Apple tries again in the smart speaker market with HomePod mini

After a rather disastrous first salvo into the smart speaker space with the HomePod, Apple is hedging its bets to take on Amazon and Google with its new HomePod mini, a smaller and cheaper Siri-powered smart speaker. When we reviewed the OG HomePod, we were impressed by its audio quality as well as its impressive multi-room functionality. We did lament that Siri was tied to only one account and that the range of content was limited largely to Apple services. We also found HomePod expensive. 

Apple has made the HomePod mini more agreeable at $129. it has also made it possible to recognize multiple user voices and there's some smart interactions with HomePod mini and Apple CarPlay (i.e. search for a location and it will appear in Apple Maps when you're in your car). Apple has also added an intercom solution for multiple HomePod minis and even iPhones so you can holler at your kids and tell them it is time for dinner provided each of your rooms is outfitted with a HomePod mini.

Apple's re-entry into the smart speaker space comes at a time when both Amazon and Google have released bette sounding smart speakers and the range of integrations and home automation accessories and functionality for these established players is far ahead of Apple's meagre HomeKit solutions. Apple didn't even demo any smart home functionality on the HomePod mini, which shows there's very little to write home about. 

Googe Home and Amazon Echo speakers also offer a wider range of content solutions, including Spotify, which is the industry leading service for streaming audio. Apple's not making Spotify accessible on HomePod mini because it is tied into Apple Music, a competing product. This won't be an issue for Apple diehards who've been wanting to buy one (or two) sleek speakers to outfit their homes or desks. And with more people working and learning from home, an ever prescient Siri for those that use the assistant, can seem like a great idea, specially given Apple's huge security and privacy focus, which makes the HomePod mini the least compromised smart speaker platform right now.