Apple AirPods 3 — how the HomePod’s fall could help the new earbuds rise
Apple AirPods 3 — how the HomePod'due south fall could help the new earbuds ascension
Here lies the Apple HomePod, 2018-2021. Apple'southward first effort at a smart speaker never gave the impression of something that was doomed to neglect — in fact it's still in our best smart speaker rankings — yet here we are, the HomePod discontinued and only nonetheless available until existing stocks run out.
The smaller, cheaper HomePod mini has probable proven successful enough that Apple'due south mourning menstruum volition exist a short one. Yet, at that place are lessons to be taken from the HomePod's sudden demise. And for all the speculation over the company's next foray into smart home tech, like the rumored Apple smart display, there's a much more mainstream production that could benefit: the AirPods 3.
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Since the AirPods iii design has seemingly leaked repeatedly, nosotros tin can assume it's adequately far forth, simply electric current estimates tip information technology for release in the second half of 2021. That's time plenty for Apple to employ these lessons from the HomePod, and give the new set of buds its best chance at success.
Pricing matters
Yep, even for Apple. No one expected the HomePod to be cheap, only a $399 launch cost was aggressive at best. Next to the $129 Google Home and the $99 Amazon Echo, it was never clear why the HomePod was supposed to be worth so much more than. It sounded great, sure, only so did the Sonos Ane smart speaker, and for a while Sonos would sell you lot ii of those for $349. In other words, less than a single HomePod, with change.
Compare and contrast to the $99 HomePod mini. This is also several times pricier than its closest rivals, the Amazon Repeat Dot and Google Nest Mini, but even in competitor-free vacuum it'due south still affordable plenty to stay inside the budgets of a much wider audience. The original HomePod somewhen got a toll cut to $299, simply it was as well late: the HomePod mini was cannibalising its ain brother on the shelves.
The AirPods iii probably doesn't have to worry about a potential "AirPods iii mini" showing up to steal away sales, but from what we know it's already in a tough spot on pricing. Give-and-take is that Apple is significantly improving features and functionality from the the current Apple AirPods, but a significant price rising would put it in competition with the AirPods Pro. Even equally the newer model, that's a tough fight.
More fundamentally, making the AirPods 3 besides expensive risks alienating the enormous user base Apple already built up with the two previous AirPods generations. Some may choose non even to upgrade at all, as the AirPods 3 won't even accept the "all new" quality that the HomePod did as Apple tree's first smart speaker.
Don't get outflanked on features
The HomePod launched with a cool sound calibration characteristic that adapted playback based on the position of nearby walls, and…that was it, in terms of interesting features. Siri in particular seemed similar it wasn't quite ready for full-time smart dwelling duties: both Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant remain able to interface with a much wider range of smart home kit, from thermostats to security systems.
The HomePod also missed out on the clever ultra-wideband handoff characteristic of the HomePod mini, equally only the newer speaker included the requisite hardware.
The AirPods 3 doesn't need the same emphasis on smart functionality that the HomePod did, even if a growing number of people apply their headphone microphones to give smart home commands to a paired telephone. The bigger lesson is not to let competitors become ahead on features.
The Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro shows how ambitious Apple'south big rivals accept been getting with their own earbuds: information technology has total waterproofing, active noise cancellation (ANC), an ambient mode that tin can activate at the audio of the wearer's voice, seamless switching between multiple paired devices and even an equivalent to Apple tree's ain spatial audio tech: Samsung 360 Audio.
Sure, a lot of people only buy headphones to listen to music, but the AirPods three will demand to enlarge its arsenal if information technology wants to go along upwardly. Rumors suggest Apple is already aware of this, and may be borrowing features from the AirPods Pro: ANC is plain unlikely, but spatial audio and improved water resistance would both exist major improvements on the electric current AirPods.
Don't be afraid of third-party help
Smart domicile compatibility wasn't the only way in which the HomePod lagged backside Google and Amazon's efforts. Whereas the HomePod initially just had Apple Music support congenital-in, for serious music fans this was a losing choice side by side to rivals' support for Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio and more than.
Keeping things in-business firm is, of grade, the Apple mode, and information technology would be foolish non to look the AirPods 3 to offer special benefits to iOS device owners. On the current AirPods and AirPods Pro, spatial audio and fast pairing are already limited to iPhones.
Still, Apple tree loosening its grip a little could make the AirPods 3 a lot more appealing to consumers outside the iOS bubble: the kind who probably wouldn't pay $700 to switch to an iPhone anyway, only might exist tempted by a $159 set up of earbuds. Information technology's not clear whether headline features like spatial audio would work on Android software, but smaller tricks like battery notifications and Headphones Accommodations could feasibly be made bachelor via an app. Apple tree already has Android apps for Apple Music and its Beats headphones, so information technology wouldn't be likewise much of a difference.
As the next model in an immensely popular product line, the AirPods 3 will have much thicker cushion confronting sales disappointment than the HomePod ever did. But Apple shouldn't just expect towards past missteps when it'due south trying to avoid outright failure — it can take the experience to make practiced hardware even meliorate, and ultimately more successful.
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James joined Tom's Guide in 2020, bringing years of experience in consumer tech and production testing. As Sound Editor, James covers headphones, speakers, soundbars and anything else that intentionally makes racket. A PC enthusiast, he also covers the occasional spot of computing and gaming news, normally relating to how hard information technology is to find graphics card stock.
Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/opinion/apple-airpods-3-how-the-homepods-fall-could-help-the-new-earbuds-rise
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