Apple’s HomePod speakers are currently one of the pricier options in the market today. When you compare it against other smart speakers like the Amazon Echo Dot or the Google Home Mini, the HomePod seems downright expensive, plus given the fact that Apple only has one option, it doesn’t give customers much choice.This is why it doesn’t come as a complete surprise to learn that based on the figures by CIRP, the HomePod is currently only commanding a 6% market share in the US smart speaker market. According to CIRP co-founder Josh Lowitz, “Amazon and Google both have broad model lineups, ranging from basic to high-end, with even more variants from Amazon. Apple of course has only its premium-priced HomePod, and likely won’t gain significant share until it offers an entry-level product closer to Echo Dot and Home mini.”
Apple has tried to market the HomePod as being a premium home listening device and less of a smart speaker, even though it is clear that they are trying to get in on the action and want a slice of the pie. There have been rumors that Apple could actually be working on a cheaper and smaller HomePod, but to date nothing has surfaced. Whether or not it will be enough to compete remains to be seen, but we reckon that Siri will probably need to be improved upon as well.