Bold Fireball‘s John Gruber shared his first impressions of the new Apple TV 4K and HomePod mini 2 this week, and he concluded that the price increases the devices received are “much more striking” than any of the new features introduced.
Before receiving price increases in late June, the previous Apple TV 4K started at $129 in the US, while the previous HomePod mini was priced at $99. The new Apple TV and HomePod mini 2 cost $299 and $149, respectively, so both devices are now significantly more expensive than they were just four months ago.
Since the new Apple TV only comes in one configuration with 128GB of storage and an Ethernet port, it’s more fair to compare it to the equivalent 128GB model from the previous generation, which originally cost $149 and increased to $249 at the end of June. That means the new model technically only costs $50 more, but the reality is that the minimum you can spend on a new Apple TV 4K is now $299, a significant increase from $129.
The price increases pile up if you want to use a pair of HomePod mini speakers as the default audio output on an Apple TV 4K. As Gruber noted, it now costs nearly $600 to buy all of these devices, up from nearly $350 before the end of June.
“At the old pre-June prices, you could buy a 128GB Apple TV and a pair of HomePod Minis for $350 ($150 + $100 + $100),” Gruber said. “Four short months later, with today’s new models, this combination would cost $600 ($300 + $150 + $150). This price difference is far more striking than any of the new and improved features of the products.”
To be clear, Gruber said he still thinks the new Apple TV 4K is “worth it” at its current price, and he thinks the HomePod mini 2’s price is “reasonable.” However, he acknowledges that “the general consumer market thought the old prices were too high”, and that Apple has now raised prices even more.
Gn tech
