This might seem like an odd complaint, but I wanted something in-between this and the original Homepod. Basically I wanted something around the $200 mark, which would be a genuine competitor to the Sonos One in terms of size, price and audio quality. I'm fairly tied in to the Sonos ecosystem, but their recent decision to start to mothball the older generation of speakers, and the fact that the Sonos app is a bit clunky has made me want to start switching to Airplay based speakers. But I haven't really been able to justify the jump to replace the Sonos One with the original Apple Homepod because (here in the UK) is was an extra £100 per speaker.
For me the mini is just, too mini! I'm not convinced that the audio quality would be good enough for extended music listening, even in small rooms, so I'd really only be buying it for the 'smarts' and despite having quite a bit of home automated kit, I've never really been into voice control (and have consciously avoided any Alexa based products)
The only function which looks genuinely useful is the intercom, because we spend a lot of time shouting across the house (especially since we've been in lockdown!)
I like the fact that they can pair as a stereo set, but still don't think the audio quality would be better than a Sonos One for the same price.
The one thing I'm pleased about with this announcement is that it means that Apple haven't given up on the Homepod - so we might see new products emerge over time. I was always a bit hesitant about making the switch to the Airplay ecosystem and shelling out for the original Homepods as for a while it looked as though Apple was moving away from smart speakers. But with this announcement I might just reconsider investing in the bigger brother.
So, ironically, the homepod mini has made me more likely to buy the original Homepod! Although having said all that I'm mindful of
@rmhop81 's comments above re. using Airplay vs Sonos....
