‘New HomePod in 2022-2023’
It is a new version of the smart speaker, says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple is now selling the HomePod mini for €109,- in the Netherlands and Belgium. and €99,- in many other European countries. According to Kuo, Apple plans to release the next HomePod in Q4 2022 or Q1 2023. In terms of implementation, it can go either way. It could possibly be a larger model than the current HomePod mini. Apple already sold a large HomePod for over £300, but it didn't sell very well. The new model has a much lower price.
Another option is for Apple to release a new version of the HomePod mini. However, this is a less realistic scenario as new colors of the HomePod mini have been released recently and there is no urgent need for technical improvements. Kuo promises “not much innovation in hardware design”, by which he probably means that the look will remain much the same. Apple could add small details, such as an audio output or support for Bluetooth, so that the speaker can also be used better by Android users. Details are not yet known.
Kuo sees smart speakers as an indispensable part of the home ecosystem, but believes that Apple has not yet fully understood how successful smart speakers can be in this. This is mainly due to Apple opting for premium audio, while competitors such as Google and Amazon are content with mediocre sound. However, the chance is small that Apple will release a budget speaker.