Even a Re-Released HomePod Could Have The Same Old Problems, Experts Worry

Apple has already tried the “big smart speaker” thing once. The original HomePod arrived
in 2018 with gorgeous sound, a premium price tag, and Siri trying very hard to pretend it
was Alexa or Google Assistant. It didn’t work out. Apple quietly discontinued the full-size
HomePod in 2021, pivoting to the cheaper HomePod mini and letting the internet argue about
whether the big speaker was a misunderstood genius or just a beautiful misfit.

Then came the comeback: a second-generation HomePod with a very familiar design, slightly
tweaked internals, and a lower (but still not cheap) price. Reviews praised the sound all
over again but also raised a now-familiar eyebrow: had Apple really fixed the problems that
sank the first version, or just repackaged them in fresh mesh fabric?

As rumors swirl about future HomePod updates and AI-powered Siri upgrades, many experts are
worried that even a refreshed or re-released HomePod could run into the same old issues:
high price, limited ecosystem flexibility, and an assistant that still feels a step behind.
If Apple isn’t careful, the next HomePod might once again be the best speaker in the room
that almost nobody actually buys.

What Went Wrong With the Original HomePod

Premium sound, premium price

Let’s give credit where it’s due: the original HomePod sounded fantastic. Tech reviewers
routinely called it one of the best-sounding mainstream smart speakers on the market, with
rich bass, wide soundstage, and an uncanny ability to tune itself to the room. Audiophiles
perked up. Casual listeners were impressed. Your Spotify playlist, however, quietly sulked
in the corner because Apple really wanted you to use Apple Music.

The problem wasn’t the sound; it was the math. The HomePod launched at around $349 in the
U.S., in a market where Amazon and Google were aggressively selling smart speakers for $50
to $100, often less during sales. Even Apple eventually blinked and dropped the price to
$299, a rare mid-life price cut that basically screamed, “Okay, okay, maybe we overshot.”
For many households, a speaker that cost as much as an iPad but couldn’t even work well
outside the Apple ecosystem was a tough sell.

Siri’s smarts never caught up

Another issue: Siri simply wasn’t as capable or flexible as Alexa or Google Assistant.
Tasks that felt natural on rival devices sometimes turned into awkward back-and-forths on
the HomePod. Basic smart-home commands worked, timers and music were fine, but anything
beyond that could feel hit-or-miss. In a category literally called “smart speakers,” being
the great-sounding but slightly clueless one is not a winning strategy.

While Apple did roll out software updates and features like Shortcuts and better
HomeKit integration, Siri never quite shook the reputation of being “good enough on the
phone, frustrating in the living room.” In a market where people were getting used to
asking their speakers everything from weather and traffic to obscure trivia, that gap
mattered.

A closed ecosystem in an open world

Apple’s ecosystem strategy is both its superpower and its Achilles’ heel. The original
HomePod was deeply tied to Apple services and hardware. If you had an iPhone, Apple Music,
and a mostly HomeKit-based smart home, the HomePod made sense. If you used Spotify,
Android, or a mix of smart-home brands that played nicer with Alexa or Google, the HomePod
felt like a guest who refused to talk to half the people at the party.

There were also some surprisingly practical annoyances. Early users discovered those
infamous white rings the HomePod could leave on certain wooden surfaces, and the device
wasn’t exactly easy or cheap to repair. Combined with its high price and limited
compatibility, the original HomePod quickly slipped from “must-have” status to “nice if
you live entirely in Apple world and have money to burn.”

The Second-Generation HomePod: A Do-Over, Not a Reinvention

When Apple brought back the full-size HomePod in 2023, it looked suspiciously familiar.
Same general size, same mesh-wrapped cylinder, same glowing disc on topjust slightly
shorter and lighter, with a more expansive LED swirl. Inside, Apple simplified the
hardware: fewer tweeters and microphones but similar overall sound quality, plus new
sensors for temperature and humidity and support for modern smart-home standards like
Matter.

Reviewers largely agreed: it sounded fantastic again. In fact, many people said it sounded
almost identical to the original, which, depending on your perspective, was either a major
compliment or a slightly worrying reminder that Apple was still leaning heavily on audio
quality while competitors were racing ahead on AI and smart-home brains.

The price dropped compared to the first-gen launch, but not dramatically. At around $299,
the HomePod 2 was still firmly in premium territory, especially in a world where you can
build an entire multi-room smart-speaker setup from Amazon or Google for the price of one
Apple speakerespecially during the constant parade of sales events.

