Apple might launch new HomePod by later 2022 or early 2023

To capture a larger share of the smart home accessories market tech analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims that Apple might launch a new HomePod later this year or early next year.

In October 2020, Apple launched the HomePod mini which offers advanced technology and features like computational audio, Siri support, Intercom, and more for $99, a fraction of the original HomePod’s cost. The company also discontinued the bigger speaker.

More importantly, the cheaper HomePod mini was able to capture a small share of the smart speakers market in the United States which the more expensive model could not. With the goal to establish a solid ground in the smart home accessories market, the company plans to launch a new speaker which might be a hybrid of its original and mini models.

New HomePod with launch not with “much” upgrades in hardware

In his latest tweet, Kuo stated that Apple will not introduce major or noticeable hardware upgrades in the new smart speaker model and the motivation behind the product launch is to capture the home ecosystem market.

Apple would release a new version of HomePod in 4Q22-1Q23, and there may not be much innovation in hardware design. Smart speakers are undoubtedly one of the essential elements of the home ecosystem, but I think Apple is still figuring out how to succeed in this market.

Besides the launch time frame, Kuo did not share the expected hardware and software details of the device. However, a previous report on the product by Mark Gurman from Bloomberg not only corroborates the new claim but also provided a few specifications.

Gurman wrote that the tech giant was developing new HomePods which will feature display screens and cameras to compete with dominant third-party smart speakers like Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub.