Apple could debut Siri-powered speaker as early as June: Report

Apple is currently finalising designs for their Alexa competitor, expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device.

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) April 27, 2017

He later added: “It is believed to carry some form of Beats technology, and is expected to run an variant iOS”.

Dickson told Mashable’s Jen Ryall that the smart speaker will sport a design that’s inspired by the Mac Pro, and the UE Boom’s mesh styling.  Dickson did not mention anything about a release date for the device, or a price. He believes that Apple could launch the device at this year’s WWDC.

More from @SonnyDickson on Apple’s Alexa competitor.
– Concave top with the controls, fat with the speaker mesh portion covering it all. 1/2

— Jen Ryall (@jennijenni) April 28, 2017

AirPlay functionality in the upcoming in the Siri-powered speaker has been reported before, alongside a Siri DK release, notes 9to5Mac. However, the surprising part is that speaker speaker will include “Beats technology”. It’s being said that Apple might add Beat’s audio tech into its own smart speaker system.

This is not the first time we’re hearing that Apple is developing a smart speaker. Back in May 2016, The Information reported that Apple could launch an “Amazon Eco-like device with a speaker and microphone built-in”. At that time, it was suggested that the device could be launched at the company’s annual WWDC.

Two months later, CNET reported that Apple’s Siri-powered speaker would be able to detect the people who are in close proximity to the device using “on-board” cameras equipped with some sort of facial recognition software.

In February 2017, however,  Times’s Tim Bajarin said that Apple was no longer interested in developing an intelligent speaker. Instead, Apple is “more interested in turning Siri into an omnipresent AI assistant across devices, rather than designing a single device specifically to serve as a Siri machine”.

Amazon’s Echo is perhaps the most popular voice-based smart speaker on the market today. Earlier in the week, the company revealed its latest Echo device, the Echo Look that comes with a built-in camera for taking photos and recording videos. The Echo Look is pitched as a fashion tool. Amazon’s Echo devices are powered by the company’s Alexa assistant.