Apple Employees to Receive 50% Off HomePod

Apple employees will be able to purchase one of Apple's new HomePod speakers at a significant discount, with Apple dropping the price by 50 percent for its staff members. Several Apple employees have taken to Twitter to share news of Apple's generosity, and Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has confirmed the discount.

In the United States, the HomePod is priced at $349, so employees will be able to purchase it at a discounted rate of around $175.

HomePod on shelf 800x451
By offering the HomePod to employees at a reduced rate, Apple will ensure that some of its retail staff get hands-on real-world experience with the new speaker, allowing them to better assist customers with the device.

Apple also provides these kinds of discounts as a thank you to employees for all of their hard work, as a new product launch often entails a redecorating, training, and other behind-the-scenes efforts.

Apple offered a similar discount program for the Apple Watch when it launched in 2015, allowing employees to purchase any stainless steel or Sport Apple Watch model for personal use at a 50 percent discount.

The HomePod is available for purchase now from the online Apple Store, and it will officially launch on Friday, February 9.

Related Roundup: HomePod
Buyer's Guide: HomePod (Neutral)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iOS 18

Apple Releases iOS 18.5 With New Wallpaper, Screen Time Changes, Carrier Satellite Support for iPhone 13 and More

Monday May 12, 2025 10:06 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5, the fifth updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that came out last September. iOS 18.5 and iPadOS 18.5 come a little over a month after Apple released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. The iOS 18.5 update has a...
iPhone 12 Made in India

Trump Tells Tim Cook to Stop Building iPhones in India

Thursday May 15, 2025 2:21 am PDT by
President Donald Trump has asked Apple CEO Tim Cook to halt the company's manufacturing expansion in India, in a potential disruption of Apple's plan to shift iPhone production away from China. "I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday," Trump said during his state visit to Qatar, according to Bloomberg. "He is building all over India." "They [India] have offered us a deal where...
apple music

Apple Music Gets New Transfer Tool to Make Switching From Spotify Easier

Wednesday May 14, 2025 5:17 pm PDT by
Apple this week introduced a new feature designed to allow prospective Apple Music users to import their saved music and playlists from third-party music services to Apple Music. The feature is either in an expanded testing phase or it has started rolling out, and it is available in Australia and New Zealand according to an Apple Support document. Signs of the transfer option first surfaced...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
maxresdefault

Here's the First Real-World Look at Apple's CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:52 am PDT by
The first videos of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience are now available, providing a never-before-seen look at the long-anticipated iPhone-linked infotainment software. British automaker Aston Martin today shared the first video of Apple's CarPlay Ultra experience in-action, followed by a detailed walk-through of the CarPlay Ultra system on Top Gear's YouTube channel, which provides the...

Top Rated Comments

Asarien Avatar
95 months ago
Apple used to outright give employees products. Now, they have hundreds of billions more in the bank than they ever did when they issued free iPods and first-generation iPhones, yet still treat their employees like trash.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
benface Avatar
95 months ago
Can’t believe the comments here. This is clearly a desperate move to popularize the device because they don’t think it will sell well.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greg1975 Avatar
95 months ago
Paying for your employer to install a microphone in your home!
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
levitynyc Avatar
95 months ago
Still too expensive.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ultramove69 Avatar
95 months ago
If they’re offering such a discount then that’s pretty awesome. To others who can still manage to be negative about even news like this - Apple doesn’t have to offer any discount. I think it a pretty cool gesture if they are in fact doing this.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AJ5790 Avatar
95 months ago
Well now...isn’t that gracious. What’s the typical employee discount?
I think it’s 10-15%. Have a friend who works there but it’s been awhile since we talked about it.
[doublepost=1517621900][/doublepost]
Can’t believe the comments here. This is clearly a desperate move to popularize the device because they don’t think it will sell well.
They did it with the undeniably successful Apple Watch too. Lol
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)