Apple is reportedly working on a Siri-driven home speaker to rival the Amazon Echo.
We recently saw Google unveiling its attempt to usurp Amazon in the fledgling smart speaker space, Google Home. Now it’s Apple’s turn.
According to The Information, Apple is hard at work on a home speaker that will accept vocal prompts using its Siri AI assistant software. In fact, the company is said to have been working on the product since way before the arrival of the Amazon Echo last year.
Apple’s speaker will reportedly be able to interact with those smart home appliances that support Apple’s HomeKit platform, and will be able to perform advanced bot-like tasks.
Indeed, Apple’s home speaker project is said to be part of a wider push to improve and expand Siri. This will apparently involve Apple opening Siri out to third-party apps, which would expand its potential usefulness significantly.
Related: Why Google Home and Assistant will kick Amazon and Apple to the curb
At present, only select third-party apps have access to Siri through special deals with Apple. What we’re talking about here is opening Siri out to every developer.
It’s claimed that Apple could announce a Siri SDK as soon as next month at WWDC 2016, when it’s also expected that the company will announced Siri for Mac. The Apple speaker, however, is described as a more long-term project, so don’t hold your breath on that count.
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What would you look for in an Apple home speaker? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
