The Morning After: Apple will discontinue the original HomePod
While Apple focuses on the HomePod mini, we're looking at a smart air purifier.
Your daily newsletter is back, and Apple’s expensive smart speaker is going away. Late Friday TechCrunch was the first to report that Apple is discontinuing the original HomePod, news that came out after people noticed it going out of stock on the company’s website.
In a statement, Apple said it would focus instead on the $99 HomePod mini, which is sad news for all fans of pricey speakers from tech companies. HomePod joining Google’s Home Max on the scrap heap is good news for specialists like Sonos, but to me it’s just another example of why people are skeptical of investing in these niche devices made by tech companies.
Last year Sonos’ ‘recycle-mode’ effort tried to push users away from devices that were as much as a decade old, and owners still revolted. Apple and Google have promised ongoing support and updates for their speakers, but how long do you really think it will be until these speakers are unplugged from their respective ecosystems?
— Richard Lawler
Mila hands-on: Much smarter than your average air purifier
Filter options like the ‘Critter Cuddler’ and ‘Basic Breather’ help it fit your needs.
It’s spring, and for many of us that means one thing: allergies. Nicole Lee tried out the Mila air purifier that takes a different approach from many other high-end options as it focuses on being more customizable. There are seven different pre-configured air filters for people with different concerns, whether they’re pets, allergies, smells or something else. It’s a pricey option at $360, but worth considering if you’re just trying to get through your day without another sneezing attack.
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Everything you need to know about at-home COVID testing
Find out your status from the comfort of your couch.
In recent months, the FDA has approved a number of COVID tests which can be administered in the comfort of your own home and return results in a matter of minutes rather than days. Andrew Tarantola will walk you through some of the different options that are available and how they all work.
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This week's best deals: $100 off Apple's Magic Keyboard for iPad and more
And Sony’s WH-CH710N are on sale for $98.
The 12.9-inch Magic Keyboard for iPad is down to its lowest price yet, and you can still grab the 11-inch version for less as well. Nintendo knocked 35 percent off many Mario games this week — the sales last through March 13, so there's still time to save money while adding to your games collection. Plus, the latest smartphones from OnePlus remain hundreds of dollars off.
Here are all the best deals from the week that you can still snag today, and remember to follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for more updates.
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The Engadget Podcast
WTF are NFTs?
This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the wild world of NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, with Engadget Senior Editor Dan Cooper. What do they mean for the future of art and commerce? And should you care about them at all? Also, we chat about Microsoft’s finalized Bethesda acquisition, as well as Facebook’s push to dismiss its latest antitrust charges.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.
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HBO Max will debut an ad-supported tier in June
AT&T expects to have up to 150 million HBO and HBO Max subscribers by 2026.
AT&T execs told investors the company plans to roll out an ad-supported version of HBO Max in June. However, if you opt for the ad-supported tier, you won't have access to the movies that Warner Bros. is releasing on HBO Max and in theaters on the same day.
For those, you'll either need to pay for the standard plan (where those movies will initially be available for a month) or wait until they arrive on HBO Max on a permanent basis.
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But wait, there’s more...
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Disney World will let you use your phone instead of a MagicBand
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Volkswagen's ID.4 EV is the basic people mover you've been waiting for
The inventor of the cassette tape has died
Canoo plans to launch this oddly-shaped electric truck in 2023
How to clean and organize your Mac
T-Mobile will start automatically enrolling customers in an ad targeting program
Microsoft will match Chrome with more frequent Edge updates
Switch FPS 'Neon White' looks super weird, so here's how it works
Tesla is building a 100MW energy storage project in Texas
The OnePlus 9 series will debut with Hasselblad-tuned cameras on March 23rd
Google says Chrome 89 was built to save memory and load faster
