Apple HomePod Speaker Debuts, But Is It Too Late?

Created to be optimised when used with an Apple Music subscription, Apple says HomePod can "provide deep knowledge of personal music preferences and tastes and helps users discover new music."By saying things "Hey Siri, I like this song", HomePod will work to learn the musical preferences of a user (including genres, moods and playlists) and music tastes shared across devices".

Going head-to-head with Google Home's speech recognition or Amazon Echo's voice command developer ecosystem could have been disastrous. The pricing of Apple's device was shared at the conference in comparison to both smart home speakers as well as premium audio speakers. But by announcing the HomePod six months in advance, Apple's also trying to draw developer attention away from Alexa and Google Home, making sure that it's in second, not third place in the eventual war of the voice assistants. Siri will be the voice assistant responding to requests for information and other help around the house. The speaker may help keep users loyal to Apple's services such as Apple Music.

Not much about Apple's planned software updates has been leaked, so a lot of it could be a surprise. Cook has always been bullish about the prospects for augmented reality, and Apple is working on smart glasses, people familiar with the plans have said. The HomePod is expected to sell for $349 and be available in December in the U.S., U.K., and Australia. The device is set to compete with the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home.

Google followed with its Home speaker, featuring its plain-named Assistant, last year. The research firm eMarketer says than 35 million people in the US are expected to use a voice-activated speaker at least once a month this year, more than double its estimate from last year. The company also refreshed the operating system on the Apple Watch - which will have more Siri integration - and the Apple TV, which will now work with Amazon Video.

The HomePod - due to launch in December - looks like a mesh cylinder.

Kuo believes that the Apple's smart speaker will support the AirPlay wireless technology.

Observers claim that the real competition between Apple, Google and Amazon in smart speakers may come down to the quality of their intelligent assistants. That's especially important because people are starting to access information, entertainment and search in a more "pervasive" way that's less dependent on smartphones, he said. Apple said all communications are encrypted.

Hey Siri, what did Apple announce today?

The Siri voice response system will sound more lifelike, and translate several languages. "Therefore the product is likely to be positioned for: (i) the high-end market; (ii) better entertainment experience; and (iii) higher price than Amazon Echo".

The new iMac Pro is the most powerful Mac ever made, according to Apple. Even in the USA, United Kingdom and Australia, that would appear to be later than would be ideal to catch the important holiday season. It will not actually block ads, though. The new iOs 10.3.2 update is introduced to fix the bugs. The iPod also started as just music, allowing Apple into your pocket, until the tech improved so it could display video before blossoming into the iPhone.