Rumor: Homepod speaker sales numbers do not meet Apple expectations

Apple’s Homepod speaker doesn’t seem to be selling as well as the manufacturer had thought. In the American market for ‘smart’ speakers, the market share is much lower than that of competitors Amazon and Google, says an analyst firm.

In addition to the low market share, many Apple stores have unsold inventory, Bloomberg claims. That’s why Apple has had to lower its expectations and cut orders for parts, the financial news agency says.

Apple has a 10 percent market share in the first two months after release and about 19 when it comes to revenue, Slice Intelligence has calculated. The research bureau relies on credit card data, the use of customer cards and other information, among other things. The figures are only about the American market, where the Homepod has been on sale the longest.

Amazon is still the market leader with 73 percent, followed by Google with 14 percent. The Echo speakers also bring in the most money. In the smart speaker market, Amazon accounts for 68 percent total revenue, Slice says.

Presumably, more consumers opt for speakers from Amazon or Google because of the lower price and the more extensive feature set of those products. In addition, the Homepod only works with iPhones and Siri has limited integration with third-party services, something Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant offer much more.