Apple Offering 50% HomePod Discount To Employees, Possibly An Update Soon

Apple is currently offering HomePod to its employees for $149.50, which is a 50% discount from $299 that it retails to customers, according ...

Apple is currently offering HomePod to its employees for $149.50, which is a 50% discount from $299 that it retails to customers, according to a report from 9to5Mac.

Why Apple is running this offer? 9to5Mac suspect that Apple is doing it because it seeks to reduce inventory of the HomePod ahead of a rumored product update. Last year, details shared by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed that Apple will introduce a second version of the HomePod with a lower price point in 2020, with the speaker would feature two tweeters instead of the seven in the current HomePod.

It's also possible Apple may simply have excess ‌HomePod‌ and Beats stock due to reduced sales or a miscalculation in production. Analysts estimated that thus far, Apple has shipped around 5-10 million HomePod units since the product launched back in February of 2018.

HomePod is a smart speaker developed by Apple that rivals Google Home and Amazon Echo. HomePod features a 7 tweeter array, with each tweeter outfitted with its own driver, and an Apple-designed 4-inch upward-facing woofer for crisp, clear, distortion free sound even at loud volumes. HomePod also supports Apple Music and Siri, which enables to check weather, send messages, place phone calls, and more with hands-free.

The HomePod is available in the U.S., UK, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and Taiwan. Apple plans to make its HomePod speaker available in India in the near future.