Apple’s new Siri-powered smart speaker won’t be one of the hottest gifts of the 2017 holiday season after all.
The HomePod was set to launch in December 2017, but the company released a statement today saying it needs more time to make the smart speaker ready for customers.
“We can’t wait for people to experience HomePod, Apple’s breakthrough wireless speaker for the home, but we need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers. We’ll start shipping in the US, UK, and Australia in early 2018,” Apple said in a statement.
Developers got an early look at the HomePod during WWDC 2017. However, Apple didn’t even mention the speaker during its iPhone X keynote — even though it was supposed to be one of the company’s biggest new products of 2017.
When it does launch, HomePod will cost $349, making it a lot more pricey than rival smart speakers from Amazon and Google.
However, Apple is positioning HomePod as a great speaker first in an attempt to lure audiophiles. The HomePod can intelligently adjust its audio output to perfect levels for your room. It also does some smart things powered by Siri and HomeKit.
Leaked HomePod firmware already revealed a number of new features for the device ahead of its launch, including what it will sound like.
