A reliable leaker has indicated that come Apple’s “Hi, Speed” media event on October 13, alongside the iPhone 12, Apple may be introducing a HomePod mini, a full-size HomePod 2, AirPods Studio headphones, AirTag tracker tiles, a new Apple TV, and a Siri remote.
The leaker, known as “@L0vetodream,” has tweeted that a HomePod mini seems likely, but an updated version of the HomePod could still be a ways off:
there is no HomePod2 this year
only have mini one
His or her track record includes the Big Sur name, 2020 iPhone SE features, release date of the Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro, the blue color option for the Apple Watch Series 6 – and a range of macOS 11, iOS 14 and watchOS 7 features.
While Apple has never revealed unit sales figures for the HomePod, the general consensus is that the company was disappointed with sales. Apple dropped the price from $349 to $299 in 2019 after third-party retailers had lowered the price for sometime, suggesting that Apple would be wise to do the same.
Current speculation as to a HomePod mini places it around a $199 to $149 price point, especially in the wake of competition from cheaper smart speakers such as Amazon’s Echo units. While these don’t come close to matching the audio performance of the HomePod, many have simply seen ‘smart speaker’ and the price, and written off Apple’s offering as over-priced on that basis.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via 9to5Mac and @L0vetodream