Apple Hi-Fi, RIP: 2006 - 2007

Who can forget the Apple Hi-Fi's, shall we say, inauspicious introduction? A product Steve, an audiophile himself, proclaimed Apple developed so he could throw out his system, was introduced along side the infamous $100 leather iPod case to deafening silence amidst a room full of hopeful tech journalists summoned to Cupertino in the fair spring of 2006. Although Apple never released sales details on the product, for the next year and a half it was nary heard about again -- until yesterday when it silently fell off of Apple's online store. A flood of emails came in from curious readers asking whether it died, or was merely temporarily pulled from the site for unknown reasons. Well, here's your answer; you may want to usher the young'ns from the room. We finally got word back from Apple HQ, who confirmed the Hi-Fi's death:

"Apple has decided to focus priorities on the iPod and iPhone and will not be making more iPod Hi-Fi units. There are over 4,000 accessories in the iPod ecosystem and hundreds of speakers systems designed specifically for the iPod, which provide customers with a wide variety of options."

Goodbye Hi-Fi -- for some you'll be missed. Just not so much here.

P.S. -Although they're officially not being made anymore, it's likely you can still pick one up on store shelves if you act quickly. Might be a good way to reinvest that $100 store credit Steve is giving you.

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 6th 2007 7:48PM]

R.I.P You will not be missed

[mikey @ Sep 6th 2007 8:45PM]

did you ever actually hear one? they were alright actually. if i had the dollar i'd be getting one right now.

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 6th 2007 8:47PM]

Yes, and I've also heard what my Logitech's do for less than $150 (400 watt system). I can literally shake walls with it and bring down objects from shelves.

Can Hi-Fi do that?

[aatif @ Sep 6th 2007 8:49PM]

that thing was A POS. 2 mids and a woofer? it's the opposite of bose!

[Xzavier @ Sep 6th 2007 9:00PM]

I have no idea what Apple was even thinking of when they made this?

Well at least it was white!

[JD @ Sep 6th 2007 10:31PM]

For the same price, I'd much rather have gotten the bose, but at that price range, I'd rather get a real speaker system than a glorified iPod dock.

[humpty @ Sep 6th 2007 7:51PM]

The biggest problem with the HiFi was that it was a POS.

[Kal-El @ Sep 6th 2007 7:53PM]

So are they going for like $100? And what stores? Because i'm definitely getting one in Chicago next week if those things are $100. The only reason I didn't get one before is cuz they were hella expensive.

[GadgieBot @ Sep 6th 2007 8:02PM]

i believe Ryan meant you could use the $100 iPhone store credit towards the entire price of the hi-fi, which is still $349

[Kal-El @ Sep 6th 2007 8:04PM]

Ah, damn. I was all excited at the prospect of getting the Hi-Fi for $100. So it's STILL $349? ...-sigh-, Its bound to get cheaper sooner or later though from stores trying to get rid of excess stock. I'll wait.

[mdmoose @ Sep 6th 2007 10:12PM]

After Christmas they were in the clearance section of Target for about 150$ if I remember correctly.

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Sep 6th 2007 7:58PM]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Sorry, I just had to laugh. I knew this was coming sooner or later. I always walk by the display model for the Hi-Fi and honestly, it was always too expensive for my taste. $299. I never took a chance with it, but maybe if they discount it, then maybe, just MAYBE, I'll get it. Who knows though? ;)

[frogger @ Sep 6th 2007 8:00PM]

good ridance.

[Matt @ Sep 6th 2007 8:06PM]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3ZuJIr_uW3M

:)

[E71 @ Sep 6th 2007 8:02PM]

One less Apple gadget to have to skip articles about when browsing Engadget.

[aaronlh @ Sep 6th 2007 8:33PM]

Yet... you didn't skip this one.

Pick. Skip them all or read them and don't complain. You can't have both.

[E71 @ Sep 6th 2007 9:14PM]

Well I couldn't resist entering an article with both the following keywords present: Apple, RIP.

[Homeboy @ Sep 6th 2007 8:03PM]

Thank god it's dead. It was nothing but a product for blind iPod fanatics who thought it was FANTASTIC.

