A portable Apple HomePod would still be a great addition

A portable speaker, particularly a portable HomePod speaker sounds like a no-brainer for Apple. Not only would it expand the way options for playing Apple Music but as other brands have proven, there's high demand for them. 

Now that the Beats Pill+ has been discontinued, there is no current portable speaker option available from Apple. So surely one has to be in the works? Well, according to Bloomberg's Power On newsletter, plans were discussed to create a portable Apple speaker but then scrapped. 

Of course, Apple could launch a new portable speaker under the Beats brand but the HomePod mini seems ripe for a portable version that could rival the Sonos Roam or Ultimate Ears Boom 3. 

Perhaps now, with the new colorful HomePod mini range, Apple could revisit its plans for a battery-powered model that would allow lossless sound from your iPhone or iPad, wherever you are. I'm hopeful that we will see new HomePods in some form this year – especially a higher-end model that could work with the Apple TV 4K. However, if there's room for multiple models – which, of course there is – then I'd love to see a portable HomePod mini in 2022.