https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/04/apples-homepod-gets-a-50-price-cut/

The HomePod got a healthy little price drop today, bringing Apple’s premium smart speaker down to $299. Announced in mid-2017 and released in early-2018, the Siri-powered product brought a very Apple approach to the category dominated by Amazon and Google, with premium sound and design at a very premium price of $349.

The $50 price drop, first noted by 9 to 5 Mac, puts the product under $300 — though it’s still pretty steep, so far as the category goes. The product got an even steeper discount to $249 from a number of third-party retailers over the holiday. Apple has confirmed with TechCrunch that this price cut is a permanent one.