It uses the same drivers as Altec Lansing speakers. For 120 dollars you can buy a 2.1 Altec Lansing system, add 50 bucks for a dock with a remote and voila!! You have a system offering more clarity and power than the Apple HiFi for less than half the price!!!

For those who badly want an all-in-one solution there are other alternatives. It would have been alright if it was priced at 200 dollars but $350 is waaaaaaaaaaaaay over what it's worth. Don't me wrong, it's a good product but in my eyes over priced. Then again we have seen how Apple are good at gouging their most loyal customers who fall for anything Apple sell.


I bet that we will see an Apple HiFi G2. I hope that it will be more price worthy though, because the whole solution is very convenient.

[nikster @ Sep 7th 2007 5:46AM]

I have been longingly passing this many times and for $200 I might have gone for it. But $350 always was beyond the pain barrier no matter how pretty it is. Was, I should say.

I mean, come on, they couldn't make it cheaper than $350??

I will snap one up if I can get it for cheap tho.

[eh @ Sep 6th 2007 8:04PM]

Goodbye you ridiculously overpriced mediocre piece of electronics you.

[moe @ Sep 6th 2007 10:21PM]

who died, the iphone? "ridiculously overpriced mediocre piece of electronics" I could have sworn you were talking about the iphone/ipod/icrappycomputer/steve hitler jobs/ifans.....there is a bunch more.

[Zorque @ Sep 6th 2007 10:31PM]

Great satire, Moe. It was hardly heavy-handed at all.

[CharlieX @ Sep 6th 2007 8:04PM]

That $100 bucks can go to a decent pair of headphones.... those earbuds are such crap

[Chase @ Sep 6th 2007 8:11PM]

So... Did I just enter this contest or what?

[TeddyN @ Sep 6th 2007 8:14PM]

lol - 'ecosystem'

[Señor Swanky @ Sep 6th 2007 8:24PM]

Yup, Apple certainly failed here. They opened up a market of competitors who solidified iPod sales and they opened an entirely new high end market for iPod speakers. Poor Apple. They should learn how to really fail-- billions lost because of crap hardware and software. Oh, but I guess that's just the luxury of the predominant platform...

[Glen @ Sep 6th 2007 8:34PM]

If there is a follow it should be a Sonos killer. It needs to have Cat5, Wifi, Processor, and Memory so that you can send it songs from a WiFi enabled iPhone, iPod Touch, or iTunes.

[ScOObyDoo @ Sep 6th 2007 8:32PM]

At one point they were $75 at Target. THAT helped them fly of shelves.

[bigjim33_1999 @ Sep 6th 2007 8:34PM]

Apple is coming out with Ipod x-fi for xtreme audiophiles. 1K and it is a bargain! digital out, hdmi, barfbag, youporn capability, etc. no one knows about it yet, it is still very underground and in the works. jk i love apple products SJ missed opportunity to use "You're the one for me fatty" by Morrissey for the ipod fatty hahah

[Ryhan @ Sep 16th 2007 1:57PM]

correction:

u can add x-fi to your damn iPod...
but it will not be integrated.

X_FI belongs to CREATIVE DAMNIT!

[Spencer @ Sep 6th 2007 8:49PM]

Honestly the Apple Hi-Fi is the most ridiculous looking thing Apple has ever released especially considering Apple's focus on intelligent design and interface. I would never want that thing in my house. Good riddance.

[corpirate @ Sep 6th 2007 9:44PM]

I disagree, I own one and it sits quite happily atop a white IKEA Expedit Bookcase, http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/50103086 , in my front room.

It looks fantastic.
I'm unsure about the US prices, but here in the UK the iPod Hi-Fi was approximately £10 (approx $20) cheaper than the Bose SoundDock. A product which in my opinion was/is way overpriced. Yet the sounddock carries quite a lot of weight due solely to the fact that it has 'BOSE' written on it.


I have a 2.1 Altec Lansing system as well - and it is absolutely brilliant. The iPod Hi-Fi is by no means my sole audio system, but for ease of use / design / ability to just shove an iPod in and blast out some tunes with NO distortion at max volume.. I cannot fault it.

[Harrison @ Sep 6th 2007 8:51PM]

Good.

