Apple might release its HomePod Smart Speakers by early 2023

Apple is expected to release a new version of its HomePod smart speaker in late 2022 or early 2023, according to reports. According to 9To5mac, Apple is planning to unveil…

By Nivedita Bangari

May 21, 2022

2 min read

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Apple is expected to release a new version of its HomePod smart speaker in late 2022 or early 2023, according to reports.

According to 9To5mac, Apple is planning to unveil the new HomePod model in the fourth quarter of this year or the first quarter of next year, according to reliable supply chain expert Ming-Chi Kuo.

This will most likely be a larger model than the HomePod small, but one with features that will help bring the price down from $300.

Apple would release a new version of HomePod in 4Q22-1Q23, and there may not be much innovation in hardware design. Smart speakers are undoubtedly one of the essential elements of the home ecosystem, but I think Apple is still figuring out how to succeed in this market.
— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 20, 2022

The $99 HomePod tiny is the only model available right now. The first HomePod, which had far better sound, was discontinued last year after being reduced in price from $349 to $299. While Kuo considers smart speakers to be “undoubtedly one of the important aspects of the home ecosystem,” he believes Apple has yet to figure out how to be successful in the smart speaker space.

Apple is also working on a new version of the Apple TV set-top box in order to reduce costs

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is considering a new HomePod that would be somewhere between the original HomePod and the HomePod small, and it’s plausible that this is the speaker Kuo is referring to. This speaker might perhaps replace the now-discontinued HomePod, and it would cost more than the HomePod tiny but less than the larger HomePod.

Apple is also working on speakers with displays and cameras to compete with gadgets like the Google Nest Hub and Amazon Echo Show, according to Gurman, although those devices aren’t anticipated to be released anytime soon. Additionally, Apple is testing versions of the Apple TV that are linked with a HomePod, as well as an iPad connected to a HomePod through a robotic arm so that the camera can follow a user around the room.