Apple adds HomePod, AirPods to the 'vintage products' list

AppleInsider

The original HomePod is now a "vintage" item according to Apple, making it the first from the smart speaker range to be given the designation.

A HomePod in use

Apple's support pages has a list of products that Apple deems to be vintage or obsolete, depending on how long they have been on the market. For support purposes, vintage items can still be eligible for servicing by Apple, but obsolete products are not.

Typically, if Apple has stopped distributing the product for more than five years, it's considered vintage. After seven years, it's obsolete.

The latest update to the page, which took place on July 1, has a few new additions. The most significant of which is the first-generation HomePod on the "TV & Home products vintage worldwide" list.

The listing, initially reported by MacRumors only affects the first-gen model of HomePod. The second-gen release and the HomePod mini are not considered vintage at this time, and won't be for a few more years.

Another addition is the iPhone X, Apple's first full-screen smartphone, and a game-changer for the company's design aesthetic. Lastly, the first generation of AirPods have joined the list as the only product in the line classed as vintage.

Just like the HomePod, newer models of AirPods and iPhones are not affected by the vintage and obsolete lists.



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entropys

Ah the poor HomePod, victim of appalling market positioning.  

saarek

Still use mine every day. Fantastic product that’s only let down by Siri.

ramanpfaff

Still love mine. Siri does what I want: control volume, turn tv on/off, play music I ask for, and tell me what time it is.

Not sure what I'll do if one of my pair fail. 

Flappo

Find mine very useful for use as a clock and for the weather 

dewme

My first HomePod 1 died during the warranty period and Apple replaced it. The replacement died about two years ago. There’s a known defect in the power supply circuitry on a number of Gen 1 HomePods. 

I’ve seen a YouTube video of the repair process to replace the faulty component. The repair requires dismantling the HomePod through its many layers of components and removing and replacing a surface mount component way at the bottom. I still have the dead HomePod and may give the repair a try if I need to fill time that would have been spent putting together a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle, both being about the same level of excitement. 

The original HomePod did have excellent sound quality and could easily fill a good sized space with great sound l, including bass. After a respectful grieving period I bought two HomePod minis to replace the dead HomePod. When used as a stereo pair they really aren’t bad at all. Their bass is nowhere near the big HomePod’s but I can live with it. The bonus with the minis is that they both have temperature and humidity sensors so I can see if there is a thermal gradient across the six foot gap between the two minis. 

Was the HomePod a plus or minus for Apple? As a semi-captive speaker it has great sound so if that’s what Apple intended it to be, then it’s a win. If they were intending it to be an important component in Apple’s home automation strategy or an Echo killer, I’m not so sure. 

danox

The Apple HomePod speakers should have included wired connections (future proofed) with two speakers instead of one. AudioEngine, KRK or Edifier better choices for the money.

https://audioengine.com/speakers/

https://www.edifier.com/us/p/bookshelf-speakers/r1700bts

https://www.krkmusic.com/products/classic-5-powered-studio-monitor

thedba

danox said:

The Apple HomePod speakers should have included wired connections (future proofed) with two speakers instead of one. AudioEngine, KRK or Edifier better choices for the money.

https://audioengine.com/speakers/

https://www.edifier.com/us/p/bookshelf-speakers/r1700bts

https://www.krkmusic.com/products/classic-5-powered-studio-monitor

Apple isn’t about giving you a general purpose solution, like standard bluetooth or wired connections.

Products like HomePods, AirPods, VisionPro enhance the Apple experience.

The HomePod had as much chance as offering you wired connections as the VisionPro had working with Ubuntu.

Stabitha_Christie

danox said:

The Apple HomePod speakers should have included wired connections (future proofed) with two speakers instead of one. AudioEngine, KRK or Edifier better choices for the money.

https://audioengine.com/speakers/

https://www.edifier.com/us/p/bookshelf-speakers/r1700bts

https://www.krkmusic.com/products/classic-5-powered-studio-monitor

Worth nothing that the future you want to proof against has yet to arrive. Original HomePod works just fine. 

jahblade

I have 5 still working like day 1 - 1st gen HomePod. 

bakerzdosen

It would seem the OG HomePods will receive the OS 18 update(s) and that's it.

