Apple’s HomePod sold only 600,000 units in the first three months of the year, new figures have claimed.
According to sales estimates from Strategy Analytics, Apple trailed Amazon and Google, which sold 4 million and 2.4 million Echo and Home devices respectively.
There are mitigating circumstances for Apple. HomePod only became available on February 9. There’s also only one HomePod device available, while there are three Google Home models and you need two hands to count all of the Echo devices available.
It’s also important to consider the price point here. Apple’s HomePod is £319/$349, while the Echo and Home devices are available from under £50/$50. If today’s stats were based on revenue rather than units sold, the story would look very different.
Related: HomePod vs Amazon Echo
Contrarily, both Amazon and Google have achieved their lofty sales figures without being available in China. Despite that, Apple only has a 6% share of the smart speaker market, according to the report (via AppleInsider).
Mixed reviews
Part of the reason for the slow uptake might be the mixed critical reception for HomePod. At Trusted Reviews we gave it a 7/10 score, offering praise for the sound quality, design and spatial awareness tech.
However, we were unimpressed with Siri, the frustrating software and the lack of compatibility with non-Apple devices.
Recent speculation has suggested Apple is planning to launch a cheaper version of its Siri-powered smart speaker. That would doubtless make it more appealing to a wider subset of Apple customers.
According to the reports it’ll cost as little as £110-£150 ($150-200) and will arrive in the second half of the year.
Perhaps a cheaper HomePod could ship with the rumoured new version of the iPhone SE as an affordable combination for more Apple fans looking to save a few bucks?
Have you bought a HomePod yet? Or are are you waiting for a more affordable version? Let us know @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
