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

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"