What may come as a surprise to many Apple fans, and even non-fans, is the news that the Cupertino company has announced (via TechCrunch) that they will give up the original HomePod. It is unlikely to mean that a new model is underway, more so than the HomePod is made, finished, kaput.

As sad as it may seem, reflection makes sense; Despite the amazing technical fact, Apple managed to stop with the device, with a reported development period of five years before launch, failed to get the kind of traction needed for a combined speaker and voice assistant.

While the HomePod has proven to be a far superior speaker than all of its contemporaries, the price point, while adequate, given all it has to offer, would never compete with cheaper products for the comfort of multiple rooms. This is where HomePod Mini has managed to capitalize, with mostly very positive reviews and sales, along with a price to make it more enjoyable for those on a budget who want Siri in every room.

I was never the owner of the original HomePod, I was one of those who fully expected an update (relatively speaking) to appear, with updates including the U1 chip and an improved sound (if this is even possible). Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be, so while the Mini sound won't be on par with the original HomePod, the democratization of having an affordable Siri in every room is the advantage of this change.

Apple has said that updates will continue to be pushed for some time, so there's no reason to rush to sell these class-defining works of art yet, although if you're not the owner and want a piece of Apple history, get one up when stocks run out ...

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