Apple discontinues original HomePod, will focus on mini

Apple discontinued its original HomePod after four years. It says it will continue production and will focus on the HomePod mini introduced last year. The larger HomePod offered a more powerful sound space, but the mini was very well received and clearly performs many of the tasks the larger version was given. The sound is very good (especially for the size) and it offers access to Siri, Apple’s assistant feature.

The original HomePod was an audio feat that Apple spent more than five years developing. To complete its development, the Apple team built a full development center near its Cupertino headquarters featuring a world-class development environment with a dozen anechoic chambers, including one of the largest anechoic chambers outside of academic use in the USA. I visited the center before its launch and noticed that Apple went the extra mile to source the incredibly sophisticated series of tweeters and woofers that made the audio space:

But a handful of the typical apple jelly is spread on top. Apple says its largest test chamber is one of the largest in the US, sits on a cushion suspended from the outside world, and nothing contaminates its audio clarity tests. In addition to testing the speaker’s acoustic qualities, these chambers allowed Apple to investigate and mitigate the problems that typically arise with having a long-throw subwoofer in such a small cabinet. Going even further, there are smaller cameras that allow them to isolate hum from electronics (there is a computer on board, after all) and try to isolate and control that noise so it doesn’t show up in the end result.

I found this to be one of the best speakers ever made for the home when I reviewed it in 2018. Due to the boomed base and the correct shape of the tweeter assembly inside; a specially shaped fabric cover so as not to interfere with sound quality in any way; how it sensed how walls and other obstacles were shaping the sound, and adjusted the output to compensate. He was the definition of “sparing no effort” in the speaker department.

At the time, the main complaint about the speaker was the price of $349, which was the highest price in the home speaker market, especially with built-in home assistants. Lowering the price to $299 mitigated this somewhat, but still put it at the top of the price umbrella for this class. Apple’s HomePod mini, released last year, has been well received. Our Brian Heater said it has “surprisingly powerful sound” for $99.

Apple gave Tech Crunch a statement on the end of production:

HomePod mini has been a hit since its debut last fall, offering shoppers incredible sound, a smart assistant, and smart home control for just $99. We’re focusing our efforts on HomePod mini. We’re discontinuing the original HomePod and it will continue to be available while supplies last at the Apple Online Store, Apple Retail Stores, and Apple Authorized Resellers. Apple will provide HomePod customers with software updates and service and support through Apple Care.

Existing HomePods will continue to be sold, but Space Gray is no longer listed on Apple’s website. It will continue to provide support for existing HomePods. Apple seems to be going all-in on mini-devices in the future, which could indicate its desire to fill every room with “good enough” sound rather than focus on the living room with “really amazing” sound. The HomePod itself never reached the level where it could act as a complete home theater replacement, albeit combined with its multi-speaker setups.

The HomePod research and development effort will continue to some degree thanks to Apple’s advanced audio playback systems, which led to things like Spatial Audio in AirPods. I really like the ones I have at home and I haven’t added minis to them yet. Maybe a last minute hunt is in order.

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