HomePod mini will be announced next week at Apple’s event. However, it will not be available for pre-order until Friday, Nov. 6, and with full availability on Nov. 16.
A Chinese Weibo account with the screen name “Kang” posted, allegedly, accurate information regarding the upcoming Apple event. The rumor is pertaining to every product set to be announced on Oct. 13.
Not just the iPhone 12 lineup, the report also includes data about the smaller form-factor HomePod speaker. An image of the original post in Chinese has been tweeted by leaker Ice Universe. This account has also provided accurate information on unreleased Apple products in the past.
Apple HomePod Mini
According to the leak, the official name of the speaker is HomePod Mini. It will be priced at $99 with a luxurious finish. The size of the speaker is 3.3-inches high, and an S5 processor, allegedly, powers it.
The same processor is used in the Apple Watch Series 5 and Apple Watch SE. If rumors are to be accurate, the upcoming speaker is literally “mini” since the height of the original HomePod is 6.8-inches.
Leaker: HomePod ‘Mini’ Will Launch Next Month Costing $99 https://t.co/DRwVsqjEM9 by @waxeditorial pic.twitter.com/jmrUwjJGYo
— MacRumors.com (@MacRumors) October 9, 2020
As reported by MacRumors, Apple’s HomePod Mini will go on sale starting Nov. 16 to 17. Mark Gurman, one of Bloomberg’s trusted people, has suggested the new speaker could include two tweeters, rather than the current model’s seven, to drive down costs.
The same leak from Kang also includes talk of an upcoming “MagSafe” series of wireless charging accessories. In addition to that information, it also mentioned the details on the full iPhone 12 lineup expected to be announced next week.
Specs and features of the speaker
It appears that the size of the HomePod Mini falls halfway between that of the cylindrical Amazon Echo (3rd Gen) and Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Gen). It also shows that Apple is adopting the price of Amazon’s mid-range flagship.
The HomePod Mini name might suggest a price similar to the $49 Google Nest Mini. However, it similarly seems primed to compete with the new Nest Audio since they have almost the same prices.
No one knows yet if the HomePod Mini will have the same silicone base as the original HomePod. We are also not sure if Apple is making Siri any smarter. While it can do a lot of commands, Apple’s smart assistant is still behind Alexa and Google Assistant in savvy home skills.
Still, Apple has some catching up to do when it comes to making Siri a household name. We can expect more as time goes by. We still have a few days before the Oct. 13 Apple Event.
Images used courtesy of SoulOfTech/YouTube Screenshot.