After years of waiting, the update to Apple's line of home products has proven extremely disappointing. The company waited four to six years to update two of its main home devices, and when the new collection was presented on Wednesday, it met with huge disappointment.
This concerns the HomePod mini and Apple TV 4K. The original HomePod mini model was released in 2020, and the third generation of Apple TV 4K appeared in 2022.
Despite the fact that the four-year-old Apple TV 4K is still sold for R4,199 (which is higher than R2,999 after the price increase in June), it is even more absurd that the new version costs more than R2,000 extra, reaching a staggering starting price of R6,299.
Even with feature improvements, such as the new A19 chip and deep Siri AI integration, there is no scenario where a streaming box should cost this much; it is simply ridiculous. The article's author waited a long time for the Apple TV update because his old Xiaomi player could no longer handle the tasks. However, despite the long wait and being a loyal Apple fan, he cannot find a rational explanation for spending such money.
In fact, a 50-inch Toshiba Smart QLED TV can be purchased on Amazon for R4,999, and a 55-inch Hisense QLED Smart TV can be bought at Pick n Pay for R5,999. Spending this money on a full-fledged display with slightly less optimized software makes much more commercial sense than buying a standalone media hub. The main problem is that buying the Apple TV 4K at this price means consciously choosing a small media box over a fully functional mid-range smart TV for the same amount.
Meanwhile, a brand new HomeView display has also been introduced at the same high price—R6,299. Although this represents a new product category rather than a direct price increase of an existing item, this sum remains astonishing for a home hub.
Visually, the device draws design ideas from the miniature iMac G4 of 2002, mounting a 7-inch square display onto a dome base via a metal bracket. It is important to note that it requires a wired connection for continuous power. A globally available alternative with wall mounting exists, but this essentially turns a square iPad permanently attached to the wall. Worse yet, local consumers in South Africa cannot even order the wall-mounting configuration.
Finally, the updated HomePod mini 2 completes this trio at a price of R3,499. This is R500 more than the original model and includes an improved chipset, as well as new color options. Although the new HomePod is only R500 more than its predecessor, it is definitely not worth upgrading if you already have the first generation.
Apple has also partnered with 'select brands' to offer integrated smart cameras, thermostats, and door locks to expand its accessory ecosystem. Nevertheless, it seems that Apple has largely overlooked the smart home sector. Unlike laptops and iPhones, this is a market segment that Apple could lose even if it disappeared overnight.
Of course, that will not happen, but at the moment, there are almost no convincing reasons to choose an Apple product for the smart home over competitors.