Google Home Max discontinued as last available units sell out

Google’s larger-than-life Home Max is being retired, the company confirmed on Monday. After three years on the market — its anniversary was December 11 — Google said the last remaining units in its store have been sold, with no plans to manufacture new stock. It’s the end of an era for Google’s monstrous HiFi speaker.

Released in 2017 for $399, the Google Home Max was on the higher end of the audio spectrum by Google standards. It weighed in at nearly 12 pounds and featured stereo speakers (with two tweeters and subwoofers), dwarfing Google’s other smart speakers at the time. It also included a switch to disable the microphones, a USB Type-C port and a 3.5mm input jack. Like other Google Home speakers, it featured a mesh shell with a distinct Google design.

As far as smart speakers went, the Home Max had a large sound to match its size. Set it up in a dual-speaker stereo configuration and it was positively deafening — in a good way. The smart speaker also offered the benefits of a Smart Sound feature, which allowed the device to tune itself to the room it was placed in. Google Assistant was also onboard, so you could ask it questions, control your smart home, and more.

Notably, the death of the Home Max means this is the last of Google’s “Home” branded products. The 7-inch Nest Hub was originally launched as the Home Hub, but the name was ultimately changed, and you can still buy the device directly from Google. (I have one in my home right now and, you know what, I still call it Home Hub.”

Home Max owners shouldn’t notice any change in their service, according to Google. “We’ll continue to offer software updates and security fixes to Google Home Max devices,” Google said.

The writing was on the wall for the death of the Home Max. Over Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the large speaker was on sale for as much as 50% off in some places signaling Google wanted to get rid of remaining stock. And that’s exactly what has happened. There’s no word if Google plans to release an equally behemoth speaker, although the search giant did just introduce the Nest Audio. You can buy two for $200, which is half the Home Max’s original asking price.

The post Google Home Max discontinued as last available units sell out appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3mkq5ry
via IFTTT