The HomePod is finally going to make it to Hong Kong and mainland China. Apple released a statement Sunday that announced the wireless speaker will be available there from Friday, January 18.
HomePod will Recognize Domestic Genres and Promote Local Artists
Apple said that Siri on its HomePod smart speaker will recognize local music genres Mandopop and Cantopop when it arrives in Hong Kong and mainland China. The company also said that its New Artist of the Week Program will highlight talent from greater China.
Domestic music services will also be available via the HomePod. Users in mainland China will be able to access QQ Music, DeDao, iHuman Story, Dragonfly FM and Penguin FM. Spotify, KKBOX, JOOX, and Podcast will be available to those in Hong Kong.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing said: “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, was released in the U.S. in February 2018. It is already available in the UK, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Mexico, and Spain. The release of the smart speaker came following Apple’s announcement of a revenue shortfall in the last quarter, a lot of which it attributed to disappointing sales in China.