Analyst: Apple thinks about cheaper HomePod to increase sales
Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities, who often gets it right in Apple affairs, says the company is considering a cheaper version of its HomePod speaker. That would have to adjust disappointing sales figures
MacRumors publishes parts from a Kuo report. It states that a cheaper version will probably only have a short-term effect on the sales figures of the speaker. According to the analyst, the product has to deal with other problems. For example, Apple should focus more on improving Siri and supporting a larger number of languages, in addition to other HomePod improvements. The sound quality alone would not encourage customers to pay a high price for the speaker, which came out for a price of $ 349.
The report would further show that the deliveries of the speaker are disappointing. Kuo calculates deliveries of 2 to 2.5 million copies in the fiscal year of 2018, while expectations would be between 5 and 10 million. Earlier this week another analyst firm also said that the deliveries of the HomePod do not meet the expectations of Apple. The company would therefore have reduced orders for parts down.
The agency said Amazon is the market leader in the US in the field of smart speakers with a share of 73 percent. This is followed by Google with 14 percent and Apple with 10 percent, the company claimed.
The report would further show that the deliveries of the speaker are disappointing. Kuo calculates deliveries of 2 to 2.5 million copies in the fiscal year of 2018, while expectations would be between 5 and 10 million. Earlier this week another analyst firm also said that the deliveries of the HomePod do not meet the expectations of Apple. The company would therefore have reduced orders for parts down.
The agency said Amazon is the market leader in the US in the field of smart speakers with a share of 73 percent. This is followed by Google with 14 percent and Apple with 10 percent, the company claimed.