Apple, new HomePod arriving between late 2022 and early 2023 | Rumor

A new Apple HomePod could arrive as early as the end of this year, or at the latest in the first quarter of 2023: says Ming-Chi Kuo, the analyst of TF Securities who by now will be known to anyone who follows, even vaguely, the whole scene of indiscretions and leaks in the Apple world. Kuo is not too unbalanced in the description: he merely assumes that there will not be a too radical restyling compared to the original model, presented in the now distant 2017 and withdrawn from the market at the beginning of spring last year (without ever having officially landed in Italy, among other things). The rumors related to the fact that Apple wanted to try again with a second generation have never completely died out, and a confirmation from an authoritative source like Kuo is always very convenient.

First generation HomePods didn’t have much luck. It had excellent audio quality, but compared to the other competitors that were exploding in that period – in particular the Google Home and the Amazon Echo – it had a “smart” sector that was too underdeveloped and above all a too high price. Apple has tried again in more recent times by introducing a HomePod Mini, at a more affordable price (and more compact size).

The same analyst observes that “smart speakers are undoubtedly an essential element of the smart home sector”, but that Apple still hasn’t found the exact formula for success. It should be noted that even HomePod Mini does not seem to have proved particularly revolutionary for the Apple: perhaps because the “smart” component (in a nutshell: Siri) has not been the subject of that radical evolution that many hoped for. Since its unveiling in late November 2020, the only noteworthy update for the smart speaker has been the introduction of new colors.

It is not always clear where Kuo gets his information – in particular the boundary between concrete data and speculations is blurred at times – but over time it has proved to be one of the most important, long-winded and reliable sources of anticipation of the Apple. We hope to have some more indication on the direction Apple is taking for this new attempt in the world of smart speakers.