Kuo: A new HomePod is coming in late 2022 or early 2023 — but it might not be innovative

Two white homepods sitting on a television stand
Two white homepods sitting on a television stand (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says that a new HomePod is set to be announced soon.
  • The new HomePod could arrive later in 2022 or in the first part of 2023.
  • It isn't clear whether Kuo means a refreshed HomePod mini, or something else entirely.

Apple is set to announce a new HomePod either later in 2022 or in the early part of 2023, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

According to a post to Twitter, Kuo believes that while a new HomePod is indeed in the works, it might not offer a new or innovative hardware design. However, it isn't clear whether Kuo is speaking about a replacement for the now-discontinued HomePod or if we should expect the newer HomePod mini to get a refresh.

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.

Apple's HomePod strategy is one that has caused confusion among analysts and customers alike. The larger HomePod offered impressive sound at a high price and ultimately sold poorly, by all accounts. The $99 HomePod mini is more popular, but its small size means it can't compete with the larger cousin. It's possible that the new HomePod Kuo mentions is a new size or form factor entirely — but we might need to wait for a follow-up tweet to be sure. Previous reports by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman had suggested a new HomePod midi of sorts was already being worked on, of course. Talk of a HomePod merged with an Apple TV won't go away, either.

As Kuo also points out, smart speakers are "essential elements of the home ecosystem" and while Siri is far from the best smart assistant, there is still merit in having HomePods around. Especially if you're a heavy HomeKit user, for example.

Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.