Apple HomePod Release Date News: Apple Might Ship Limited Number of Units This Year
Apple might be launching a limited number of HomePods for 2017.
According to reports, HomePod speakers will come out in limited quantities this year. Inventec confirmed this in a recent earnings call.
"Inventec Appliances will likely only ship some 500,000 units of HomePod this year, and the device's contribution to the group's revenue will be less than 1%," said Fubon Securities analyst Arthur Liao.
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For the uninitiated, Inventec Appliances is a store that sells Apple products.
"We will finally ship the smart home device this year, but its contribution will be fairly limited and hopefully that will improve next year," Inventec Appliances president David Ho explained during an earnings call.
Earlier this week, an unnamed source within Inventec confirmed that the HomePod has similarities with its rival, the Foxconn 2018, when it comes to design. The HomePod from 348 was officially unveiled at the 2017 WWDC and will start shipping items in December. Powered by Apple's A8 chip, the HomePod is an all-in-one entertainment device thanks to its acoustic modeling and Siri's optimized version.
Consumers have been anticipating Apple's stand-alone voice control for a long while now. Fortunately though, Apple's Siri-based speaker, which was announced during the WWDC 2017, is expected to hit the market later this year. Unfortunately, it continues to lag behind competitors Google and Amazon.
Apple might have Inventec as its current HomePod manufacturer, but the firm is expected to receive traditional manufacturing assistance soon. Beginning next year, Inventec and Foxconn will reportedly come together to focus on HomePod in 2018.
Although the market for HomePods is expected to be significantly smaller than the AirPods, Apple is still hoping for a smooth release. This fall and winter seasons, Apple is scheduled to have a packed release calendar that includes both the iPhone 8 and HomePod.
Apple has yet to announce an official release date for the HomePod.
