Apple to start HomePod sales 09 February in US, UK, Australia

News Broadband Global 23 JAN 2018
Apple to start HomePod sales 09 February in US, UK, Australia

Apple's HomePod, a smart speaker controlled by the voice assistant Siri, will finally go on sale 09 February, the company announced. First announced last June, the HomePod was expected to go on sale before the end of 2017, but Apple delayed the launch to 2018 to fine-tine the new product. 

Apple will start taking orders for the HomePod from 26 January in the US, UK and Australia, and the first models will reach stores on 09 February. The device will arrive in France and Germany this spring, Apple said. 

Measuring 7 inches tall, the cylindrical HomePod is designed to integrate with Apple Music, allowing users to call up songs and other music information with voice commands through Siri. In addition, they can use the HomePod to control smart home systems using Apple's HomeKit, send messages, set timers and alerts, call up news and weather and as a speakerphone for making calls over an iPhone. 

The device will sell for USD 349 in a choice of white or space grey. In addition to Apple Stores and Apple resellers, the speaker will be sold at Best Buy in the US; Argos, Dixons Carphone (Currys PC World), John Lewis, Shop Direct (Very and Littlewoods) and EE in the UK; and The Good Guys, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Myer and Telstra in Australia. 

Apple's delayed launch puts it well behind Amazon and Google, which have already conquered a significant share of the smart speaker market. Strategy Analytics estimates that Apple will ship an initial 3.8 million HomePods this year, good for a less than 10 percent market share. 

Categories:

Internet,  Wireless

Companies:

Telstra,  Apple,  EE

Regions:

Global

Tags:

Launch, Consumer devices, Sales

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