Bruise for Apple?

Sonos 2-for-1 deal targets HomePod

Sonos has an offer for prospective HomePod buyers: Ditch Apple and buy two of our speakers instead.

The speaker-maker announced Thursday that it would offer two of its critically lauded Sonos One smart speakers for $349 — the same amount it costs for a single Apple HomePod.

The special price — a $49 savings over the normal cost of two $199 Sonos One speakers — comes a day before the HomePod is made available for preorder.

Apple’s smart speaker, which features built-in Siri functionality, was originally supposed to hit stores in time for the holiday season, but was delayed for unspecified reasons.

The HomePod’s highquality sound is designed to take on high-end competitors like Sonos. But Apple may find itself in an uphill battle to make headway in the market.

In addition to its competitive pricing, the Sonos One supports multiple smart assistants, including Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant.

The HomePod, on the other hand, has Siri only.

While the Sonos One offers voice control for a number of music services, including Apple Music and Spotify, the HomePod will only let Apple Music subscribers request music with their voices, forcing users of other services to employ Bluetooth.

The HomePod will be made available to order for customers in the US, UK and Australia on Friday, while Apple has said that it will arrive in France and Germany at some point in the spring.

There is no word yet on when the HomePod will see a worldwide release.