Why won't Apple launch a Dolby Atmos soundbar?

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Apple has all of the ingredients to produce a stunning, smart Dolby Atmos soundbar, so why doesn't it put them all together?

Apple HomePod 2 with Apple TV 4K
(Image credit: Future)

Another Apple launch event has come and gone with no announcement of a Dolby Atmos soundbar. It's not that such a thing was rumoured ahead of the launch, because it wasn't – it's that it seems such an obvious product for the company to produce that I'm baffled each time an Apple soundbar isn't announced.

The company already has all of the ingredients. Combine an Apple TV 4K with two HomePod 2s, and you've got a setup that performs much like a soundbar – and a smart one at that – but the form factor is less convenient and many people are put off by the need to buy and set up three separate components.

I used this setup at home instead of a soundbar for a few months last year, and it worked really well, but finding a suitable place for each of the speakers was far trickier than it would have been for a soundbar, especially as HomePods aren't really designed for wall-mounting.

So why doesn't Apple build the superb Dolby Atmos performance of a pair of HomePod 2s into the design of a soundbar, while also including all of the streaming capabilities and the HDMI eARC functionality of the Apple TV 4K? To me, that sounds like the ideal soundbar and something akin to a no-brainer for Apple, but other than a very vague patent unearthed by AppleInsider in April this year, the once-trickling rumours of an Apple soundbar have pretty much dried up.

While I appreciate that Dolby Atmos music has its value, the sound format is far better suited to movies, and Apple isn't making it easy to properly enjoy Dolby Atmos movies through its products. I really hope that changes sometime soon.

MORE:

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Here are the best Dolby Atmos scenes to test your system

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Tom Parsons
Tom Parsons

Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.

1 Comment Comment from the forums
  • Azzuro
    In principle I agree. Why not have the sound bar include Apple TV in it etc and then why not include a sub woofer and on and on and on.

    However, context. Sonos is a company that is worth US$1.4bln and Apple is worth US$3.4Trn - Apple does sales that is 280x that of Sonos - Apple makes more revenue in 1-2 days than Sonos makes in an entire year. Apple could buy Sonos and its like a few days cash flow. This segment is just too small for them. Everything Apple sells is about getting you to keep buying iPhones (yes that includes Apple TV, Airpods, Macs etc). I think the sound bar market is too small and niche for them and I don't see people buying iPhones because of a sound bar etc. That's not to say I wouldn't mind it happening.
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