From a HomeKit perspective that might be OK simply because it'll allow a preferred hub without issue. (Not that it wouldn't have been as the hub seems to always select something running the latest update.)

Honestly though, I have no issues with my 3x OG HomePods. OK, sure, Sometimes Siri is a pain in the butt. And on occasion I have to reboot or remove/re-add them to HomeKit (the same can be said for my Mini's.)

All in all though, I cannot see a reason to abandon them at any point in the near future.

I've been completely satisfied with all 3 of them.

Hopefully Apple (based on their track record, they should) will leave them in a state where they continue to function as well as they do right now once they stop providing updates. If they do that, I'll have zero issues recommending (and probably purchasing) the next gen HomePods at some point.

macxpress

I love my 2 HomePods. I actually want 2 more. They're still selling for quite a bit of money today. Mine work great and Siri does everything I want it to from changing the temperature of my Ecobee, turning on or shutting the lights off (or changing the colors), turning off the AppleTV (and the TV), setting a timer, etc. They sound great too. Lots of bass and the audio in general is clear. 

discountopinion

Absolutely love my HomePods, have the 1st get, 2nd get and the mini. 

Siri is acting drunk most of the time these days, but still a great product.

Hoping for a HomePod 3 this fall.

9secondkox2

Sad. 

Wish apple would go for it with a new HomePod that wasn’t so tied down. 

mikethemartian

danox said:

The Apple HomePod speakers should have included wired connections (future proofed) with two speakers instead of one. AudioEngine, KRK or Edifier better choices for the money.

https://audioengine.com/speakers/

https://www.edifier.com/us/p/bookshelf-speakers/r1700bts

https://www.krkmusic.com/products/classic-5-powered-studio-monitor

It is easier just to throw it away.

rare comment

discountopinion said:

Absolutely love my HomePods, have the 1st get, 2nd get and the mini. 

Siri is acting drunk most of the time these days, but still a great product.

Hoping for a HomePod 3 this fall.

I love mine also (2 originals, 4 minis) but man is Siri crazy these days.  Saying it has problems connecting to the internet and then suddenly playing music anyway.  And then stopping.  Sometimes showing up on the watch while playing.  There seems to be some weird multiple user account issues going on.

xyzzy01

Typically, if Apple has stopped distributing the product for more than five years, it's considered vintage

They sold the original Homepod until March 2021, so that's just over three years - not even close to "more than five years". And speakers like this should have a much longer lifespan than phones... Sonos even supports gear that's almost twenty years old, on an older, less-but-still-maintained version of their OS (S1).

reviloa

Love my original Homepod.  Still sounds great, maybe that's because it hasn't yet been dropped or had any water spills over the 6 years of listening, touch wood! 
Always been curious how a second one paired would sound and be worth the investment.  

chasm

I have two OG HomePods and an OG HomePod mini. They did and still do exactly everything I want them to do, and while Siri can be finicky at times about wording, it also does what I want it to do.

I’d hate to have to replace these before they stop working, but it’ll depend mightily on what the HomePods 3 offer.

bestkeptsecret

Bought a pair of HomePods when they were released here in India. They hold the distinction of being the only Apple product that were cheaper in India than the US - available for around $240. 

However, both of them stopped working suddenly. I took them to the authorised Apple service centre but they said they do not repair HomePods. 
After months of hunting, I finally found a shop that repaired them. One had an issue with the power circuit that @dewme mentioned and the other one had an issue with some internal component.

Both of them are working fine again and I love them. I contemplated buying the newer ones but they are now priced "normally" (US Price + India's 30% import tax) and I think they have one less tweeter, IIRC. 

Pema

Apple should add the HomePod to the extinct product list. I have yet to see one in the wild.