One product category that Apple trails behind its competitors is the smart speaker segment. But that seems to be changing soon. As per recent data from Strategy Analytics, the iPhone-maker has doubled its share in the smart speaker segment.
According to the research firm, Apple shipped an estimated four million units during the third quarter of 2021. It captured a total share of 10.2% of the smart speaker market from July to September this year. The market share was 5.9% during the same quarter in 2020.
Turns out Apple HomePod Mini was the winner for Apple as it was the second most-selling smart speaker in the third quarter of 2021. As per Strategy Analytics data, Google’s Nest Mini was the top-selling device in the smart speaker segment, while Amazon’s fourth-generation Echo Dot was at number three.
Apple entered the smart speaker market in 2018 with the launch of the HomePod smart speaker. The speaker, however, did not take off well because of the $349 pricing which made it one of the more expensive models in the market. The Cupertino-based company then announced a ‘mini’ model of HomePod in November last year. Apple HomePod mini was priced more reasonably at $99. Earlier this year, Apple also introduced new colour variants that included Yellow, Orange, and Blue.
Coming back to the smart speaker market, Amazon leads the segment with a total market share of 26.4%. Google is in the second position with a market share of 20.5%. The third and fourth positions are occupied by Baidu and Alibaba with a respective market share of 13.6% and 10.8%. With Apple at number five, Xiaomi stood at sixth position with a 5.1% market share.