Apple’s second-generation HomePod is now over three years old, and there’s no sign of a refresh or third-generation model on the horizon.
The original HomePod was announced at WWDC in 2017 and launched in 2018 after a much-delayed release. The device was met with mixed reviews; critics praised its superior sound quality, but pointed to its high price, lack of features, and limited functionality compared to competitors.
Apple dropped the price from $349 to $299 in April 2019, and in March 2021, the company announced that it was discontinuing the first-generation “HomePod”, instead shifting its focus to the HomePod mini, which had been launched the previous year. This decision left a gap in Apple’s product line for a full-size smart speaker until the company introduced the second-generation model via a press release on January 18, 2023. It was launched on February 3, 2023.
The second-generation HomePod looks virtually identical to the original, though it’s 0.2 inches shorter and has a larger edge-to-edge LED touchscreen on top. It also boasts a number of upgrades and changes over its 2018 predecessor, including an S7 chip, an ultra-wideband U1 chip, a detachable power cable, a temperature and humidity sensor, and audio recognition. However, it features two fewer microphones and horn-loaded tweeters.
Apple is widely rumored to be planning a wave of new smart home devices over the next few years, including a home security camera, but it’s unclear if the HomePod is part of it. Apple appeared to be exploring a new HomePod with a touchscreen display on the top of the device around 2024, as leaked images of prototypes seem to have shown, but there has been no further news of such a device or any third-generation HomePod for more than a year.
Rumors about Apple’s smart home plans now center on a brand new smart home device that has been described as a “HomePod” with a square 7-inch iPad-like screen and an A18 chip with next-generation Siri support. It is expected to launch this year. A new HomePod mini is also rumored to be released this year.