While all the headlines centered around new beta releases for iOS, macOS, and watchOS a couple of days ago, Apple also pushed out a much less hotly anticipated update – iTunes version 12.7.3.
Once the center of Apple’s media strategy, iTunes is now much less important to how people get media onto devices, but that has not stopped Apple from releasing a new update that adds support for the upcoming HomePod smart speaker.
While we do know that the HomePod support is in place, the changelog provided via the Mac App Store does not go into detail as to what else, if anything, was changed as part of the new release. Those looking to update can do so via the Update section of the Mac App Store on a Mac, or via the Apple Software Update feature on a PC.
iTunes is now designed to work with HomePod. Use the improved AirPlay menu to choose HomePod and control what plays next with your Apple Music subscription.
Adding support for the HomePod to iTunes makes plenty of sense, with pre-orders for the device going live in Australia, the Unites States, and the United Kingdom this Friday and the device itself going on sale on February 9th. Numerous other software updates have been released for Apple’s other devices, all adding support for the smart speaker and the additional functionality that it will afford buyers.
Apple may be late to the smart speaker game, but the company is banking on what it believes to be superior audio quality to give its HomePod the edge over competing devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home lineups. Throw Sonos into the mix, and things could get very interesting over the coming months.