The availability of HomePod mini is now at its lowest since Apple's new smart speaker went on sale last month, with shipping times across Europe having already slipped into next year in many cases.
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In the United Kingdom, France, and Spain, for example, the delivery time for a HomePod mini ordered today in either space gray or white is as long as five to six weeks, and in Germany has even slipped to between six and seven weeks, taking shipping into mid-January.
In fact, with the exception of the U.S. and India, global stocks of HomePod mini are so low right now that anyone seeking to have one shipped for a holiday gift and who has yet to get their order in is very likely going to be disappointed.
Wait times in the Asia Pacific region are less consistently pronounced but still relatively long, with HomePod mini shipping times in the first wave of launching countries, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, ranging between four and six weeks. As mentioned, one exception in Asia is India, where customers can have either color of HomePod mini shipped to their door in seven to 10 business days.
In Canada, the space gray model takes four to five weeks to arrive when an order is placed today, but the wait time for the white HomePod mini is five to six weeks. Apple's home base in the United States remains the best place to still pick up one of the speakers for the holiday season, with delivery times in the region of two to four weeks, depending on color choice.
Meanwhile, in-store pickup options vary from country to country, but remain the best chance to get a HomePod mini or two before the holiday break. In many countries, HomePod mini orders are limited to two per customer.
Costing $349 at launch, the original 2018 HomePod was considered by many to be too expensive compared to rival products and it failed to capture a significant portion of the smart speaker market. To improve sales, Apple in 2019 cut the price of the HomePod to $299, and still sells the device alongside its smaller $99 siblings, which appear already to be on a more positive track, based on their initial reception.
The first wave of HomePod mini launches occurred in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Spain, the UK, and the United States. Availability in Mexico and Taiwan commenced on Monday, with availability in China expected soon.
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*except most of Europe