Apple: an imminent announcement for an unexpected new product?

News JVTech Apple: an imminent announcement for an unexpected new product?

Published on 01/17/2023 at 20:50

According to persistent rumors, Apple is about to formalize the return of a product that has disappeared from its shelves for several years: the HomePo connected speaker, equipped with Siri, could be back in a brand new version.

Formalized by Apple in June 2017 for commercial arrival in February 2018the HomePod connected speaker had disappeared from the shelves in March 2021 : only the HomePod Mini, a smaller version, remained on sale in Apple Stores. But this situation could well change : indeed, it is rumored that Apple is preparing to bring the “big” HomePod up to date, and that the announcement of this new product is imminent.

Unsurprisingly, Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman is responsible for this new rumor: “The next HomePod should also arrive very quickly,” he said in a tweet dated January 16.

The return of the HomePod, an unexpected announcement

Mark Gurman predicted it, 2023 shouldn’t be a crazy year for Apple. The company will, of course, announce new products, but the highlight of its catalog should be its mixed reality headset.

Thereby, the journalist understands that the new HomePod will not be revolutionary either. It could well display a design very close to the previous model unveiled five and a half years ago, with more original colors, like what is offered for the HomePod Mini. Moreover, a new control panel could be in order, and the A8 chip could be replaced by the S8 chip, which is also present in the latest model of Apple Watch. Just enough to make the new HomePod a new product capable of attracting the curious, but also the owners of the first model.

An updated and cheaper HomePod from Apple?

Finally, Mark Gurman understands thatApple would plan a price drop compared to the first HomePod. This one was sold at the price of 349 euros and in 2018, this price had made people cringe. It must be said that at the time, connected speakers were only in their infancy and spending so much money for such a device seemed unreasonable, including for an Apple model allowing the use of Siri.

To further impose its new model on the market, Apple could therefore choose to offer it a little cheaper. A coherent idea since today, it is possible to find high-end connected speaker models at several hundred euros : this would therefore allow the Cupertino company to better graft itself onto this market.

It now remains to be seen when Apple will formalize this hypothetical new HomePod. Once again, according to various sources, it should not take long. After all, the week has only just begun!