This week on AI: Apple's WWDC slate, Siri speaker plans, political furor & more

By Roger Fingas

Collectively the industry held its breath this week, preparing for Apple's big June 5 keynote kicking off WWDC 2017. Some pre-conference rumors did leak out though, supporting new iPads, new Macs, and the company's long-awaited Siri-based home speaker.

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A roundup of all of our hottest stories this week:

What to expect from WWDC 2017Apple's Siri home speaker now in manufacturing, may not ship until later in 2017Russian regulatory filings point to five new Macs, four new iOS devices coming soonAvailability of 15" MacBook Pro with Touch Bar slips ahead of rumored refreshApple hires 8 year Qualcomm Engineering VP to its wireless SoC teamApple's Tim Cook condemns Trump decision to back out of Paris climate accord, promises corporate efforts will continueApple's Tim Cook, other executives urge Texas not to pass anti-trans 'bathroom bill'Apple's WWDC app updated with session info, streaming video section, moreApple's 'Carpool Karaoke' spinoff set for Aug. 8 debut on Apple MusicVideo review: LG's UltraFine 5K Thunderbolt 3 display, 6 months laterApple escalating use of Intel modems for 'iPhone 8' - reportApple's Swift Playgrounds 1.5 will teach kids how to write code for Lego, drones & robotsApple turns to contracted freelancers to help boost accuracy of Apple Maps dataLatest images of Apple's 'iPhone 8' show vertical rear camera, no visible fingerprint sensorsApple executive Bozoma Saint John to leave company, report says