Since Apple announced the HomePod delay until early 2018, speculation about when the company's new product, its first smart speaker, will arrive, has not stopped pouring in from all kinds of sources. A few days ago we told you that Apple would have already received the first million units HomePod for immediate release, and now there are more unmistakable signs that his arrival is imminent: the FCC seal.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is the one that regulates television, radio and telephone devices, as well as wireless communications, so its approval is an essential requirement to be able to market a product in the United States. The fact that it has already given its seal to Apple's HomePod is a clear sign that the commercialization of the HomePod will begin in a few weeks.
Apple said the HomePod was delayed until the beginning of 2018, without giving an exact date of the beginning of its sale. At the moment on its website we can read the sign "Available at the beginning of 2018", and that in Apple's language usually means between January and April of this year. We know that your initial release will include the United States (obviously), and probably the United Kingdom and Australia.. We do not know if its delay will mean that the first wave will be extended to more countries, which is likely if we pay attention to the rumor of the million units already available for sale.
With estimated sales for all of 2018 of 11 million units, having a million already available for launch could mean that availability could be global from the outset, since do not expect too high sales for a product that will be priced at $ 349 (€ 400 in Europe?). Smart speakers from Google and Amazon are selling well but they are much simpler and more affordable models, something that Apple has not wanted to enter, prioritizing sound quality over "smart" functions, which will be limited with respect to the competing models.