Repairing an Apple HomePod costs almost as much as a new device

Apple is known for its expensive repairs, but it seems that it might be going a step further with its HomePod smart speaker. Its updated support page shows that the cost to repair the device out-of-warranty rivals that of buying a new one outright, making the AppleCare extended warranty all the more appealing.

Currently, Apple HomePod repairs are set at a hefty price of £269 ($279), around 84 percent of the original cost which sits at £319 ($349) on the official website. Factoring in tracked shipping costs of the expensive item the user will surely want to keep an eye on and the costs continue to mount up closer to the price of a brand new smart speaker.

Thankfully, the accident prone needn’t worry as Apple offers a more affordable solution in the form of its AppleCare extended warranty, which costs £68 ($78) including the incident fee. Those that believe the power cable is the cause of any faults are in luck, as cable replacements are £25 ($29).

It seems to be a trend that AppleCare extended warranties are increasingly appealing for owners of the company’s newer devices. We’ve previously seen smartphone repairs go through the roof since the release of the iPhone X, costing an eye-watering $279 to fix. While a rather tame price in comparison to its $999 retail pricing, this is a significant jump from the $169 to repair the iPhone 8.

The difference here, is that an Apple HomePod is unlikely to get damaged in comparison to a handset that experiences daily travel and manual handling, whereas a smart speaker aims to be placed and spoken to. Of course, these are large costs in question so it’s best to weigh up options, particularly for pet owners.

KitGuru Says: None of this is at all surprising, however it does spark concern on the trend of hardware maintenance, especially with the growing functionality causing fragility. Hopefully other manufacturers don’t follow Apple’s example as technology increasingly harder to afford as it is.

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