Apple Store customers are starting to get shipment notifications for the HomePod mini. Most day one orders appear to be set to be delivered from Tuesday, November 17.
The HomePod mini is Apple’s latest attempt to crack the smart speaker market, with a $99 offering that reviewers said produces the best sound in its size class. The big HomePod is still the go-to option for people wanting the highest audio quality, but its high price has meant Apple has only sold a few million of them since its 2018 launch. The HomePod mini stacks up more favorably against cheaper competition from Amazon Echo and Google Home.
HomePod mini combines a single internal speaker with passive radios that Apple claims will provide room filling sound, despite being about a third of the size of the original HomePod. Customers can pair two HomePod minis in a stereo room setup, or connect multiple throughout your home with synchronized multi-room audio powered by AirPlay 2.
Of course, in addition to music playback, the HomePod mini is ideal for controlling HomeKit accessories, sending messages and setting reminders via your iPhone, running timers, checking the weather and other assistant tasks.
Apple recently boosted its smart assistant offering with the launch of Intercom and Personalized Update capabilities.
HomePod mini is available in space gray or white color options. Apple started pre-orders for the device on November 6th. If you go to checkout at the Apple Store today, the space gray model is backordered into mid-December and the white model is similarly out of online stock for two or three weeks.
If you are looking for stock, remember to check availability at Apple authorized resellers. In fact, some people who ordered at Best Buy have received their HomePod minis a few days early.
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