Apple has just announced that it’s cancelling its original smart speaker. So, what does this mean?
Apple has just cancelled its premium smart speaker, the HomePod (you can still buy it while stocks last, but only the white model is available from apple.com already). It’s focusing on the more recent, more affordable, smaller HomePod mini. Is this a good idea? pod Apple first launched the HomePod in early 2017. It was met with mixed reviews, though nearly all critics, myself included, praised it as sounding better than any other smart speaker on the market. Amazingly, that still applies, though the competition has caught up in audio terms hugely. Most notably, Amazon’s Echo Studio speaker and the portable Sonos Move offer really strong music playback. The trouble is, while still being the best for music, the smart part of the equation is still better handled by Amazon and Google. Though Siri knows much more than it did and is much more capable, Apple’s rivals still know and do a little more. Which is a problem if you’re about to shell out $300 – or $600 for a stereo pair. However, it’s much less of an issue if you can get music playback that’s very nearly as good for a third of the price. The HomePod mini, launched last Fall, costs just $99, but sounds like it should be more expensive.
