Oliver Haslam on May 21, 2022, 1:04 am

Apple Now Rumored To Launch Refreshed HomePod In Late 2022 Or Early 2023

Apple is now rumored to be reading a new HomePod by the end of this year or the first part of 2023.

The report comes via analyst Ming-Chi Kuo although he wasn’t clear on whether the device would be a larger HomePod to replace the discontinued model, or a refreshed version of the current HomePod mini.

Kuo said that the device would arrive in either the final quarter of 2022 or the first quarter of 2023, but that there “may not be much innovation in hardware design.”

Apple would release a new version of HomePod in 4Q22-1Q23, and there may not be much innovation in hardware design. Smart speakers are undoubtedly one of the essential elements of the home ecosystem, but I think Apple is still figuring out how to succeed in this market.

Apple’s HomePod mini hasn’t changed since its release, while the larger HomePod was always the better sounding of the two but cost considerably too much at more than $300.

Rumors have previously suggested that Apple could be working on a new HomePod that would sit between the two models, while a HomePod with a screen or built-in Apple TV functionality has also been mentioned.

Apple recently released new colors for the HomePod mini and made it available in additional countries, but the internal workings of the smart speaker went unchanged.