HomePod Sales May Be Closer to 1-1.5 Million Than 3 Million Since the Speaker Launched

[MacRumors]

HomePod shipments totaled an estimated 700,000 units in the second quarter of 2018, giving Apple a roughly six percent share of the worldwide smart speaker market, according to research firm Strategy Analytics.

Strategy Analytics previously estimated HomePod shipments totaled 600,000 units in the first quarter of 2018, suggesting that worldwide shipments have reached 1.3 million units since the speaker became available to order in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom in late January.

That figure is much lower than one shared by research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, which recently estimated Apple has sold three million HomePods in the United States alone since the speaker launched.

The significant variance in the datasets stems from the fact that Apple doesn't disclose HomePod sales, instead grouping the speaker under its "Other Products" category in its earnings reports, alongside the Apple Watch, Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, iPod touch, and other Apple and third-party accessories.

Apple reported revenue of $3.74 billion from its "Other Products" category last quarter, up 37 percent from $2.73 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Shipments aren't sales, either, so it's impossible to know exactly how many HomePods ended up in the hands of customers.

If we had to guess, we'd say the Strategy Analytics numbers are probably more within the ballpark, as the HomePod is a niche product. The speaker is also available in just six countries, after launching in Canada, France, and Germany in June, with no indication when availability may expand to other regions.

Versus the Competition

HomePod was the world's fourth most popular smart speaker in the second quarter, behind the Amazon Echo, Google Home, and Chinese company Alibaba's Tmall Genie, according to Strategy Analytics.

Amazon remained the leader in the category last quarter, with the Echo commanding an estimated 41 percent market share, while the Google Home finished runner-up with an estimated 27 percent market share, according to Strategy Analytics. Alibaba took third place with an estimated seven percent market share.

While the HomePod has made somewhat of a dent, Apple still has significant ground to make up, which is to be expected given its smart speaker launched around two to three years after its biggest competitors.

It may be tough for Apple to gain further market share unless it releases a more competitively priced model, as the HomePod at $349 is considerably more expensive than the Amazon Echo, priced from $50, and the Google Home, $129.

To that end, rumors suggest Apple may have a lower-priced HomePod or a Siri-enabled Beats speaker in its pipeline.

Article Link: HomePod Sales May Be Closer to 1-1.5 Million Than 3 Million Since the Speaker Launched

 

[OldSchoolMacGuy]

Here's out random guess which may or may not be more accurate than the other random guesses.

 

[sunapple]

Why are we still comparing the HomePod to a 50$ Echo? It’s a voice assistant “speaker” versus a real music speaker that also has Siri.

 

[Agneev]

A million people bought that? Wow

 

[iDento]

Because:

1. Siri is limited
2. Pricy compared to other smart speakers (not necessarily to other high end dump speaker tho).

 

[Morgenland]

Gloomy whining. I have some HomePods and I am the happiest music listener in the world. That's why I'm not interested in all this talk.

 

[nerdAFK]

What's Homepod?

 

[vipergts2207]

Here's out random guess which may or may not be more accurate than the other random guesses.

Uh oh, negative news. Can't. Resist. The urge. To spin. And downplay.

 

[MrGimper]

I was really expecting Sonos to be in administration by now.......

 

[jclardy]

I bought a HomePod for $270, at that price it is pretty nice. The problem is now there is the Sonos One - which doesn't sound quite as good, but it is pretty close, and I got one for $150 with a $50 amazon GC. So essentially $170 cheaper than the HomePod. It also supports AirPlay 2, Alexa and Google Assistant.

Apple needs some serious software improvements to keep the thing competitive at all.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

I like mine but can understand that people are not jumping on it given the price.

 

[JPack]

Why are we still comparing the HomePod to a 50$ Echo? It’s a voice assistant “speaker” versus a real music speaker that also has Siri.

That’s typically what happens when a product is late to a market and priced higher than expected.

 

[joonyaboy]

I’d love to buy one but after Apple Watch and AirPods and iPhone X I can’t afford it....lol

Maybe if it was like $200

 

[CWallace]

Why are we still comparing the HomePod to a 50$ Echo? It’s a voice assistant “speaker” versus a real music speaker that also has Siri.

Same reason they compare $50 Android Tablets from Chinese manufacturers to iPads. Makes Apple's sales look worse in the aggregate.

I like mine but can understand that people are not jumping on it given the price.

*nods* As someone who bought the iPhone the first month it was out, I felt the same at the time.

Turned out all-right for that product family in the end, though. So I am not worried about HomePod at this point in the timeline.

 

[brock2621]

I just bought my second one yesterday and absolutely love it

 

[cwazytech]

I like my Homepod. It currently does enough for me feature-wise but Siri definitely needs more functionality.

 

[Mr.Blacky]

I don't know which numbers others have, but I can say with 100% certainty that Apple has sold between 1 and 10.000.000 HomePods!

 

[thebeans]

What's Homepod?

It’s a speaker. Made by Apple. Apple is an American based consumer electronics company. They make some really cool smart phones, tablets and computers. You should check them out.

 

[Return Zero]

I bought two but didn't pay full price. I think for $250 each they were a good deal. For people that already use Apple Music and AirPlay devices, the issue of source limitation has been way overblown. It's just like any other Apple product... slightly overpriced, locked ecosystem, but excellent quality. Plus, there's not a single other company I trust to have an always-on microphone in my house, so I had exactly one option on my smart speaker shopping list.

 

[KidAKidB]

A million people bought that? Wow

I bought one and absolutely love it. I don't use it as a smart speaker though, I use it for music.

 

[schlitzz]

Gloomy whining. I have some HomePods and I am the happiest music listener in the world. That's why I'm not interested in all this talk.

Ditto here. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

 

[KazKam]

I honestly don't think price is the largest factor holding back the HomePod (though it may be for some)... It's a high quality Apple product with a high Apple price and I'm sure it sounds lovely.

Lack of capability is what's holding back the HomePod. It's a one trick pony for AM subscribers, so right out of the gate they've severely limited their target market. AM subscribers who don't already have a decent way the play music in their home and don't want a product that's compatible with other services (not even your Home Shared iTunes library!) or use cases, like BT or line in... so, like four people. I can't believe they sold a million of these things.

 

[Kaibelf]

Uh oh, negative news. Can't. Resist. The urge. To spin. And downplay.

It’s not news. It’s complete speculation with a vague basis at best. That makes it an opinion piece.

 

[alphaod]

I think the HomePod is pretty good. I got one, it works just fine. At least it doesn't spy on me.

 

[The Game 161]

A million people bought that? Wow

Yes two in fact

I’ve seen a fair amount of here who have bought several
[doublepost=1534259008][/doublepost]

I just bought my second one yesterday and absolutely love it

Same

Works great for what I need it for. Also don’t need to worry about your privacy either