A new HomePod could arrive later this year

Apple could have prepared the launch of a new HomePod by the end of this year as stated by Ming Chi Kuo, although he also indicates the possibility of it being delayed until early 2023.

It’s been over a year since Apple killed off the original HomePod, leaving us with only the HomePod mini. A company that always boasts of its concern for sound and music discontinued its flagship product in this category and did so without announcing its successor

. And a year later, we are still without a replacement, although the wait may soon be over. As Ming Chi Kuo just posted, Apple could have a new HomePod ready by the end of this year.

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.

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) May 20, 2022

Apple could release a new version of the HomePod in Q4 2022 or Q1 2023, and it probably won’t include much innovation in hardware design. Smart speakers are definitely an essential part of the home ecosystem, but I think Apple is still thinking about how to succeed in this market.

Kuo is talking about HomePod, so everything suggests a new version of the original HomePod, the bigger one and the one with superior sound quality, and the one that many of us miss the most. Apple’s smart speaker has never been a bestseller, with priced way above other smart speakers but also with sound quality way above most

. The experiment with the HomePod mini was much more successful in terms of sales numbers, and that may have given Apple the key to success with a bigger and better model. What we should not expect is that this is the rumored hybrid between HomePod and Apple TV, which will still be a long time before its announcement, if it ever sees the light of day.