Zayed Rehman on March 13, 2021, 9:03 pm

Apple Discontinues HomePod, Focusing On HomePod mini Instead

The HomePod is now being discontinued by Apple, with the Mac-maker said to be focusing on the smaller, HomePod mini instead.

Launched in Feb 2018, HomePod was Apple’s first smart speaker powered by Siri and positioned to rival the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home product range. It took Apple over five years to engineer the perfect sound for the speaker, and the reviews were great.

Three years from its launch, we now have the HomePod mini, a smaller version of the original, punching way above its weight when you consider the size. More so it does pretty much what the original HomePod was designed to accomplish.

Throw in the fact that the HomePod mini also costs $99 only compared to the $299 commanded by the HomePod, the HomePod mini has been the more popular choice as of late.

In a statement issued to TechCrunch, Apple has said:

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.

While support in the form of software updates and repair will continue though the Apple Care channel, supplies will be dwindling soon. The Space Gray color is already out of stock on Apple Store, so if you were planning on grabbing one, that window is closing fast.

As TechCrunch says, “The HomePod research and production efforts will live on in some ways through Apple’s advanced audio rendering systems that led to things like Spatial Audio in AirPods.”