Same Old Problems Lurking in a Re-Released HomePod

Siri still feels behind the curve

The biggest question hanging over any new HomePod isn’t the hardware; it’s Siri. While
Apple has teased and tested more advanced AI features, Siri as most people know it remains
less flexible than Alexa and less conversational than Google’s newer Gemini-powered
experiences. It gets the basics done, but when you compare it to the “wow” moments on
other platforms, Siri often feels like the quiet student in a class full of overachievers.

If Apple re-releases or heavily refreshes the HomePod without a dramatically improved
assistant, experts worry the story will repeat. Beautiful audio, great build quality,
decent smart-home skillsbut a voice assistant that still feels constrained. In 2018, that
was merely disappointing. In 2025 and beyond, with generative AI woven into more devices,
it could be a deal-breaker.

No Bluetooth, no line-in, no fun for casual users

Another recurring complaint: the HomePod doesn’t support simple Bluetooth audio the way
many cheaper speakers do. Instead, it relies heavily on AirPlay and network-based
streaming. That’s elegant in an all-Apple setup, but frustrating if you just want your
friend with an Android phone to play a song without you acting as DJ.

Add in the lack of auxiliary input, and the HomePod becomes an island. You can’t easily
plug in a turntable, TV without AirPlay, or older audio sources. Meanwhile, competing
speakers and soundbars regularly offer Bluetooth, line-in, or bothplus cross-platform
compatibility. For audiophiles and casual users alike, flexibility is starting to matter
just as much as fidelity.

Pricing in a brutally competitive market

The smart-speaker market has only become more cutthroat. Amazon continues to dominate
unit share with Echo devices, Google’s Nest and new Home-branded speakers push tighter AI
integration, and Sonos and others chase the premium sound crowd. Many of these products
sell in the $50–$200 range, and go on sale so often that paying full price almost feels
like a personal failure.

Apple, by contrast, rarely participates in a race to the bottom. That’s by designbut it
also means any new HomePod will likely remain far more expensive than the speakers most
people buy. For some users, the higher price is acceptable in exchange for sound quality
and Apple integration. For many others, the math still won’t work, no matter how nice “Hey
Siri, play Taylor Swift in the kitchen” sounds coming out of that mesh cylinder.

Ecosystem lock-in: feature or bug?

Apple loves its walled garden, and HomePod is one of the most “garden-only” devices it
makes. It works best with Apple Music, integrates tightly with HomeKit, and expects you to
live in an iPhone-first universe. That’s fantastic if you already doand a major obstacle
if your household is a mix of Android phones, different streaming services, and various
smart-home platforms.

Matter compatibility and broader smart-home support have helped, but the core experience
still feels tuned for people who are already all-in on Apple. If a re-released HomePod
doesn’t meaningfully open the gates, it risks staying a niche product for a narrow slice
of tech fans, rather than a mainstream fixture in the living room.

What Apple Would Need to Fix for a Real HomePod Comeback

1. A truly modern, AI-powered Siri

First and foremost, Siri needs a glow-up. Not just slightly better voice recognition or a
few new canned phrasesa real upgrade that makes the assistant feel as conversational,
context-aware, and capable as what Amazon, Google, and others are building with their
AI-powered platforms. People now expect natural follow-up questions, smarter routines,
and the ability to handle multiple tasks in one breath.

If Apple can pair its signature focus on privacy and on-device processing with genuinely
powerful AI features, the HomePod could transform from “nice speaker with a limited
assistant” into “the smartest thing in the house that doesn’t creep me out.” That’s a
compelling pitchif Apple actually delivers.

2. More openness and more inputs

The next HomePod doesn’t have to abandon Apple’s ecosystem strengths, but it does need to
meet people where they are. That could mean:

• Optional Bluetooth audio so anyone can play music easily.
• Better support and voice control for third-party music services.
• Optional line-in or HDMI eARC on at least one model for TV and turntable use.
• Deeper multi-platform smart-home integration beyond Apple-only setups.

None of these features would dilute Apple’s brand. If anything, they’d make HomePod feel
less like a high-end toy and more like a truly central home audio hub.

3. Clear value, not just luxury

Apple doesn’t have to match Amazon’s bargain-bin prices, but it does need to justify the
premium. That might look like:

• Bundling extended Apple Music or Apple One trials with every HomePod purchase.
• Guaranteeing long-term software support and security updates in writing.
• Making stereo pairs and home theater setups easier and more affordable.
• Improving repairability and offering more transparent repair pricing.

When people spend “nice smartphone” money on a speaker, they want to feel like they’re
buying an investment, not a fashion accessory with a power cord.

Should You Buy a Re-Released HomePod If Apple Tries Again?

