Apple might have a new HomePod for us soon, but is anyone excited for it?
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It’s been teased again that the HomePod 2 will launch in 2023, but even with few details, we’re not convinced this speaker will outperform its failed predecessor.
Apple’s attempt at making one of the best smart speakers, the original HomePod, was a very impressive device. It had great sound quality, an attractive design and a decent voice assistant; but the high price seemed to put many people off, and after only three years on sale it was discontinued. The HomePod mini has stuck around, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing it exists, as Apple doesn’t seem to mention it often.
However, that could all change in 2023 Mark Gurman of Bloomberg (opens in new tab) – who has a solid track record when it comes to Apple leaks – claiming that “a new HomePod should be coming pretty soon”.
While an impending product launch from Apple always brings with it a sense of excitement, we can’t help feeling that the HomePod 2 is destined to be yet another disappointment for the tech giant.
The problem with the HomePod 2
One big advantage the new HomePod is expected to have over the original is a more competitive price. When the first HomePod launched, it came in at a hefty $349 / £319 / AU$499, which was more expensive than its rivals’ most luxurious offerings, such as the $229 / £219 / $349 Google Nest Hub Max and the $199.99 / £189.99 / AU$329 Amazon Echo Studio.
That said, even if it’s more in line with those other premium smart speakers, a price of around $200 / £200 / AU$300 is still probably out of many people’s budgets. What’s more, the HomePod 2 will also be a hard sell when pitted against the much cheaper devices from Amazon and Google – speakers costing around $50 / £50 / AU$80 (or even less when on sale).
Sure, it’ll be sonically more capable, but not everyone appreciates audio finesse enough to spend four or five times more for something that’s otherwise functionally very similar to the cheaper speakers.
Another hurdle that the HomePod 2 is unlikely to overcome is its reliance on Apple’s ecosystem. As other peripheral Apple gadgets like the Apple TV become increasingly difficult to use without an iPhone or iPad, we expect the HomePod 2 to be just as dependent on Apple’s phones and tablets (you need an iPhone or iPad needed to set up the HomePod).
Plus, we found the HomePod had a lot of support for Apple Music, but was much less useful for people using one of the other top music streaming services like Spotify – you had to AirLink the music to your speaker instead of being able to use it natively, which meant that aspects of the installation were slower. There’s currently no reason to believe the HomePod 2 would be any different in this regard.
If you’re all-in on the Apple ecosystem, this isn’t a big deal, but people who only own a few Apple devices, if any at all, wouldn’t be encouraged to buy a HomePod 2 in lieu of a system- agnostic option from Amazon or Google, or even something like the Sonos One. That is, unless Apple decides to make it a more speaker agnostic, but don’t hold your breath.
Finally, there’s the unfortunate possibility for the HomePod 2 that the smart speaker train has already left the station. That’s not to say the craze is over – smart tech is likely to become more prevalent with the release of Matter, a unified smart home platform – but we expect many people who want a smart speaker to already own one, which is why are already linked to one of the existing systems.
If you already own an Amazon Echo, you’ll probably get another Alexa-powered device if you buy a second smart speaker, as it’s easier to incorporate into your setup and offers extensive functionality compared to something that runs on Siri or Google Assistant. Since very few people probably own a HomePod, Apple will have to make a convincing presentation if it wants to entice people to choose its speaker over one of the brand they’ve already invested in.
We’ll have to wait and see what Apple’s HomePod 2 has in store for us if and when it appears, but right now the odds seem stacked against it. Like the original, this new HomePod is likely to find a fan base among Apple diehards and audiophiles alike, but to be a success it needs to win over a broader spectrum of people that the previous iteration failed to win over; and if it fails again, we can’t see Apple giving the HomePod line a fourth chance at making it big.
If you’re excited about the latest Apple news, check out our piece on the new super-powerful MacBook Pro and Mac mini.