Apple’s HomePod Speaker Has Been Delayed To 2018

We’re sure that some of you guys might have noticed or found it a bit odd that during Apple’s iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X announcement that the company pretty much did not mention anything about the HomePod speakers. In the past we’ve seen how Apple has announced products at one event, and then touch on them at a later event, but that wasn’t really the case here.

Turns out there’s a reason why: the HomePod has been delayed. In a statement provided to John Gruber at Daring Fireball, Apple has confirmed that the speakers have been delayed and will not be released in 2017. Instead it looks like the HomePod will only be arriving in “early 2018”, whenever that might be.

The statement reads, “We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers. We’ll start shipping in the US, UK and Australia in early 2018.” Like we said we’re not sure what “early 2018” means, but Apple usually holds an event around March/April which tends to be iPad/MacBook-related in nature, so it is possible that we could learn more about it then.

Unfortunately for Apple the delay also means that they’ll be giving companies like Amazon and Google an even bigger lead that they already have. Whether or not the HomePods will be worth the wait remains to be seen, although in the case of the AirPods which also faced delays last year, many reviews seem to think it was worth the wait, so maybe the HomePods could replicate the AirPods’ success.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Audio, Gadgets
Tags: HomePod, Siri, Speakers