HomePod orders begin “Preparing to Ship” ahead of Friday launch
Customers who opted for home delivery are now beginning to see their HomePod order statuses change to “Preparing to Ship” ahead of in-store launch and synchronised deliveries of Apple’s new Siri smart speaker on Friday.
HomePod remained widely available since pre-orders started, however most recently delivery estimates in the United Kingdom and Australia were pushed back to the week beginning February 12th. While it’s unclear if Apple simply had enough stock to for-fill orders and keep up with demand until now, 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.