New HomePod mini imminent? Major retailer calls current model ‘discontinued’

Macworld

We’ve suspected for some time that Apple will soon release a new HomePod mini, but that launch came a step closer to reality this week with the discovery that a major retailer is already listing the current model as discontinued.

At time of writing B&H lists the HomePod mini in Midnight, yellow, orange, blue, and white as “Discontinued.” (It also shows the Space Gray model, which was replaced by Midnight more than a year ago, as the subtly different “No Longer Available.”) By contrast, the full-size HomePod is listed normally and available to buy at the MSRP.




David Price / Foundry

Yet the HomePod mini has absolutely not been discontinued. It’s still available for sale on Apple’s website, and when checking from the U.K. I found that all five color finishes were available for delivery tomorrow, or in-store pickup today. There seems to be plenty of stock.

It’s unclear if an B&H employee did this accidentally, or if it’s an official policy. But such labels don’t appear to be common. After browsing through various Apple product listings I was unable to find any other devices labelled as discontinued, let alone ones which are still sold on Apple’s website.

B&H is the only retailer known to have taken this step so far. But as MacRumors reports, other companies are providing more subtle hints that the first-gen HomePod mini might not be long for this world. Target and Verizon, for example, each have at least one color that’s out of stock, while Adorama, Walmart, and Staples appear to have no HomePod minis at all. Such widespread shortages are usually a sign that production is winding up ahead of a new model being launched.

You’ll also remember a report earlier this month that claimed there was a retail store “event” happening on November 12, with employees working overnight to change store displays. For those keeping track, November 12 is tomorrow. Rumors also point to the release of a new Apple TV 4K.

The HomePod mini was launched back in 2020 and hasn’t been updated since, other than the addition of new colors in 2021. So it’s probably fair to say that a second-gen model is overdue. (There was a five-year gap between the first and second full-size HomePods, and that includes almost two years when the product didn’t exist at all.) Multiple pundits have predicted that the HomePod mini 2 will arrive either later this year or early in 2026.

Whether the new model will be much of an upgrade on its predecessor remains to be seen. But we’ve written a wish list of five improvements that would turn it into the mini smart speaker of our dreams.