In a bid to compete with Amazon and Google, Apple is working on a smart speaker that will be powered by Siri, according to a latest report from Bloomberg. Apple is expected to announce the smart speaker at WWDC 2017 next week but it will not ship the device until later in the year.
The smart speaker will use Siri, the voice assistant software on the iPhone and Mac. Citing people familiar with the matter, the report said the smart speaker will come without a touchscreen. It will have a superior sound quality thanks to the virtual surround sound technology which is not present on Google Home and Amazon Echo Show. It will come with Apple Music integration and function as a HomeKit hub. This will most likely allow users to ask Siri to turn on the lights, play a specific song or adjust the home temperature.
Apple will also reportedly let third parties build services for it. The Siri speaker is being manufactured by Inventec, the same company that makes the Apple’s AirPods, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Apple’s WWDC 2017 conference is scheduled from June 5-9.