Apple HomePod preorders outpaced all other smartspeakers, except Amazon Echo Dot

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 2018
Priced at $349, the Apple HomePod saw more pent-up demand at launch than virtually all of its competition, save for one budget-priced smartspeaker: Amazon's $50-and-under Echo Dot.




Day-one sales of HomePod were tracked by NPD, though no actual hard sales data was given. The research firm found that preorders for the HomePod were higher than all competing products, including the likes the Sonos One and Google Home Max.

The lone exception was the Amazon Echo Dot, which the online retailer has positioned as something of an impulse buy. The entry-level personal assistant sells for $49, but has been discounted to as little as $30 in various sales.

The Echo Dot targets a far different audience than Apple's forthcoming $349 HomePod. Apple, instead, has positioned the HomePod as a high-end speaker for music lovers, while Siri-driven personal assistant capabilities are a side benefit of the hardware.

Amazon Echo Dot


NPD expects that Bluetooth headphones and wireless speakers will see double-digit growth by the end of 2018. The firm noted that Apple's AirPods were the top-selling headphone product by the end of 2017, based on both dollars and units.

Combining the Beats brand with AirPods gives Apple a whopping 44 percent of all dollar sales, not just wireless, in the headphone space. With HomePod targeting the high end of the speaker business, the company now looks to take a chunk out of existing players like Bose and Harman Kardon.

Apple is rumored to expand its non-Beats headphone lineup with a new wireless over-ear model said to arrive as soon as this year. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, Apple aims to deliver a product that boasts the convenience of AirPods, but with better acoustic qualities.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 33
    That’s really really good going considering I can get a Echo dot for £40.
  • Reply 2 of 33
    Really excited about the HomePod. It will be my next Apple purchase. I have a few Echo Dots already but as the article shows, that’s mostly due to price. Was able to get 3 for $90 when Amazon had a sale. Hard to turn down. 
  • Reply 3 of 33
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    I would love more size options for HomePod. The Echo Dot is decent for the bathroom but I want something more powerful without being much bigger.
    If you haven't seen the Homepod in person I think you will be surprised by how small it actually is. It could work for a bathroom if that is what you are looking for.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 33
    macxpressmacxpress Posts: 5,801member
    jcs2305 said:
    I would love more size options for HomePod. The Echo Dot is decent for the bathroom but I want something more powerful without being much bigger.
    If you haven't seen the Homepod in person I think you will be surprised by how small it actually is. It could work for a bathroom if that is what you are looking for.
    I asked a person in the Apple Store about this and they didn't recommend it for the bathroom as it could get the components inside wet from humidity/condensation. If course, if you have AppleCare+ on it then its only $39 to get a replacement should you need to use it. 
  • Reply 5 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    The day the HomePod went on sale the Amazon Dot still outsold it? If accurate I'm flabbergasted. Honestly. Either a whole lot of Dot's are sold every day or the HomePod early orders weren't all that high. 
    xzu
  • Reply 6 of 33
    when is homepod going to cross the ocean to asian countries? soon i hope.
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 33
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    gatorguy said:
    The day the HomePod went on sale the Amazon Dot still outsold it? If accurate I'm flabbergasted. Honestly. Either a whole lot of Dot's are sold every day or the HomePod early orders weren't all that high. 
    Comparing HomePod preorders and Echo Dot preorders is what the statement reads to me, yet so much excitement in your post! Take a breath or two and relax!


    gilly33StrangeDaysnetmagepropodmuthuk_vanalingammavemufcwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 33
    jcs2305jcs2305 Posts: 1,336member
    macxpress said:
    jcs2305 said:
    I would love more size options for HomePod. The Echo Dot is decent for the bathroom but I want something more powerful without being much bigger.
    If you haven't seen the Homepod in person I think you will be surprised by how small it actually is. It could work for a bathroom if that is what you are looking for.
    I asked a person in the Apple Store about this and they didn't recommend it for the bathroom as it could get the components inside wet from humidity/condensation. If course, if you have AppleCare+ on it then its only $39 to get a replacement should you need to use it. 
    Don't get me wrong I personally wouldn't put this in a bathroom, but in regard to size I think it could be used because of the small footprint. I should have explained that. I don't want someone thinking it's is ok for use during a shower, and destroy a 350.00 speaker..thanks for chiming in. Yikes..

    "Relative humidity of operating environment should be  5% to 90% noncondensing (the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature), which means it isn’t waterproof. And it’s better not to use Apple HomePod when you are taking shower".

    This is a quote from Apple's website that I got from a different site...
    caladanianbb-15watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 33
    Unicorns_ReignUnicorns_Reign Posts: 6unconfirmed, member
    gatorguy said:
    The day the HomePod went on sale the Amazon Dot still outsold it? If accurate I'm flabbergasted. Honestly. Either a whole lot of Dot's are sold every day or the HomePod early orders weren't all that high. 
    Wasn't Amazons Super Bowl ad around the time of the HomePod launch? I am not a sports fan or watch tv with commercials so I am just guessing that Amazons advertising had something to do with it.

