If you’re getting a HomePod, be sure to place it somewhere safe… depending on what you break, it might be expensive to get a fix. Apple has updated its support pages to reveal that an out-of-warranty HomePod repair will cost $ 279 (£269). Throw in the shipping fee ($ 20 US, or £13) for a mail-in repair and you’re not far off from the price of a brand new smart speaker. This is one of those times where the AppleCare extended warranty ($ 78 if you include the incident fee, or £68) may be the better value, at least if you’re in a household where an accident is a real possibility.
Thankfully, the power cable won’t cost such a hefty sum. The 9to5Mac team has learned that you’ll need to pay $ 29 (£25) to repair a damaged cord. That’s more than a detachable cord might have cost, but definitely easier to justify if your pet has gnawed the cable to oblivion.
In practice, you’re not nearly as likely to need a fix for a HomePod as you would for an iPhone or a Mac — it’s a stationary object in your home that you’ll rarely need to touch. However, you’ll definitely want to keep these costs in mind if you have young kids or otherwise think the speaker might take a tumble.
