Investors counting on Apple Inc. AAPL to extract a meaningful boost in sales and earnings from its HomePod smart speaker may want to reconsider their thesis, at least according to Deutsche Bank.
The Analyst
Deutsche Bank's Sherri Scribner maintains a Hold rating on Apple stock.
The Thesis
Apple could have become a "major player" within the smart home market with the introduction of its HomePod speaker in 2017, Scribner said in a note — but the launch was quickly followed with poor user reviews and a notable drop in demand after the initial launch.
Apple simply "missed the market," the analyst said.
A major drawback of Apple's smart home strategy is tethering control to the iPhone, Scribner said, adding that Cupertino placed too much emphasis on music functionality and limited its use to Apple Music.
Deutsche Bank projects that Apple will ship less than 5 million HomePods in 2018, implying the smart speaker will be "immaterial" to Apple's sales and earnings.
Price Action
Shares of Apple were trading lower by 0.6 percent Tuesday morning.
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Photo courtesy of Apple.
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