We've been hearing rumors of a new, smaller Apple HomePod for a long time – the so-called Apple HomePod 2 or Apple HomePod Mini, said to be a cheaper version of the Siri-powered smart speaker.
Those rumors are looking increasingly credible after Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman posted a tweet claiming that Apple is trying to get rid of its remaining HomePod stock by giving staff hefty discounts on the smart speaker.
Apple employees can also now buy up to 10 (up from 2) with their discount. These things are clearly on the way out. https://t.co/X0ey2QKbxC https://t.co/8sXDf6ifmrMay 18, 2020
The Apple HomePod has recently been heavily discounted at retailers like Best Buy in the US and John Lewis in UK, where it saw a humungous $100 / £100 knocked off the price.
Those HomePod deals are still available at the time of writing, so it's well worth taking a look if you want to save money on an Apple smart speaker:
What we know so far about the Apple HomePod 2
Back in March 2018, only a month after the HomePod’s release, there was a report from Economic Daily that Apple was planning to release a more affordable HomePod at some point in 2018.
Of course, it never materialized. However, details of a HomePod 2 and new Apple TV were revealed in a new report from Bloomberg in late March. According to the report, Apple employees are going full steam ahead to get the company's 2020 slate of products into the hands of consumers, despite the disruption to their usual working practices due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The report didn't offer an Apple HomePod Mini release date, but the next likely release window could be WWDC on June 22, where we're expecting to see the iOS 14 update in detail, along with upgrades in the form of iPadOS 14, macOS 10.16 and watchOS 7 – and possibly the Apple AirPods Studio, AirPods 3, and AirPods Pro Lite.
Other details about the Apple HomePod 2 have been pretty far and few between, though some Apple patents have hinted at the specs we might see from the new smart speaker, including Face ID, 3D gesture control, and the ability to pair with another HomePod for true stereo sound.
- Apple HomePod 2: everything we know so far
- Read our original Apple HomePod review
- The best smart speakers of 2020
Via The Apple Post
