According to journalist Mark Gurman, Apple would not plan to renew its small speaker in the short term, not even after the launch of the new HomePod 2.
Last week, Apple was full of new products, without fanfare. After presenting its new M2 Pro and M2 Max processors -followed by the new MacBook Pro and Mac mini-, the American manufacturer also lifted the veil on its new connected speaker, the second generation HomePod.
This Monday, journalist Mark Gurman, from the Bloomberg agency, returned to Apple’s projects in terms of connected speakers in his newsletter, Power On. Thus, if the firm has finally renewed the HomePod, more than five years after its initial launch, and two years after the first model was withdrawn from sales, the firm seems to be satisfied with the version. mini » Currently for sale. Indeed, according to the American journalist, Apple would have no plans to renew its HomePod mini and would be satisfied for several more years with the model initially launched in 2020:
After the release of the new full-size HomePod, many users began to wonder if the mini model would have a new release. Currently, I don’t think Apple is actively working on such a product. The new HomePod doesn’t include any major features that aren’t already on the $109 mini model, so there’s no obvious reason to upgrade that model. Sure, it would be nice to have more colors, a more affordable price point, better sound, and better microphones, but the real improvements will need to happen in the background, with Siri and app integration.
A HomePod mini with a still very interesting price-performance ratio
Mark Gurman is one of the best-informed journalists on Apple’s plans. If he indicates that he hasn’t heard of any new versions of the HomePod mini, there’s a good chance the small-format speaker won’t be getting a facelift any time soon.
As Mark Gurman recalls, the reason Apple initially withdrew the first HomePod from sale was its lack of commercial success. A scant success that is largely explained by the competition brought by the HomePod mini, offered at 109 euros, compared to 350 for the second HomePod. This value for money will most likely always be an advantage for the small model compared to the HomePod 2, even if the new version now offers more features similar to those of the HomePod mini. These include the temperature sensor, stereo audio and Dolby Atmos or the recognition of certain sounds.
If Apple intends to extend the life of its HomePod mini, this should essentially go through software updates, such as temperature sensor activation that should roll out in the coming months.
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