Apple’s HomePod is still months away, but at least for now, the smart home speaker isn’t appealing to a majority of prospective customers.
In a survey of more than 2,200 adults earlier this month, Morning Consult found that 55% of respondents aren’t interested in buying Apple’s HomePod.
However, younger adults between the ages of 18 and 29 appear to have more interest, with 43% of them saying they don’t want a HomePod. Even current Apple device owners aren’t so sure about HomePod: 45% say they’re not interested.
Separately, Morning Consult asked respondents which smart home devices might fit their lifestyles. Amazon’s Echo took the top spot after 17% of adults said they’d prefer that device in the home. Another 12% of respondents believe the low-cost Echo Dot, an Amazon Echo alternative without a built-in speaker, would fit well in their homes. Apple’s HomePod and Alphabet’s (GOOGL) Google Home, another smart home hub, each attracted 11% of respondents.
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Amazon’s (AMZN) Echo is most popular among those between the ages of 30 and 44, with 21% of people within that group saying the device would fit well into their lifestyle.
The Morning Consult survey was conducted just days after Apple unveiled its HomePod at its Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. The device has a small cylindrical design and a high-powered speaker. In addition to music playback, the HomePod runs Apple’s (AAPL) virtual personal assistant Siri, allowing users to issue voice commands to control smart home devices like lightbulbs and thermostats.
Apple has tried to differentiate its HomePod from Amazon Echo and others by saying its device will deliver premium sound—a feature the iPhone maker argues its competition doesn’t offer.
However, some industry watchers have questioned whether Apple’s HomePod is overpriced. The device will cost $350 when it’s released in December, making it far more expensive than the $180 Amazon Echo—the device Morning Consult’s poll suggests customers want.
The Morning Consult poll didn’t discuss how customers felt about the HomePod’s price. And it’s worth noting that Apple still have six months to go before it releases the HomePod. It’s possible it can attract more customers to the device between now and then.
