First the iPod Hi-Fi, now the HomePod
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Key Takeaways
Apple has discontinued the HomePod after just three years.
What is it with Apple and speakers?
Apple
Apple accessories are known to be both expensive and great.
The Magic Keyboard for iPad starts at $299, but its amazing.
AirPods Pro are similarly great, similarly expensive, and universally popular.
Apple
But when it comes to high-end speakers, Apple can’t seem to pull it off.
Thats because theyre too expensive, and too good at the wrong thing.
“you might buy high-end speakers for half the cost, and they’re far more durable.
Nobody Cares About Sound Quality
Consider two kinds of speaker buyers.
Audiophiles go for quality over anything else.
Theyre well-served, and almost certainly have a great setup already.
It never could compete with dedicated speakers.
The other speaker buyer wants something that sounds better than their phone and has a killer smart assistant.
“The competitors have much better products and dirt cheap prices.
Over-Engineered
If Siri is HomePods main drawback, the other problem is that the hardware istoogood.
The engineering insidethe HomePod is remarkable.
It listens to the room and automatically tunes its audio.
It can connect to another HomePod to become a stereo pair.
And the sound is quite excellent for something so small.
But that engineering is so expensive that Apple cant knock the price down.
Apple headphones and speakers are absolutely too expensive for what you’re getting.
The advantages just arent there.
In other realms, Apple accessories offer features that are better-executed, or just arent available elsewhere.
The Magic Keyboard is incredible.
AirPods were the first good true-wireless earbuds, and the AirPods Pro are just great.
Ask around, and youll find that people really, really love them.
AirPods Max
Which brings us to the AirPods Max.
Like the HomePod, the AirPods Max were in short supply at launch.
Also like the HomePod, theyre extremely expensive and over-engineered.
And who is the target buyer?
The AirPods brand may still be red hot, but AirPods Max are AirPods in name only.
“The price is ridiculous.
There aren’t any features that are going to blow anyone away.”
