Roger Fingas
Apple is said to be "currently finalizing" designs for its long-rumored Amazon Echo competitor, featuring support for Siri and AirPlay and boasting Beats technology, a well-known leak source claimed on Thursday.
The product is "expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device," Sonny Dickson said on Twitter . He also noted that it should use some form of Beats technology, and run a variant of iOS.
Dickson didn't go into further details, but has been accurate about some predictions in the past, such as iOS 10's revamped lockscreen interface.
A February report citing talks with unnamed Apple executives claimed that Apple had "no apparent interest" in developing an Echo competitor, despite earlier rumors to the contrary.
The Echo speaker — based on Amazon's Alexa voice assistant — has proven a surprise hit, such that Alexa is quickly migrating to other devices like phones and set-tops. Ecobee's next HomeKit-enabled thermostat, the Ecobee4, is expected to have Alexa built in.
An Apple version of the Echo concept would ensure that Siri isn't relegated into the sidelines among voice assistants, another rival being Google Assistant, found on devices like the Google Home.
AirPlay support would presumably let people push music, radio, and podcasts to the Apple hardware over Wi-Fi, which typically offers better quality than Bluetooth.
It's not clear when the product would ship. Apple is, however, set to show off new technologies at its Worldwide Developers Conference June 5 through 9, and the company may yet have enough time to premiere a Siri speaker there with over a month to go for preparations.
William Gallagher
Christine McKee
AppleInsider Staff
Chip Loder
Malcolm Owen
105 Comments
The privacy issue with Google and Amazon concern me a bit (we have two Alexa's), but damn if they don't work way better than Siri does. Apple has totally dropped the ball on this, IMO. I only use my AppleTV for iTunes purchases and mirroring, because our 3 y/o Roku is still far easier to use and doesn't drop signals like ATV does. I'm afraid these units are still just after-thoughts, instead of products with iPhone-like attention behind them.
I wouldn't mind having an Apple-created AirPlay speaker, but I don't need it to do Siri by itself. I don't believe in that concept at all (standalone voice assistant products).
Maybe the reason the AirPort router hasn't been updated in a while is because of this: A combo mesh-router with Siri speaker (that supports AirPlay and serves as a homekit hub.) And then, when you add additional Siri speakers around your house, they contribute as new nodes in the mesh network.
I can always dream, right?
A shame Apple hadn't been innovating to get into this space before Amazon did it, but if Apple does it better I suppose it could work for some.
Personally, I've no interest in any voice-control products.