Google Home Max smart speaker moves into retirement

By Kelly Hodgkins December 15, 2020

Google is discontinuing its Home Max, a smart speaker designed for the discriminating audiophile. Only the black and white models are still listed on Google’s website, and they are both described as being out of stock. The connected speaker inventory has been depleted, and it reportedly won’t be restocked.

Google may be sunsetting the Home Max smart speaker, but the company still intends to support existing owners. “Existing Google Home Max users shouldn’t worry, as they won’t see any change in their service,” said a Google spokesperson in a statement. The company said it expects to continue to deliver “great sound and whole-home audio features” by releasing software updates and security fixes for its Home Max product. We’ve reached out to Google to confirm the discontinuation of the Home Max and the future support options, and will update this story when we hear back.

Google’s Home Max smart speaker went on sale in December 2017 with a $399 price tag. Its main competitors were Apple’s $300 HomePod and the high-end Sonos Play:5. While Apple is still selling the HomePod alongside the new HomePod mini, the Sonos speaker has been discontinued.

Google hasn’t abandoned the smart speaker market; it has adjusted its lineup to reflect consumer demand for smaller and less expensive intelligent speakers. The company is now selling the Google Nest Audio, which launched in October 2020. The Nest Audio is a powerhouse speaker with outstanding audio performance and a design that fits in with any decor. A speaker for music with a robust virtual assistant, it works for both Android and iOS owners. The Nest Audio supports more than Google Play Music — Apple Music recently landed on the smart home device.

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Kelly's been writing online for ten years, working at Gizmodo, TUAW, and BGR among others. Living near the White Mountains of…

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