Apple Price Hike: HomePod Mini, iMac Prices Increase in the UK

Andi C., Tech Times 20 January 2023, 09:01 am

The HomePod Mini and the iMac may have just gotten more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Apple's HomePod Mini will be able to detect changes in temperature and humidity once the update is available, enabling users to construct automation that will carry out various tasks when the room reaches a specific temperature or humidity level. Meanwhile, The iMac is an "all-in-one" device that houses the computer, drives, and monitor in the same case.

Amidst the ongoing price hike, tech consumers may be left wondering if these products are still worth buying, so read on to see a brief overview of the devices.

Apple's Price Hike Inconsistent in Different Regions

Apple's compact smart speaker has reportedly increased in price from £89 to £99 (or $109.96 to $122.31) in the UK, according to The Verge.

Additionally, each pre-built iMac configuration increased in price by £150 or $185.32 in the UK. While they remained the same in Germany and Ireland, the costs of iMacs increased by €100 or $123.55 for the base model and €110 or $135.90 for the other variants in France.

Notably, XDA-Developers reports that consumers in Austria, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain have seen the €10 price increase for the HomePod Mini. It appears that costs for the iMac have only increased in some regions, including France, while remaining unchanged in Germany and Ireland.

The price increase for the HomePod Mini occurred so fast after Apple said that an upcoming software update would enable the smart speaker to sense changes in temperature and humidity.

Apple HomePod Mini, iMac Technical Specifications

Here are the full technical specifications of the devices with reported price hikes according to Apple:

Apple HomePod Mini:

Build

Dimensions: 3.3 inches high x 3.9 inches wide
Weight: 0.76 pounds or 345 grams

Audio Technology:

Full-range driver and dual passive radiators for deep bass and crisp high frequencies
Custom acoustic waveguide for a 360º sound field
Acoustically transparent fabric
Computational audio for real-time tuning
Four-microphone design for far-field Siri
Multiroom audio with AirPlay
Stereo pair capable

Features include:

Touch Accommodations
Siri
VoiceOver
Home app and HomeKit
Intercom transcriptions

Wireless:

802.11n Wi-Fi
Peer-to-peer discovery for easy guest access
Bluetooth 5.0
Thread
Ultra Wideband chip for device proximity

Apple iMac Technical Specifications

Colors

Blue
Green
Pink
Silver
Yellow
Orange
Purple

Chip

Apple M1 chip
8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores
7-core GPU, 8-core GPU
16-core Neural Engine

Storage2

256GB SSD or 512GB SSD
Configurable to: 512GB, 1TB, or 2TB

Memory

8GB unified memory
Configurable to 16GB unified memory

Display

24-inch 4.5K Retina display
4480-by-2520 resolution at 218 pixels per inch with support for 1 billion colors
500 nits brightness
Wide color (P3)
True Tone technology

Camera

1080p FaceTime HD camera
Advanced image signal processor with computational video

Video Support

Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at 1 billion colors and:
One external display with up to 6K resolution at 60Hz
Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
Native DisplayPort output over USB-C
VGA, HDMI, DVI, and Thunderbolt 2 output are supported using adapters (sold separately)

Audio

A high-fidelity six-speaker system with force-canceling woofers
Wide stereo sound
Support for spatial audio when playing music or video with Dolby Atmos3
Studio-quality three-mic array with high signal-to-noise ratio and directional beamforming
Support for "Hey Siri"