Apple HomePod 2 already facing delays in major markets

(Image credit: Apple)

The 2nd generation HomePod has a significant shipping delay of preorders with certain markets facing a wait of up to seven weeks for the newest addition to Apple’s smart speaker lineup.

Apple announced the HomePod 2 last week with a brand new $299 price tag and a few handy updates under the hood. These include support for Spatial Audio, home temperature, and humidity sensors as well as integration of smoke or carbon monoxide alarms with the new Matter smart home standard, and the S7 chip.

The newest HomePod color, Midnight, which replaces the previous Space Gray and is made with “100 percent recycled mesh fabric, with a color-matched woven power cable” already has a 3-4 week shipping delay in the United States. For those of us in the United Kingdom, the Midnight HomePod 2 has an estimated delivery date between the 2nd and 9th of March — over 5 weeks away! In Europe, countries like Germany are facing an even longer 6-7 week wait time for the same color of HomePod. None of these dates match the February 3 official release date.

The HomePod 2, worth the wait?

The HomePod was discontinued two years ago and after the success of its smaller sibling, the HomePod mini, Apple has decided to return to the larger smart speaker format. In doing so, Apple has decided to increase the price for the HomePod mini by £10/€10 in the UK and most European countries without any hardware refresh on the horizon.

With the apparent delays to the newest HomePod, the HomePod mini which is one of the best smart speakers on the market could be a better option for those looking to get their tunes on sooner rather than later. Although, it may be worth waiting for the HomePod 2 as early reviews suggest that the latest in Apple’s smart speaker line is well worth the listen.

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019. John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit.