Three years after the HomePod made its debut back in February 2018, Apple has now discontinued the Siri-powered smart speaker because the market deemed it too expensive.
Instead, Apple will be pouring its energies into the smaller, much more affordable HomePod mini, priced at just $99. Apple will continue selling the full-size HomePod while supplies last. The company will also continue to provide service and support to HomePod customers.
HomePod Is No More
Earlier this week, the Space Gray version of the HomePod became unavailable for purchase and delivery from Apple in the United States. Watchers suspected that this could indicate an imminent product refresh, but the product has been officially end-of-lifed now.
The company has confirmed the move in a statement to TechCrunch:
HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering customers amazing sound, an intelligent assistant, and smart home control all for just $99. We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will continue to be available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care.
And with that in mind, Apple no longer has a high-quality audio home speaker.
The full-size HomePod launched at $349 three years ago, instantly becoming the most expensive smart speaker with an embedded digital assistant. Despite the excellent sound, the Siri speaker was heavily criticized for its high price tag.
In terms of sound quality, the HomePod is a feat of audio engineering. The speaker packs in seven tweeters in the base along with a four-inch woofer towards the top. It leverages computational audio and Apple's custom silicon to provide acoustic optimization in real-time and features like pairing two speakers to create a stereo pair.
HomePod Mini Saves the Day
Unfortunately, slashing the HomePod to $299 in April 2019 has done little to move the needle. Finding itself unable to compete with affordable speakers from Amazon and others, Apple in November 2020 launched the inexpensive $99 HomePod mini. Packing remarkably big sound in a tiny package, it offers all of the features of its bigger brother.
It also sports one feature the original lacks: Apple's U1 chip for spatial awareness, letting the HomePod mini sense its location in the room. In addition, the U1 powers a more seamless transfer of music, calls, and podcasts between the HomePod mini and newer iPhones.
Remember the iPod Hi-Fi?
Just like the original HomePod, the HomePod mini requires an Apple device to set up, configure and use. Neither HomePod model doubles as a regular Bluetooth speaker, meaning it doesn't work on Windows, Android, and other non-Apple platforms.
This isn't the only Apple speaker that crashed and burned soon after launch. Back in February 2006, Apple released the iPod Hi-Fi speaker system that featured iPod docking and high-quality sound. It was sold through Apple's stores, but people balked at its $349 price tag so Apple discontinued the iPod Hi-Fi less than two years later in September 2007.
