How the HomePod mini can succeed where Apple's first smart speaker failed

In an unexpected move, Apple revealed late Friday that the full-sized version of its HomePod smart speaker would be discontinued. This came a couple of days after the Space Gray model had already been listed as out of stock, prompting theories about a possible refresh to the product.Perhaps more surprising than the demise of the HomePod, however, is that this does not actually mark the end of Apple's smart speaker ambitions. The three-year-old HomePod is survived by its smaller and less-costly