Apple will start taking preorders on the smart speaker on Friday.
Apple’s rival to the Amazon Echo and Google Home is finally ready to make its debut.
The tech giant announced Tuesday it will launch its $349 HomePod speaker on February 9. Preorders for the device kick off Friday.
The wireless speaker is considered Apple’s contender in the surging smart speaker market, already dominated by Amazon with its popular line of Echo devices, along with Google Home. But it missed the important holiday shopping season. The speaker, unveiled in June, was supposed to hit shelves in December — but Apple delayed it, saying it just wasn’t ready.
Where Apple hopes to separate itself from competitors is in sound quality. The tech giant boasts HomePod will offer stunning audio regardless of where the device is placed in a user’s home.
“We think they will be blown away by the audio quality,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, in a statement.
The speaker will be available in two colors: white and space gray.
Apple faces a daunting challenge: entering a speaker market with two well-established players. This year, nearly 70% of smart speaker users will use the Echo, according to research firm eMarketer, while 25% will use Google Home.
However, it’s clear consumers have grown more comfortable with a digital voice in their homes. More than 45 million Americans will use a smart speaker this year, said eMarketer.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23 .
