The Apple HomePod has now been on sale for less than half a year and it hasnt had the smoothest of journeys.
While many people have praised it as a speaker, when it comes to its capabilities as a smart home hub there are those who question whether its worth its rather high price point.With reports claiming that sales arent doing particularly well, what does the future look like for the HomePod Well, it could be that it gets the Honey I shrunk the kids treatment.Although Apple is yet to confirm any kind of HomePod Mini, a cheaper and smaller speaker could be exactly what the HomePod brand needs to draw in those who have yet to be convinced.
Not only that, it would allow Apple to follow a release path which Google and Amazon have successfully trod with their Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot devices.Regardless of whether its in the works or not, this is exactly what wed like to see from the HomePod Mini if it ever comes.Cut to the chaseWhat is it A smaller version of Apples HomePod speakerWhen is it out Rumors suggest we could see it later this yearWhat will it cost No pricing just yet but its likely to be cheaper than the fully-fledged HomePodApple HomePod Mini release dateConsidering the Apple HomePod Mini hasnt actually been announced yet and there isnt really any kind of historical pattern when it comes to previous releases for this this product, its hard to guess when we could see it released.There have, however, been rumors this year that we could see the product released before the end of 2018 but were taking this information with a pinch of salt until Apple makes an official announcement.
If any is going to be made, we expect itd be during WWDC 2018.Apple HomePod Mini news and rumorsTheres not exactly a glut of HomePod Mini rumors out there but there have been a couple of reports worth picking up on.Beats brandingThe most recent rumor around a new HomePod came from a Chinese tech firm called Sina and stated that there could be a cut-price HomePod with Beats branding in the works.We havent seen a great deal of Beats branded releases since Apple purchased the company in 2014 so this could be a chance for Apple to revive the name while repositioning the reportedly floundering HomePod to a brand new, perhaps younger, audience.According to the report, the new HomePod would cost around $199 (about 150, AU$260), which is in line with previous rumors and would go some way to combating criticisms of the speakers high price point.
This is a report which should, however, be taken with a fistful of salt.The first reportBack in March 2018, only a month after the HomePods release, there was a report from Economic Daily that Apple was planning to release a more affordable HomePod at some point in 2018.It was rumored that this cheaper HomePod would launch in the US in the second half of 2018 for around $200 (around145, AU$260), which is significantly lower than the devices current $349/ 319/ AU $499 price point.
In this report it wasnt made clear how Apple was actually planning to lower the price of its speaker, but a brand new and smaller device could be a way to do this.What we want to see from the Apple HomePod MiniBluetooth connectivitySure, smart speakers are all about voice controls, and the fact that theyre standalone devices that dont need to be hooked up to another audio source in order to playback tunes and podcasts.
But, sometimes, a few added options are just convenient especially if youre trying to play back a track that, for whatever reason, cant be found on the smart speakers streaming service of choice.It may not be cutting edge in the smart speaker world, but theres still the odd occasion when Bluetooth connectivity would be useful and in the case of a HomePod Mini being tied to Apple Music, thatd be particularly useful for anyone looking to access, say, Spotify streaming.
Which brings us onto our next pointOpen access to other music servicesIf you buy one of the current Apple HomePod speakers, youre essentially locking yourself into Apples audio ecosystem.
So, iTunes purchases aside, thats $9.99 / 9.99 / AU$11.99 a month for a single Apple Music streaming account, or $14.99 / 14.99 / AU$17.99 for a family account.Thats fine if youre an iPhone-owning Cupertino disciple, and Apple Music is a fine service definitely worth investing in.
But, if youve already committed to Spotify or Google Music or any of the other myriad smaller streaming options, that could be a frustrating restriction.By knocking a few bricks out of its walled garden and letting other services have a look in could give an Apple HomePod Mini a userbase boost and it could be paired with incentives to jump to Apple Music, if Apple played a savvy long-game.More color optionsThe Apple HomePod is an attractive speaker, with its fabric mesh covering and cylindrical size subtle enough to fit among many decors.
But thats not always what youre looking for sometimes you want something that separates you from the pack, as evidenced by Apples Beats headphones.Theyve built a brand around bold colorful designs, and if the rumors that the HomePod Mini is to feature Beats branding proves to be true, wed like to see the speaker embrace Beats colorful aesthetic, too.Better Siri performanceApples HomePod does well on sound but when it comes to smarts its somewhat lacking.
Compared to Google Assistant and Amazons Alexa, Siri is rather limited in what it can do for you as a smart home hub.
This isnt great considering its one of the most expensive smart speakers on the market and Siri is your main means of controlling it.With that in mind, wed love to see better Siri performance in a new HomePod iteration when it comes to performing commands quickly and accurately.
There are rumors that Siri will be cut from the device entirely to save on cost but wed rather see some improvements.kPhfVKFB4FJTaFvsH3mirJ.jpg#