continue to sell the HomePod but they will shift far more minis than they will the big boys. You only have to look at Amazon Echos.... to me, the price difference is a bit silly but many still opt for the cheapest which is the echo dot - it sounds OK but the bigger Echo is far better (£54 vs £79) - and to me at only £25 more its a no-brainer and I really dont understand who would opt for the dot over the bigger one. Of course with the HomePods there is a £200 difference in price and that makes the upsell to the main HomePod far more difficult understandably so.

But given the apparent success of the minis, we have them to thank for the re-introduction of the bigger model and they are a device that you should reasonably expect years of use out of - so as long as Apple is still around, and SIRI is still a thing - these should be around in one form or another for the long run.
 
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