    Free Reign Games Vancouver... Google it!
  • Reply 10 of 33
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,176member
    Thanks TMay. I took a few minutes to search up and read the source article. According to the blogger you are correct. 
    edited February 2018 muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 11 of 33
    Every day Amazon has an Ad at the top of their app for group packages with their Echo Line...it changes everyday so they must be trying to find the right combo that works/sells
  • Reply 12 of 33
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    gatorguy said:
    Thanks TMay. I took a few minutes to search up and read the source article. According to the blogger you are correct. 
    No worries.

    That said, I'll bet the Echo Dots are still great sellers for Amazon, with many households having multiples, but I'm thinking that Amazon would like to move some existing users to the Echo Plus and Show. 
  • Reply 13 of 33
    k2kwk2kw Posts: 2,075member
    macxpress said:
    jcs2305 said:
    I would love more size options for HomePod. The Echo Dot is decent for the bathroom but I want something more powerful without being much bigger.
    If you haven't seen the Homepod in person I think you will be surprised by how small it actually is. It could work for a bathroom if that is what you are looking for.
    I asked a person in the Apple Store about this and they didn't recommend it for the bathroom as it could get the components inside wet from humidity/condensation. If course, if you have AppleCare+ on it then its only $39 to get a replacement should you need to use it. 
    You may want to look into the Sonos One or Play 1.
    i think you can place in a bathroom if I remember correctly
  • Reply 14 of 33
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Echo Dot is a smart speaker? LOL. If you consder the Dot is a speaker, then anything that can output a sound should consider a speaker.../s
    StrangeDayswatto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 33
    Folks you all should be scare that some company has method to determine what people are buying and when. They some can see of track the transaction, so they either have access to CC processing information since that is only way to see actual Per-order information, well they my not be accurate since the transaction did not show up on my CC until I got the unit. They could be some how access internet traffic to determine when a order is places, but Apple used a secure encrypted link between your phone/computer. The other option is getting access to shipping information to know how many Homepod when through some carrier or came through customs. Some how these folks are getting access to information about your shopping habits.
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 33
    Where is this data coming from? Apple hasn’t released any sales figures. Also not a surprise that Apple has a more passionate fan base that will buy new Apple products when they go on sale. But without actual numbers this report is pretty meaningless.
    muthuk_vanalingam
  • Reply 17 of 33
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,309member
    maestro64 said:
    Folks you all should be scare that some company has method to determine what people are buying and when. They some can see of track the transaction, so they either have access to CC processing information since that is only way to see actual Per-order information, well they my not be accurate since the transaction did not show up on my CC until I got the unit. They could be some how access internet traffic to determine when a order is places, but Apple used a secure encrypted link between your phone/computer. The other option is getting access to shipping information to know how many Homepod when through some carrier or came through customs. Some how these folks are getting access to information about your shopping habits.
    I'm an Amazon Prime customer, and while I don't have an interest in using any Echo or Alexa, I would expect that Amazon retains all queries and purchase requests within their ecosystem. I would be even less interested, and more uncomfortable, with the use of a Google Home device, for such queries and purchases of Amazon products. YMMV.
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 33
    jcs2305 said:
    macxpress said:
    jcs2305 said:
    I would love more size options for HomePod. The Echo Dot is decent for the bathroom but I want something more powerful without being much bigger.
    If you haven't seen the Homepod in person I think you will be surprised by how small it actually is. It could work for a bathroom if that is what you are looking for.
    I asked a person in the Apple Store about this and they didn't recommend it for the bathroom as it could get the components inside wet from humidity/condensation. If course, if you have AppleCare+ on it then its only $39 to get a replacement should you need to use it. 
    Don't get me wrong I personally wouldn't put this in a bathroom, but in regard to size I think it could be used because of the small footprint. I should have explained that. I don't want someone thinking it's is ok for use during a shower, and destroy a 350.00 speaker..thanks for chiming in. Yikes..

    "Relative humidity of operating environment should be  5% to 90% noncondensing (the amount of water vapor present in air expressed as a percentage of the amount needed for saturation at the same temperature), which means it isn’t waterproof. And it’s better not to use Apple HomePod when you are taking shower".

    This is a quote from Apple's website that I got from a different site...
    They also said you should not take the first Apple Watch in the shower.... And well, many do, and still do it, and even swim with it!!

    Apple is VERY conservative in saying how resistant to various things a device is (for good reason, such as preventing people doing crazy stuff!).

    If you use a bathroom fan and it is not a crap one, and yeah, you should, I don't really see the issue.

    I usually take baths tough and they tend to not put as much humidity in the room so I'm OK (we have a private bathroom seperate from my "dirty" kids who take showers all the time ;-)
    edited February 2018 watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 33
    gatorguy said:
    The day the HomePod went on sale the Amazon Dot still outsold it? If accurate I'm flabbergasted. Honestly. Either a whole lot of Dot's are sold every day or the HomePod early orders weren't all that high. 
    On launch day and everyday afterwards I was able to go to any Apple store within a 250 mile radius and get a in store pickup. My girlfriend said there were more Apple employees that order it then actual customers. 

    The homepod is good for what it is as we got one for the half price but it’s not earth shattering amazing change my life experience. 
  • Reply 20 of 33
    bluefire1bluefire1 Posts: 1,301member
    Wonderful addition to my Apple collection. I just hope there's an update shortly that allows my HomePod to access my Apple calendar.
    watto_cobra
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