Kuo: HomePod Mini 2 to Begin Mass Shipments in Second Half of Next YearApple will begin mass shipments of the second-generation
HomePod mini in the second half of 2024, according to Apple supply chain analyst
Ming-Chi Kuo.
In his latest
tweet sharing industry information, Kuo said Apple supplier Goertek has "secured NPI and assembly orders for the ‌HomePod mini‌ 2, which will start mass shipments in 2H24." NPI stands for New Production Introduction, which is a structured process for transforming a product idea into a complete end-product that can be fully reproduced.
According to
Bloomberg's
Mark Gurman, Apple is
not actively working on a new version of the ‌HomePod mini‌ at this time, so Kuo's prediction comes as somewhat of a surprise. There are no obvious new features that are needed for the ‌HomePod mini‌, and improvements to things like
Siri and app integration can be made on the back end.
For his part, Gurman believes that Apple is working on "new speakers with screens and cameras," with Apple said to be developing
HomePod models with a display and a camera to compete with the likes of Google's Nest Hub Max, Amazon's Echo Show, and Facebook's Portal. Whether this is the type of device Kuo is referring to when he says "‌HomePod mini‌ 2" seems unlikely, but not impossible.
Regardless, Kuo clearly believes there is sufficient evidence to suggest that Apple plans to launch a new version of its smaller smart speaker, and by handing NPI and assembly responsibilities to Goertek, the supplier will be able to offset the negative impact caused by loss of orders due to
production issues related to its
AirPods Pro 2 production.
In the same series of tweets, Kuo also
outlined his shipment schedule predictions for second-generation
AirPods Max over-ear headphones and a new version of "low cost" AirPods.<div class="linkback">Related Roundup:
HomePod mini</div><div class="linkback">Tag:
Ming-Chi Kuo</div><div class="linkback">Buyer's Guide:
HomePod Mini (Neutral)</div><div class="linkback">Related Forum:
HomePod, HomeKit, CarPlay, Home & Auto Technology</div>
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Kuo: HomePod Mini 2 to Begin Mass Shipments in Second Half of Next Year
