With this week’s return of the , you might think it would make sense for Apple to start working on a new . After all, the company hasn’t announced a hardware upgrade for the device since its 2020 introduction, and the smart speaker market is one of the biggest. However, it seems that no such update is in the works.
in his last , Bloomberg Reporter Mark Gurman says he thinks the company isn’t “actively working” on a new HomePod mini. Pointing to the second-generation HomePod, he notes that it “doesn’t include any major new features that aren’t already in the $99 mini, so there’s no obvious reason to upgrade the model.” Gurman suggests that Apple is more likely to improve the mini by releasing software updates that address shortcomings related to Siri and app integration because that’s where “real improvements probably need to be made.”
At the time, Apple recently updated the software on the HomePod mini to the one that had been on the device since its launch. As Gurman points out, the recently reintroduced HomePod adds features that were previously exclusive to the HomePod mini, including Thread connectivity.
While a new HomePod mini might be years away, Apple likely has other smart home products on the horizon. In August, Gurman reported that the company was working on a smart display, as well as a device that combines the functionality of an Apple TV, a camera, and a HomePod in a single offering. At the time, he said they could arrive as early as 2024.
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