Apple HomePod clears FCC certification, expected to go on sale soon

It’s been over seven months since Apple first unveiled the HomePod – its smart speaker to take on Google Home and Amazon Echo. During WWDC in June, the Cupertino giant had announced that the HomePod would start shipping to select countries from December, but later announced that it had to push back shipments to early 2018 as the company needed a little more time. Now, the HomePod has finally cleared FCC certification, which means the speakers will be seen in stores soon enough.
As per reports last week, HomePod supplier Inventec has already shipped an initial batch of 1 million units from the its warehouse, which means stores would have started stocking up the smart speakers by now. The HomePod will first be made available in Australia, the UK, and the US, as was initially announced and will be priced at $349 (approx Rs 22,300). Other countries are likely to follow, but there is no word yet on when the HomePod will reach the Indian market.
The Apple HomePod cylindrical-shaped wireless speaker that uses spatial awareness to deliver audio depending on its placement in the room. The Siri-enabled speaker comes with Apple Music built-in. At the time of unveiling, Apple said, “the HomePod provides deep knowledge of personal music preferences and tastes and helps users discover new music.”
The smart home speaker from Apple measures roughly 7-inches in height and comes with a company-designed woofer for deep bass. It is powered by Apple’s A8 chip and features six microphones so that users can interact with it from any part of the room as well as a seven-tweeter array. Users can command the HomePod to search and play music, ask for the weather, and make advance music queries by saying “Hey, Siri.” The HomePod will be available in a choice of White and Space Gray when it goes on sale.