Buyers of the HomePod mini in some European countries are now having to pay more for the same speaker thanks to stealth price increases.
Apple’s launch of the 2nd-generation HomePod also saw an increase in the price that Europeans have to pay to get its smaller cousin, with prices going up around 10% across the board.
The HomePod mini’s price increase comes after Apple also increased the price of the iMac in the UK by £150.
Going up!
The price increases appear to be relatively minor, but they’re large in terms of the percentage of the original asking price. For example, the HomePod mini previously sold for £89/€99 across Europe, but buyers must now hand over £99/€109.
MacRumors (opens in new tab) reported that the price increase affects the UK, Austria, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. In addition, the new price also reflects that of other European countries that only received the HomePod mini recently, including Belgium, Sweden, and others.
It’s important to note that this price increase doesn’t also come with new hardware, however, and is merely a price hike for those looking to buy a HomePod mini in the affected countries.
The HomePod mini, arguably the best wireless speaker for most people, will at least get new software features soon. The upcoming HomePod Software 16.3 update will support the humidity and temperature sensors already hidden inside the miniature speakers.
The HomePod Software 16.3 is set to be made available to the public alongside IOS 16.3 sometime next week, although an exact release date hasn’t been given.
For those looking to pick up Apple’s returning HomePod, that’s available for pre-order right now and will go on sale starting February 3.
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