Apple Brings Back the HomePod at a Price of $299

Shares of Apple Inc. (AAPL) have decreased by 0.23%.

Apple is reviving the full-size HomePod after discontinuing the first iteration of its smart speaker.

Starting Wednesday, the HomePod can be purchased online for $299 and will be available for purchase beginning Friday.

The latest HomePod has been upgraded with room-sensing technology that can detect sound reflections from nearby surfaces. This allows the speaker to recognize if it is close to a wall or in an open room, and adjust the sound accordingly to fit its environment.

The HomePod is outfitted with advanced sensors, which enable it to detect smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms and send notifications to an iPhone. Additionally, it is able to sense temperatures and automatically close blinds when a certain temperature is reached in a room.

The HomePod has been upgraded to support a technology called Matter. This allows for smart-home gadgets such as thermostats and lights that can be controlled by apps to be compatible with products from Apple, Amazon.com Inc., and other companies that have adopted the standard.

Apple Inc., based in Cupertino, California, released the HomePod in 2018, following the success of Amazon.com Inc.'s Echo and Alphabet Inc.'s Google Home. The HomePod was initially priced at $349, which was significantly higher than the $100 Echo and $129 Google Home. This higher price point caused the HomePod to sell poorly, leading Apple to reduce the price by $50.

In 2020, Apple released the HomePod Mini, a $99 version of their HomePod. After one year, Apple decided to discontinue the original HomePod and focus solely on the Mini.

Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, expressed that the success of the HomePod mini has sparked an increased demand for a larger HomePod with even more powerful acoustics.

On Tuesday, Apple revealed its newest MacBook Pro. The laptops will be equipped with Apple's own M2 Pro and M2 Max processors, which the company claims will provide improved performance and extended battery life.