Apple started selling the HomePod Mini in yellow, orange, and blue colourways in India on Tuesday, November 23. The ‘bold’ new colour refresh of HomePod Mini was announced by Apple at its Unleashed October event where the Cupertino-based tech company also launched new MacBook Pro models with its in-house M1 Pro and M1 Max chip. At the same event, Apple had also launched the third gen AirPods. While the MacBook Pro and AirPods 3 have been available for some time, the ‘new’ HomePod Mini is going on sale only now.
Apple’s orb-shaped ‘mini’ Siri smart speaker was previously only available in white and space grey colours. The yellow, orange, and blue models will join the existing flavours to give buyers more choice to experiment—sort of like the new iMac. The colour refresh is happening down to the minutest detail including “the tinted touch surface, mesh fabric, volume icons, and woven power cable,” Apple says.
The all-round design stays the same. So does the core hardware. The new HomePod Mini is virtually identical to the older/existing HomePod in every way including the price. It still costs Rs 9,900 and is available across Apple’s online store and its Authorised Resellers, starting today.
Apple has taken a few steps recently to make the HomePod Mini more appealing to Indian buyers. Unlike the—now cancelled—HomePod, its first smart speaker which was tied to Apple Music for almost everything, the HomePod Mini also supports direct hands-free music streaming from Gaana. Plus, Apple has launched ‘Apple Music Voice,’ a new subscription tier for Apple Music that’s centred around voice or Siri.
At Rs 49 per month, it’s the most affordable Apple Music plan and sit below the individual tier making the streaming service more accessible to even more people. The plan works with voice— Hey Siri—across all Siri-enabled devices, including HomePod Mini, AirPods, iPhone, or any other Apple device, and when using CarPlay.