[ad_1]
Although Apple's iPhone sales (AAPL-US) have been disappointing in China, Apple has officially announced that HomePod, a smart speaker, will be available in China on Friday (18th), offering color white and gray space for 2,799 yuan.
Apple has announced in a press release that HomePod will be available on Friday in China and Hong Kong. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of global marketing, said he was pleased to offer HomePod to users in China. He said: "HomePod is the ideal wireless speaker for music lovers, offering an unparalleled, high quality listening experience, no matter where it is, and creating a new way to discover and enjoy. 39; interact with music via Siri. "
The main selling point of HomePod is its interest in music and its role as an audio player.HomePod directly supports Apple Music. The local Chinese music broadcast application, if it supports Airplay, such as Tencent's QQ music and JOOX, popular in Hong Kong, can also be connected.
In the press release, Apple specifically called for privacy, saying "security and privacy are the basis of Apple's hardware, software and services design."
Apple's smart speakers are gradually expanding into the international market and HomePod is currently available in nine countries. In addition to China, HomePod is also listed in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico and Spain.
It should be noted that the Echo series of Amazon's competitive smart speaker (AMZN-US) has not yet been officially listed in China, giving Apple the opportunity to stand out from competition. However, there are many competitors in the local smart speaker market in China, and how many Chinese consumers are willing to pay 2,799 yuan ($ 414) for the HomePod is still unknown. The local technology giant offers many cheaper options, such as Alibaba (BABA-US), Tmall Elf, Xiaomi's Mi AI and Baidu (BIDU-US).
Analysts pointed out that, due to the weakness of the economy, relatively high prices have become the main reason for the drop in iPhone sales in China, prompting Apple to lower its quarterly forecast for the first time in ten years, as well as the price of the iPhone in the sales channel in China. The response of Chinese consumers to HomePod remains to be seen, and HomePod sold in China is about 17% higher than the US local price of $ 349.
[ad_2]
Source link
