After getting into the smart speaker market late and with a premium price tag, Apple is finally cutting the cost of its HomePod. The company is dropping $50 off the retail price for the smart speaker. It now retails for $299, which is still considerably more than most of its competition.

Despite not being active yet, there's now an entry for Apple Music inside the music services tab of the Google Home app, which surely means it won't be long before Apple's music service is on every major smart speaker platform. The question now is whether Apple reciprocates by adding other services to its HomePod.

Though well-received by Apple fans, the HomePod hasn't exactly met expectations as far as sales go. But a newly discovered patent suggests that Apple might be about to dramatically overhaul the smart speaker with everything from facial recognition to a high-res touchscreen. Will it be enough?

The Apple HomePod is an outstanding speaker and right now it's on sale at Target for a whopping $100 off its regular retail price of nearly $350 so if you're someone who's committed to Apple's "Walled Garden" ecosystem, it's a great time to grab this smart speaker.

Apple has published a report about the hearing technology inside its HomePod speaker, illuminating in great detail all the hardware and software that lets it hear you say, "Hey Siri" across a noisy room. From voice recognition to echo suppression, there is a lot of cool stuff going on inside.

Apple’s HomePod may have been lean on features at launch, but it continues to improve via software updates, and the upcoming HomePod OS 12 is bringing some interesting new features like support for multiple timers and the ability to make and answer phone calls. The update is available September 17.

Canalys recently published new data about the burgeoning smart speaker market, and revealed that Apple's HomePod, once a highly anticipated competitor to the Google Home and Amazon Echo lines, isn't catching on quite the way the Apple hoped. The HomePod only makes up about 4% of market share.

Is Apple making moves to bring upgraded high-end audio devices to life? Rumors suggest AirPods 2, a new HomePod, and new headphones could be released as early as 2019.

Apple has announced that its HomePod will be launching in Germany, France, and Canada on June 18. The smart speaker marks a major market expansion for the tech giant, and the announcement could be an effort to boost dwindling sales of the HomePod, which will now be available in six countries.

Apple’s WWDC 2018 featured more than two hours of OS announcements. But what was largely missing was news on smart home platforms and devices. While competitors are making the smart home a central focus of their platforms, Apple is mum. Is it because they’re late to the party, or they’re not planning on attending the party?

A new report now suggests that the best-selling smart speaker remains within the Amazon Echo ecosystem. The less-than-$50 Echo Dot is definitively the most popular smart home speaker around. The report comes from Thinknum, who tracked "sales raking data since 2016 at Best Buy for the category."

So how does the HomePod measure up to the Amazon Echo and Google Home? Here, we examine the similarities and differences. Hint: it's not even close.

Did you know your Apple HomePod can do way more than play music? If you don't already know these HomePod tips and tricks, you'll be glad you read them. Learn about how to unlock the full set of features available on your HomePod.

Apple has finally taken the wraps off of iOS 11.4, which boasts a host of new features, including one that could help make home audio a whole lot better than it already is -- AirPlay 2. It offers multiroom audio and the ability to link HomePod speakers in a stereo pair.

Reports suggest Apple could releas another version of the HomePod in 2018 at a significantly lower price point. The most recent gossip suggests that Apple is looking to release a $199 version of the HomePod under its Beats brand.

Believe it or not, folks used to insulate their homes with asbestos and smoke on airplanes without worry. What is the technology we use today which may prompt similar 'what were they thinking?' reactions in just a few decades' time? Here are our picks for eight such trends.

You may not be the only one controlling your smart assistant -- savvy advertisers are in on the game, too. Per a new report from Apple Insider, there's an NBA on TNT ad that features the phrase, "Don't wanna miss out? Hey Siri show me the NBA schedule," which triggers the HomePod, much to many a user's chagrin. 

While Apple has said that it's planning on adding more functionality to its Apple HomePod sometime later, it may need to pick up the pace. Because for now, sales are flagging big time. As per a Bloomberg report, the $349 price tag of the HomePod seems to simply be too high for many would-be customers.

If you're worried about your Apple HomePod speaker staining your wooden surface, then a stylish stand from Grovemade is one solution.

August has announced that its third generation August Smart Lock Pro and second generation August Smart Lock are now compatible with the Apple HomePod.

In a recent interview with Fast Company, Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed claims that the HomePod is in any way a "me too" product. 

If you’re trying to choose between the Amazon Echo and the Apple HomePod, you might find that the versatility of the Echo makes it the better choice. Here’s why.

Apple's long-awaited HomePod smart speaker is finally here, and to ensure new owners get the most out of it, the tech giant has posted an official user guide.

Following on from a new microsite offering tips on how to get the most out of your HomePod smart speaker, Apple has just launched three short videos featuring additional guidance.

To celebrate the arrival of the Apple HomePod onto theconnected speakers market, Sonos is offering some sassy commentary by way of music.

Move over, Google Home! Step aside, Amazon Echo! Mycroft Mark II is a new Kickstarter A.I. assistant that's not only open source, it'll keep your data private too.

Apple has begun an assault on home audio, announcing the brand new HomePod speaker system and showcasing brand new multiroom functionality. It's now available for pre-order.

At CES 2018, Google stole the show. Its ads for the Google Assistant were everywhere, from the monorail to large-scale digital ads.

Apple's anticipated smart speaker, the HomePod, will not be released in December as planned. Instead fans will have to wait until 2018.

If you've ever wanted to build your own alternative to Amazon's Echo speaker, Qualcomm's new Smart Audio Platform can help.