Once again, the HomePod XNUMX has been teased for a XNUMX release, but even with thin details on the ground, we're not persuaded that this speaker will fare any better than its misguided forerunner.
Apple's attempt to make the best smart speakers, the original HomePod, was a very impressive device. It offered incredible sound quality, an attractive design, and a decent voice assistant; but its high cost seemed to discourage many people and after only 3 years on sale it was discontinued. The HomePod mini stuck around, but you'll be excused for not knowing it exists, as Apple doesn't seem to mention it very often.
That could all change in XNUMX, though, with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (opens in a new tab), who has a solid record of Apple leaks, saying a new HomePod "should be coming real soon."
However, while the impending launch of an Apple product always brings an air of excitement, we can't help but think that the HomePod XNUMX is bound to be yet another disappointment for the tech giant.
The downside with the HomePod XNUMX
One of the main advantages that the new HomePod should have compared to the original is a more competitive price. When the first HomePod launched, it came out at €XNUMX / €XNUMX / AU €XNUMX, which was more expensive than the more sumptuous offerings from rivals like €XNUMX / €XNUMX Google Nest Hub Max / €XNUMX and €XNUMX / €XNUMX / €XNUMX Amazon echo studio.
That said, while it's priced more in line with other high-end smart speakers, costing around $XNUMX / £XNUMX / AU$XNUMX is probably still out of a lot of people's budget. On top of this, the HomePod XNUMX is also going to be a tough sell in the face of much cheaper devices from Amazon and Google: speakers that cost around $XNUMX / $XNUMX / AU$XNUMX (or even less when they're on sale). .
Sure, it'll sound better, but not everyone appreciates finesse of audio enough to justify spending 4 or 5 times as much for something that's otherwise functionally akin to lesser speakers.
Another hurdle the HomePod XNUMX isn't very likely to overcome is its reliance on the Apple ecosystem. As other Apple peripherals like the Apple TV become increasingly difficult to use without an iPhone or iPad, we expect the HomePod XNUMX to share the original reliance on Apple phones and tablets (iPhone or iPad required). iPad to set up HomePod).
In addition, we found that the HomePod offered a lot of support for Apple Music, but it was much less recommended for people who use one of the other main music streaming services, like Spotify: you had to stream the music via AirLink on your speakerphone, instead instead of being able to run it natively, which meant that certain aspects of the setup were slower. Today there is no reason to believe that the HomePod XNUMX would be any different in this regard.
If you're in the Apple ecosystem, that's not going to be a problem, but people who only have a few or no Apple devices would be discouraged from getting a HomePod XNUMX over a system-independent alternative. from Amazon or Google, or even something like the Sonos One. That is, unless Apple decides to make it a more agnostic speaker, but don't hold your breath.
Finally, there's the unfortunate chance for the HomePod XNUMX that the smart speaker train has already rolled out of the station. That's not to say that fashion is dead - smart technology will probably only become more mainstream with the launch of Matter, a unified platform for the smart home - but here's hoping that plenty of people who want a high-end smart speaker already have one and therefore are already connected to one of the existing systems.
If you already have an Amazon Echo, you'll probably get another Alexa-powered device if you get a second smart speaker, as it can be more easily integrated into your setup and offers expanded functionality compared to something that runs on Siri or Google Assistant. . Since very few people probably own a HomePod, Apple is going to need to make a forceful launch if it wants people to choose their own speaker over one from the brand they've already invested in.
We'll have to wait and see what Apple's HomePod XNUMX has in store if and when it appears, but for now the odds seem stacked against it. Like the original, this new HomePod is likely to find a fan base among Apple fans and audiophiles alike, but to be a success, it's going to need to win over a wider range of people than the previous iteration that he failed to convince; and if that fails again, we can't see Apple giving the HomePod line a fourth chance to deliver the huge coup.
If you can't wait for the latest news from Apple, check out our article on the super powerful new MacBook Pro and Mac mini.