Original HomePods Appreciating in Value
Apple’s original HomePod is regarded by some as an overpriced flop. At its final price point of $299, down from the initial $349, it cost much more than most Amazon Alexa or Google Home devices. Apple tried to position the HomePod as a premium entry in the smart speaker market, but slow sales pushed the company to discontinue it in favor of the also-excellent $99 HomePod mini.
It seems as though the original HomePod had a market after all, given that used models are now selling on eBay for more than Apple’s original asking price. The Verge found that the HomePod is going for an average of $375, with some new-in-box units selling for over $600.
HomePods are appreciating assets pic.twitter.com/Qn1cAZnEwv
— Chance Miller (@ChanceHMiller) April 19, 2022
Maybe this secondary market for HomePods will inspire Apple to bring out a new full-size HomePod. If nothing else, the product line feels unbalanced with a HomePod mini but no HomePod. Perhaps the real problem with the HomePod was that Apple wasn’t charging enough, thus putting the HomePod in competition with cheap devices from Amazon and Google rather than high-end audio systems. Apple could aim a resurrected HomePod at a more upscale market, much as it has with the seemingly successful AirPods Max, which sell for $549.
It could be another instance of Tulip Mania:
A more recent example could be Beanie Baby Mania.
The holiday selling season will be here soon, and maybe Apple has a new addition to the HomePod product line up just waiting to be released.
iPhone minis in good condition will eventually sell for more than what Apple priced them now. But I think most would agree that’s not because they were priced too low (in fact, many argue their alleged lackluster sales were due to exessive pricing). This is about lack of supply. If something is no longer produced and there is still demand, prices go up. If supply then cranked up, prices would likely come right back down again.
If Apple priced the HomePod too low, it would have sold better than it did, and would likely still be available. This is surely a situation where people who own and love HomePods are buying up while they still can, or are buying because they have one that failed, cannot be repaired, and cannot be replaced otherwise. I suppose if you are somebody who bought several HomePods for your house, set up in stereo pairs in several rooms, it’s a lot cheaper to buy at a premium on eBay than to replace all of your speakers with devices of similar quality from somebody else (for example, Sonos.)
It makes me glad I got mine when I did, and at a discounted price at that. Maybe making a more expensive HomePod+ for audiophiles along with a reworked original at a price somewhat lower than previously would work? It’s sad that only the pedestrian but adequate mini is still offered.
I have an Amazon Echo, a Sonos SL One, a HomePod mini, and a pair of HomePods. To my ears, the HomePod sounds significantly better than the others, but probably not enough on its own to justify the price premium Apple wanted. Add to that the fact that Siri sucks, and I think most people decided to pass.
I got my HomePods are a (very) discounted price. I never really considered buying a HomePod, much less a pair, at the original price.
I have huge respect for the team in Apple who do speaker design. What they achieve across a span of devices and speaker sizes is remarkable.
We have a pair of HomePods linked to our AppleTV 4k and our projector. This setup kept the family somewhat sane during the pandemic, having a cinema experience together. The sound quality is fantastic in our experience but it was making the pair that made it clear just how good they are. I think they should have been packaged as a higher end offering but only as a pair, perhaps even with a sound bar of sorts.
Until a year or so ago, when he retired, that would have been Tom Holman. When I was a ute Tom had a modest celebrity hereabouts for the classic Holman Preamplifier.
A friend advises me that he has left Apple in good hands, with “a big staff with lots of DSP trickery.” I look forward to sampling some of it when I finally get my Studio Display.
Thanks David, always nice to put a name to such things. Still awaiting my Studio Display as well.
I agree; if you need one, Tom Holman’s Xperiment is the mnemonic. My friend tells me that Tom’s contemplating a book, but when I asked him whether it would tell us how HomePods actually worked he said “proprietary.” Naturally.
I have two pairs in two residences. Bought pairs both at a discount when offered. They meet my needs perfectly. Excellent sound and stereo separation. I was sorry to learn the HomePod was discontinued.
God, it must be a sign of age but it took this long to jump to THX…
I have the same set-up. On the day Apple announced the end of the Homepod I ordered another pair as a back-up. They currently have light duties but I don’t want to have to revert to my previous cumbersome hifi system.