If you’ve forgotten that Apple still sells a smart speaker, you’re not alone. At last count, HomePod was struggling to capture even a sliver of the smart speaker market share, and it barely garnered a mention at Apple’s latest event. But Apple is hoping to reverse that trend with an uncharacteristic move: a price cut.
On Thursday, Apple quietly lowered the price of HomePod to $299, a $50 discount over the previous price. Apple isn’t promoting the price cut as a limited-time deal, so it seems like the 17 percent discount is permanent. That makes HomePod’s price a bit more palatable, but it’s still more expensive that nearly every other smart speaker including high-fi ones such as the Alexa-powered Sonos One, which sells for $199.
