Apple customers in Australia are always the first to get their hands on new devices on launch day, and now that it's after 9:00 a.m. on Friday, February 9 in the country, the first HomePod orders have started arriving to customers.
Australians who ordered the HomePod starting on January 26 have begun receiving their deliveries and have shared their excitement over the new device on reddit, Twitter, Instagram, and the MacRumors forums.
Apple Stores in Australia are also now open, allowing customers who placed orders for in-store pickup to receive their devices. Retail locations also have stock for walk-in purchases, and in Australia, same-day in-store pickup is once again available.
HomePod has arrived! pic.twitter.com/mNEGBlxZ2R — Ross Hill (@rosshill) February 8, 2018
Following Australia, HomePod sales and deliveries will kick off in the UK in about 10 hours, followed by North America. Apple Stores in all three countries are opening up right around 8:00 a.m. to allow customers to make HomePod purchases.
Throughout the pre-ordering process, which kicked off on January 26, Apple had ample HomePod stock for customers. Shipping estimates and in-store availability only began slipping earlier this week, likely due to Apple's preparations for launch day. Orders placed online for a HomePod will ship out early next week.
Got the HomePod 😄#HomePod pic.twitter.com/XbZR4aIE7u — JJJing (@306274546) February 8, 2018
In the United States, the first HomePod deliveries will take place on the east coast starting at 8:00 a.m. The HomePod is priced at $349 in the United States, GBP319 in the UK, $499 in Australia.
Make sure to stay tuned to MacRumors both tomorrow and throughout next week, because we'll have plenty of HomePod coverage to share.