What the heck went wrong with Apple's HomePod?

This a serious misstep

The HomePod.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

If you were looking for a sign that voice is becoming a big deal in tech, here it is: A recent report from NPR and Edison Research suggests that 39 million Americans now own a smart speaker. Even by the very rapid standards of the digital era, that signals a remarkable shift for such a new category.

But as households across the world now become comfortable talking out loud to Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant, there is a conspicuous absence in the market: Apple. Though the ubiquitous tech giant is rarely at the bleeding edge, preferring instead to improve upon flawed first-generation products, now that smart speakers are clearly mainstream, Apple is officially late to the game. Its own entry, the HomePod speaker, was announced in June of last year, but is only making its long-delayed debut next month. On top of its tardy arrival, the HomePod is missing a handful of promised features, prompting even ardent Apple supporters to label this a serious misstep on behalf of Apple.

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Navneet Alang

Navneet Alang is a technology and culture writer based out of Toronto. His work has appeared in The Atlantic, New Republic, Globe and Mail, and Hazlitt.