I thought this would be the one. Yet another launch event, yet another major gap in the proceedings as Apple launched its AirPods Pro 3 flagship buds, its latest array of iPhones and even a new iteration of its smart watch series, all to keep loyal fans happy with the whitest, shiniest tech on the market. Well, almost all fans happy.
Once again, no new HomePods have been forthcoming. That's a real surprise, as we'd been speculating that a new unit, in particular a new HomePod Mini 2, would finally arrive at near the end of 2025.
Rumours circulated, tech insiders made predictions, even code was discovered by eagle-eyed observers, but no new HomePod materialised. What a disappointment.
For us audiophiles and smart speaker lovers, that's a let-down. We've had the possibility of a new HomePod 3 with a a 7-inch LCD screen dangling over us since at least 2023, with more recent rumours indicating strongly that the wait would finally be over for Apple to add to its roster of five-star smart speakers with at least a Mini 2.
Alas, it wasn't to be.
I know I've griped about this many times before, but we really thought this would be the time. We thought the Mini 2 would feature the refreshed S-series chip as found in its latest-gen smart watches, but even if that wasn't to be, Apple wouldn't need a major design overhaul to improve the sound of a second-gen unit.
Our collective hi-fi testing experience, not to mention recent examples such as the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) and (we hope) the AirPods Pro 3, show that you don't need a complete internal overhaul for better sound, so it's not like we were asking for the world on a plate. A few sonic tweaks, some updated features and some nice new colourways would have been enough to keep us happy.
Yet it's starting to look like Apple will never upgrade the HomePod lines. Even with rivals Rivals continuing to muscle in on the smart speaker game, such as Amazon and its range of Echos and Echo Dots or Sonos and its excellent Era 300 and Era 100 speakers, Apple is sitting back on products that have been around for a good few years.
That seems, when competition is so strong, like a strangely complacent attitude.
Focus may have been diverted to getting the AirPods Pro 3 up to scratch for competing in the ever-tough wireless earbuds market (Apple is a big player when it comes to headphones), but whatever the reason, it's high time a new HomePod arrived with better sound, more features and improved third-party app support for the likes of Tidal and Spotify.
Maybe Apple just doesn't feel the need to do so just yet, but surely it will be overtaken when another generation of Amazon Echos, for instance, inevitably arrives?
Almost five years (for a new Mini, at least) really is long enough. Please, Apple, I'm done waiting. Don't make me write this article again in 2026...
MORE:
Read our original HomePod 2 review
I've never owned a pair of AirPods – but the AirPods Pro 3 could be about to change all that
Apple event 2025: all the AirPods Pro 3, HomePod Mini 2 and iPhone 17 news direct from our experts
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
