Jordan O'BrienApple’s HomePod is not only getting the ability to support multi-room streaming through AirPlay 2, but the speaker is also heading to new locales. Apple has confirmed that the smart speaker will be available in France, Germany and Canada on June 18. That brings the speaker’s availability up to a total of six countries, including the UK, US and Australia.
The HomePod was supposed to be Apple’s big competition to Amazon’s Echo and the Google Home, but the iPhone maker’s smart speaker has thus far fallen flat. Bloomberg has suggested that sales are so dismal that Apple has been forced to lower forecasts and cut orders. With an expansion to new markets, Apple will likely be hoping to find someone, anyone, to buy a HomePod.
The Google Home is currently available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, the UK and US, while Amazon’s Echo is available in more than 80 countries. That means Apple has some serious catching up to do if it hopes to be crowned smart speaker king.
Apple will continue to face an uphill battle against the other manufacturers, however. While its smart speaker has been applauded for its good looks and even better sound, it comes with a pretty hefty price tag when compared to its competition. The firm has yet to say how much the HomePod will fetch in the new markets, but in the UK the speaker can currently be picked up for around £319. At today’s exchange rate, that means a price of around €365 would not be unexpected.