Bloomberg revealed in a new report that Apple has hired a new lead for its HomePod and Apple TV team.
Audio engineer Afrooz Family was re-hired after working for Apple for four years. He will be leading Apple TV and HomePod software development in an effort to compete with Google and Amazon in the smart home speakers industry.
Family is attributed to the co-founding of Syng, a speaker company alongside Christopher Stringer. One of its products, the Cell Alpha touts a ‘triphonic audio’ technology for a dynamic and immersive sound field.
Apple seems to be struggling on HomePod sales since it launched in 2018. Initially, the smart speaker had a $350 price tag and offered high quality audio, but it didn’t have as much popularity as Google and Amazon’s products.
Apple then released the HomePod mini, a smaller version of the now-discontinued HomePod and attached a $99 price tag on it. It’s rumored that Apple is working on an all-in-one entertainment device that combines Apple TV, HomePod and FaceTime.
