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Apple HomePod.
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There’s a fair bit of engineering going on here.
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It also came in space gray.
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It’s a pretty indescribable device, but beautiful.
Apple halted production of the expensive HomePod smart speaker that it started shipping in 2018.
The speaker will still be sold while supplies last, but the space gray version has already disappeared from Apple’s online store. Only the white version remains, although you may be able to find the space gray version at a third-party reseller.
Regardless of the production change, HomePod owners will continue to receive software updates and support from Apple for an indefinite period of time.
Apple has announced its intention to focus on the best performing HomePod mini. The HomePod mini costs $ 99 – a third the price of the HomePod – and offers significantly lower sound quality.
The HomePod mini also doesn’t have all of the same features as the original HomePod. For example, Apple launched home theater mode for the HomePod a few months ago, with optimizations and features intended to make it work as part of a home theater surround sound setup with an Apple streaming box. 4K TV. This is not available on the HomePod mini.
Apple provided the following statement to TechCrunch, confirming that the HomePod has been discontinued:
HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, giving customers incredible sound, a smart assistant, and smart home control for just $ 99. We are focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We are discontinuing the original HomePod, it will remain available while supplies last through the Apple Online Store, Apple Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates, service, and support through Apple Care.
The HomePod is the result of a considerable investment by Apple; a great team worked for years to build the most high-tech speaker possible, using machine learning and other techniques to optimize sound quality according to the space in which the speaker was placed and the number of other speakers synchronized with it in that space. Sonos and other companies have made similar efforts, but HomePod reviews suggest it was at least as good, if not better, than Sonos’ offerings.
But it hasn’t been a good run for ultra-high-end smart speakers; Google also ditched the competing Google Home Max speaker, for example. As seen in the world of streaming music services and headphones, there is evidence that the vast majority of consumers simply do not prioritize higher audio quality, preferring to buy cheaper speakers instead. and lower quality to benefit from their convenience and flexibility.
This is the second product line that Apple recently retired. Just over a week ago, it emerged that the iMac Pro was ending production, with Apple pointing to the standard 27-inch iMac as an alternative. The iMac Pro hadn’t been significantly updated almost since its introduction, and the best setups of the regular iMac have caught up with it.
Apple is expected to introduce a new version of the standard 27-inch iMac within the next year. Given the relative success of the HomePod mini, other home audio products may be on the way as well.
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