Apple Aims to Boost HomePod Sales With New Audio Software Lead
Apple has hired a new software lead for the HomePod team as part of an effort to better compete with smart home speakers from Amazon and Google, reports Bloomberg.
The Syng Cell Alpha
Afrooz Family, an audio engineer who worked at Apple from 2012 to 2016, has rejoined the company and is leading software development on the HomePod/
Apple TV team. Family co-founded speaker company Syng alongside former Apple design team member Christoper Stringer. Syng is known for the
super expensive Cell Alpha, which boasts "triphonic" audio technology that's able to create an immersive, dynamic sound field.
Apple has struggled to get the HomePod to catch on since its launch in 2018. The initial version of the speaker was priced at $350 and boasted higher-quality audio than competitors, but it was just not as popular as much more affordable smart speaker options from Samsung and Google.
The original HomePod was discontinued earlier this year with Apple instead opting to focus on the $99 HomePod mini, which is smaller and much more appealing due to its lower price tag.
Going forward, Apple plans to create a combined HomePod, Apple TV, and FaceTime device that will serve as an all-in-one entertainment option. According to Bloomberg, such a device could be released as early as 2023.
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New models of the Apple TV and HomePod mini are "nearly ready to launch," with Apple planning to release them "this fall," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In other words, the devices would likely launch around September or October.
The report said both devices will be equipped with faster processors that support Siri AI.
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In a report this week, he said the operating system will feature a grid of icons, widgets, and apps, along with customizable clock faces.
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Apple this year acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019.
Q.ai...
