HomePod orders begin “Preparing for Dispatch”
Just over one week after Apple started accepting HomePod pre-orders, customers in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia are now beginning to see their order statuses change to “Preparing for Dispatch”.
Customers will soon see their credit cards charged, and will likely see their order statuses change yet again during the middle of next week to show the devices are beginning to ship.
As reported by The Apple Post earlier in the week, HomePod is still available for launch day delivery in all three launch countries, hinting HomePod may not be the runaway success Apple was hoping for. While it’s unclear if Apple simply has enough stock to for-fill orders and keep up with demand, polls and social media responses indicate HomePod’s steep price tag and lateness to the market will deter many potential customers.
What is HomePod?
HomePod is a new wireless speaker with built-in Siri controls by Apple. Customers will be able to speak to the device and use voice commands to perform actions such as “Send a text to Deanna”, “Set a timer for 10 minutes”, “Play songs by Flume”, and more. – The speaker features an Apple-designed 4-inch woofer and unique array of seven beamforming tweeters to provide deep base and pure high frequency acoustics.
What will it do?
The device has two main purposes… One, a home speaker that Apple hopes will “reinvent home music” and 2, an intelligent home assistant to help perform tasks such as playing music, reading the news, sending and receiving iMessages, setting reminders, providing answers to general questions, checking the weather and more.
How much will it cost?
HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, £319 in the United Kingdom and A$499 in Australia. – An additional $39 AppleCare+ warranty service can be purchased additionally for an extra year of AppleCare coverage.