Apple on Sunday announced its HomePod speaker will launch in China and Hong Kong on Friday, January 18. The smart speaker will be priced at 2,799 yuan in China and HK$2,799 in Hong Kong, and will be available from Apple.com, Apple Stores, and authorized resellers.
Apple had previously announced an early 2019 launch date in China and Hong Kong, and Sunday’s announcement narrows that down to later this week. Siri on the HomePod gained support for Cantonese and Mandarin in China and a Cantonese dialect in Hong Kong in a December software update.
HomePod supports AirPlay 2, creating an effortless way for people to stream audio content from popular apps and services directly from an iOS device to HomePod and still experience breakthrough audio quality, whether listening to an audiobook, live radio or other popular music services.
“HomePod is the perfect wireless speaker for music lovers. It delivers an unmatched music listening experience with high-fidelity sound wherever it is placed and creates a new way to discover and interact with music using Siri,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We’re excited to bring HomePod to our customers in mainland China and Hong Kong markets. We can’t wait for them to experience how great it sounds in their home, we think they are going to love it.”
The HomePod first debuted in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia in February 2018. It launched in Canada, France, and Germany in June 2018, and hit store shelves in Spain and Mexico in October 2018.