Malcolm Owen
The original HomePod is now a "vintage" item according to Apple, making it the first from the smart speaker range to be given the designation.
Apple's support pages has a list of products that Apple deems to be vintage or obsolete, depending on how long they have been on the market. For support purposes, vintage items can still be eligible for servicing by Apple, but obsolete products are not.
Typically, if Apple has stopped distributing the product for more than five years, it's considered vintage. After seven years, it's obsolete.
The latest update to the page, which took place on July 1, has a few new additions. The most significant of which is the first-generation HomePod on the "TV & Home products vintage worldwide" list.
The listing, initially reported by MacRumors only affects the first-gen model of HomePod. The second-gen release and the HomePod mini are not considered vintage at this time, and won't be for a few more years.
Another addition is the iPhone X, Apple's first full-screen smartphone, and a game-changer for the company's design aesthetic. Lastly, the first generation of AirPods have joined the list as the only product in the line classed as vintage.
Just like the HomePod, newer models of AirPods and iPhones are not affected by the vintage and obsolete lists.
Thomas Sibilly
Andrew O'Hara
Amber Neely
Marko Zivkovic
William Gallagher and Mike Wuerthele
22 Comments
Ah the poor HomePod, victim of appalling market positioning.
Still use mine every day. Fantastic product that’s only let down by Siri.
Still love mine. Siri does what I want: control volume, turn tv on/off, play music I ask for, and tell me what time it is.
Not sure what I'll do if one of my pair fail.
Find mine very useful for use as a clock and for the weather
My first HomePod 1 died during the warranty period and Apple replaced it. The replacement died about two years ago. There’s a known defect in the power supply circuitry on a number of Gen 1 HomePods.