Apple Homepod to launch on Feb 9, preorders to start from Jan 26

Apple has announced that Apple Homepod will launch on February 9 with the pre-orders for the said device to go live from January 26. The Siri-powered speaker will be available for $349 in white and space gray colors.

In terms of dimensions, the Apple Homepod is around 7- inches tall and 5.6-inches wide with a weight of around 2.5kg. Under its hood is an A8 chip, and it features what Apple calls ‘spatial awareness’. HomePod features a large woofer that provides pure high-frequency acoustics with directional control. With an array of six microphones, Apple claims that the HomePod can hear “Hey Siri” from across the room, even when loud music is playing. HomePod is obviously compatible with Apple Music, and can wirelessly access the full library of songs from Apple Music.

In addition to music playback, users can ask Siri to send messages, check the weather, play the latest news headlines, get trivia answers, play podcasts and much more. Controlling HomeKit accessories is also a big part of the HomePod’s appeal. HomePod will work with some third-party apps that support SiriKit by using a nearby iOS device to handle those requests.

To recall, HomePod was first slated for a December release, but the date was then pushed to January 2018 after Apple claimed that they "need a little more time before it’s ready for our customers".

The pre-orders for Apple Homepod will first open in US, UK, and Australia and it will launch in France and Germany 'in the springs'. Apple.com, Apple Stores, and select Apple authorized resellers will be selling the HomePod.