If Apple pushes another big HomePod into the worldor heavily refreshes the current
modelthere are a few simple questions to ask yourself before hitting “Add to Bag”:

• Do you already live deep in the Apple ecosystem (iPhone, Apple Music, HomeKit)?
• Is sound quality more important to you than absolute flexibility?
• Are you okay paying more for something that might not play perfectly with
  non-Apple gear?
• Do you trust Apple to keep improving Siri and smart-home features over time?

If those answers are mostly yes, a HomePodnew, old, or re-releasedcan be a fantastic
piece of gear. As a music-first speaker that doubles as a HomeKit hub and works
beautifully with other Apple devices, it’s genuinely hard to beat.

But if your home is a platform mash-up, your main subscription is Spotify, your family
uses a mix of phones, and your priority is a cheap speaker in every room, the HomePod
still may not be the hero you’re looking for. And that’s exactly what experts are worried
about: unless Apple changes the fundamentals, a re-released HomePod risks replaying the
same story with slightly better bass.

Real-World Experiences: What Living With HomePod Feels Like

To understand why people are cautious about another HomePod reboot, it helps to look at
how the speaker fits into everyday life. On paper, the pros and cons look theoretical. In
a real living room, they become very obvious, very fast.

Life in an all-Apple household

Imagine a family where everyone has an iPhone, Apple Watches are charging on the nightstand,
and Apple TV is the only box connected to the TV. In that house, a pair of HomePods can
feel magical. You say “Hey Siri, play movie night playlist,” and spatial audio pours into
the room. You use your iPhone as a remote, hand off music from your phone to the speaker
with a tap, and control lights and blinds through HomeKit scenes.

In this scenario, the HomePod’s limitations mostly fade into the background. You’re not
switching between Spotify and YouTube Music. You’re not trying to get an Android phone to
cooperate. You’re not running a dozen random smart plugs from brands that only speak
Alexa. The HomePod does exactly what you want, in the environment it was built for. Owners
in this camp tend to be very happyand will loudly tell you that critics “just don’t get
it.”

Now add one Android phone and a Spotify subscription

Now picture a second household: one person has an iPhone, another uses Android, and the
family power playlist lives inside Spotify. Suddenly, the HomePod’s walls feel higher.
Playing music often means routing everything through the iPhone owner. The Android user
can’t just connect the way they would with a Bluetooth speaker, and any time guests want
to play something, you become the unofficial party DJ whether you asked for the job or
not.

Over time, that friction adds up. People in mixed-device homes report gravitating toward
Echo or Nest speakers because they “just work” with more setups, even if the sound isn’t
quite as lush. The HomePod, in contrast, starts to feel less like a smart-home hub and
more like a nice but picky roommate.

The stereo pair honeymoon and the long-term reality

One of the most beloved HomePod tricks is creating a stereo pair. Two speakers flanking a
TV or sitting on a console can sound stunning, especially with Dolby Atmos tracks. For the
first few weeks, owners often describe the experience with words like “cinematic,” “wild,”
and “I didn’t know my living room could do that.”

Fast forward a year or two, and a different set of questions shows up: Will Apple keep
supporting this setup long-term? What happens if one HomePod dies and the exact model is
no longer sold? Can I replace just one speaker without starting from scratch? These are
the anxieties that linger from the original HomePod’s early retirement. When you invest in
a premium smart speaker, you’re also investing in years of updatesand some buyers still
feel burned from watching Apple walk away from the first generation.

The “good speaker, wrong home” problem

A recurring theme in user stories is that the HomePod is often a “good speaker in the
wrong home.” Someone picks one up on sale, loves the audio, but realizes their routines,
habits, and family tech mix simply line up better with Amazon or Google. They might
eventually move the HomePod to a bedroom or office, where it becomes a fancy AirPlay
speaker rather than the center of their smart home.

That’s the scenario experts are trying to warn about when they say a re-released HomePod
could face the same old problems. Apple can make the hardware better, polish the sound,
tweak the price, and add new sensors. But unless it solves the deeper questionsabout Siri,
flexibility, and long-term commitmentthere’s a real risk that the HomePod stays what it
has often been: a brilliant product for a narrow slice of users, and a confusing luxury
for everyone else.

For Apple fans, the hope is that the next HomePod chapter finally breaks that pattern. For
now, caution is reasonable. If you’re thinking about buyingor re-buyingone, look not
just at the spec sheet, but at your daily life. The more your habits match Apple’s ideal
customer, the more the HomePod shines. The further you drift from that profile, the more
those “same old problems” start to show.