Apple's HomePod smart speaker will arrive in March 2018. Having been announced in June 2017, then delayed to December 2017, and delayed again until January 2017, the smart speaker moves its timeline to March 2018.
As Tim Cook continues to be frustrated by Apple's supply chain and unmet shipping deadlines, we suspect key Apple employees quit in November 2017, cashed in their shares, took a vacation, and bought mountains of Bitcoins. This is one possible explanation as to how Apple has so spectacularly dented its perfect image.
Finally arriving in March 2018
Ahh. the guts and the glory. Another late product, another PodGate, another long-awaited product that was beaten to market by all of its competitors. Even Microsoft got a Cortana-powered speaker out the door before Apple.
The HomePod was to be Apple's smart speaker, with a greater focus on amazing sound and amazing integration with Apple Music, more-so than any smarts provided by Siri. Siri has been lagging behind her cousins, Amazon's Alexa and Google's Un-named Voice that responds to "Hey Google". Let's call him Henry.
So with Alexa and Henry beating Siri on the dancefloor, Apple buying music-recognition service Shazam, and even Cortana getting her leg up on Xbox and the Invoke, it's looking like a sad day in Siri-land.
All the delays...
With all the delays in the Apple universe lately, including AirPods, AirPower, Mac Pro, Mac Pro Modular, and more, I guess we shouldn't be too surprised that HomePod joins the list.
Even Apple's biggest project of all, the US$5 billion Apple Park campus came in months and months late.
Sidenote: An Australian company was charged with the task of wrapping Apple Park in protective plastic to keep it spotlessly clean. That's going to be one giant unboxing.
HomePod to arrive in March 2018
Apple never releases anything in January. It rarely does anything at all in February.
While others have speculated that HomePod would arrive in April, Apple loves to keep April for big reveals and refreshes. The HomePod is already out of the bag, having been announced in June 2017, so it doesn't qualify as a "big secret reveal" in the Apple timeline.
March 2018 is when we will see the launch of the HomePod, and, coming with it, Siri Version 3.0 and a deluge of HomeKit accessories that will use the HomePod as a base station.
Aiming for the week of 21st March 2018, the HomePod may make it in to your home by the end of March.
Until next time,
Xavier Zymantas
XYZtech
XYZ Media Group
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