Apple slashes HomePod orders as sales ‘tank’

Apple has cut orders for its new HomePod smart speaker from suppliers following disappointing sales.

According to Bloomberg, the £319 device hasn’t been as popular as the tech giant had expected, despite grabbing a third of the smart speaker market when pre-orders opened at the end of January.

Although initial sales were “demonstrably good”, orders for the HomePod “tanked” when the device arrived in shops the following month, the news site says. It now account for around just 10% of the smart speaker market.

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That puts the Apple speaker “well behind” Amazon’s Echo range, which despite recent problems with its its Alexa virtual assistant, commands around 73% of the market, says Alphr.

Google’s Home speakers account for 14% of the market, while the Sonos range claims 2%.

Tech Radar reports that with some stores selling as few as ten HomePods a day, stocks of the device are “piling up”, prompting Apple to slash its orders with Taiwanese manufacturer Investec.

The news site blames the poor sales on the speaker’s high price tag and lacklustre connectivity options, and on Apple’s failure to bring it to the market in time for the Christmas rush.

Apple is planning a series of updates to rectify the HomePod’s issues, such as poor integration of the company’s Siri voice assistant, says Engadget.