Cupertino, California - After four years, Apple has announced it will phase out its original HomePod.

The tech giant said it will instead continue to produce and focus on the HomePod mini, which was introduced last year.

The popular HomePods are the only speakers offering access to Siri, Apple’s assistant feature.

Apple peppered the original HomePod for years before it introduced the gem with innovative technology and a beefy sound space four years ago. However, the product was also significantly more expensive than competing devices such as Amazon's smart speaker Alexa.

Even after Apple has made price cuts, the HomePod still sells for a whopping $299. According to market experts, the high price has turned many potential buyers away.

But at $99, its mini version offers a sharp contrast and is fiercely competing with other players in the same price range.

When the HomePod mini launched last year, it had all the features of its older sibling, and even added some smarter features for the iPhone 11 and 12. And apparently, Apple will continue to work on an even better sound experience.

At the same time, the discontinuation of the original HomePod is a step backwards for Apple, which did not benefit from a strong boost in the Hifi-sector amid the pandemic.

Popular voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant also have an edge on competition, because much-used sound specialists such as Sonos allows embedding them but makes an exception for Apple.

The news comes as Apple has also pulled the plug on the classic iMac Pro model.