Apple’s HomePod is the company’s take on the smart speaker which other companies such as Google and Amazon have helped to popularize. Unfortunately the availability of the HomePod is somewhat limited, meaning that Apple’s reach isn’t quite as long as they would like. However it seems that is set to change in 2019.
According to Apple China’s website (via Cult of Mac), they have listed that the HomePod will be arriving to Greater China and Hong Kong in early 2019. No specific dates were mentioned but either way it will be arriving for the country in the early part of 2019. Given how populous China is, making the HomePod available in such a huge market could go a long way in getting users to adopt it.
Based on the pricing, it is expected to cost RMB2,799 in Greater China, and HK2,799 in Hong Kong, which after conversion is around $358, putting it in line with how much Apple is charging for it in the US. So far reviews of the HomePod have been mixed. Many have praised the speaker aspects of the device, but point out how it still feels a tad lacking when you compare it to the likes of the Amazon Echo or Google Home.
The upside is that it does support HomeKit which means that if you have smart devices that are HomeKit compatible, you will be able to use it with the HomePod. We imagine that it will probably be a while before the rest of the world gets the HomePod, but for now it looks like China is next.
Filed in . Read more about China, HomePod, Siri and Speakers.