It was a complete waste of money.

[Mac006 @ Sep 6th 2007 9:29PM]

and ugly to boot!

[adrian @ Sep 6th 2007 9:10PM]

Price killed this product. Sound and Build quality ?. A lot of people put the IPod HiFi down because of this when it came out, they still do now. I had doubt's myself, but my friend brought one and when I heard it I was impressed. This thing could pump for it's size and without distortion. As for the weight, yes it was heavy, but that to me shows a quality build, Quite rare in today's products. I reckon Apple should keep selling It but chop the price in half.

[mike @ Sep 6th 2007 9:58PM]

Not sure why this became the whipping boy for Apple, but have at it. In reality, this was a nicely designed, albeit pricey, product. In many ways it was and is much better than the oft mentioned bose/altec options. For example

> great sound. bass was really good for the size

> integrated power supply. Who wants a luggable speaker when you have to lug the power brick too? HiFi needs only its (thoughtfully extra long) power cord.

> battery option

> Worked with the Apple Remote

I think they sold plenty of these things and made plenty of cash. Only to Apple would that business look weak, because the iPod and Mac business is so phenomenal. I would also guess that they got complaints from accessory makers that Apple should leave their segment alone.

[egork @ Sep 9th 2007 10:49AM]

> great sound. bass was really good for the size
Bass was really mediocre for the size and the price.
Altec Lansing inMotion was way superior cheaper and smaller. Only it was not white :-)

[pwfletcher @ Sep 6th 2007 9:36PM]

They should have made one with integrated WiFi so that you could stream music to it from iTunes. It would have saved me having to get four separate amp/in-wall speaker systems for the four audio zones in my house.

[Jesse S @ Sep 6th 2007 10:05PM]

HAHAHAHA! Steve Jobs, an audiophile? If he is one, has he ever actually listened to an iPod's (or for that matter, every other portable device's) headphone-out? Absolute shit. If you make/get a line out dock, and an amp, it's actually not so bad. Still, not too great. Then, of course, there is the iMod, and the gmod...

[ark_v2 @ Sep 6th 2007 10:09PM]

I can't help but smile when I remember how pissed were apple fanboys when the H-Fi was announced ^_________^

[Ian @ Sep 7th 2007 11:21AM]

Have you guys even heard the iPod Hi-Fi in action?

Great sound
Portable (potential to bring it to a picnic or a day out)
Nice design compared to other iPod speakers.
High price.


Price killed it, not design or sound quality. If it was priced at $250, it would be worth the price. Too bad. It died because Apple got greedy.

[ryan @ Sep 6th 2007 10:30PM]

RIP Apple Hi-Fi. I never cared to know ye.

[Quentin @ Sep 6th 2007 11:05PM]

Goodnight sweet prince. (Sorry, I couldn't resist.)

[mrfong @ Sep 6th 2007 11:25PM]

@ ScOObyDoo

Yeah, I bought the last one at my Target at 50% off. Not a bad deal :)

[nikster @ Sep 7th 2007 5:50AM]

I am soooo jealous...

[Chan @ Sep 6th 2007 11:30PM]

Interesting that they discontinued the Hi-Fi on the day Pavarotti died.

[Evan @ Sep 6th 2007 11:33PM]

I bought one for my mother, and it's been great. It's the best sounding all-in-one iPod dock I've heard. It works flawlessly with the iPod and Apple remote. And it's portable and battery operated. The HiFi achieved a good compromise between sound quality, portability, and ease of use. Obviously it can't touch my 5.1 system, but I can't exactly pick up my 5.1 and take it with me!

[Shanali @ Sep 6th 2007 11:41PM]

Sorry to see it go. It was actually a great speaker set up. Very powerful!

They should have made it a tad easier to use in the car, or out and about.

Glad I have one!

[Vlad @ Sep 7th 2007 12:10AM]

No wonder the thing is dead. Last weekend I went to BestBuy and almost bought a JBL system that cost two times less and sounded two times better, at least in that environment. Oh, and it was four times smaller, too.

[Bobo @ Sep 7th 2007 12:53AM]

Actually.. this thing had great potential.
If they let 'em go through Costco, I'm all over it