It’s been two years since Amazon released its surprise hit, the Echo (and smaller Echo Dot). The smart assistant has been selling well ever since and has inspired a host of lookalikes and copies, most notably, the Google Home.
Most analysts were expecting something called a Siri Speaker, that emphasized the smart capabilities of the product and even had a touch screen. The product that was announced today at WWDC is much simpler than we were expecting—even so, true to form, Apple has entered the market late, but with its own take on the product category.
The HomePod, which Apple claims is the next evolution of its focus on music technology, is essentially just a wireless speaker. The focus here is on the audio technology hidden beneath the small shell, which Apple insists will change the home audio game.
The primary technology here is “direct and ambient audio beamforming,” which allows the HomePod to learn the space of the room and optimize its audio. For the audiophiles, it’s got a high-excursion woofer with a custom amplifier, as well as an array of horn-loaded tweeters (each with their own custom amplifiers as well). Talking about the technological aural improvement of a speaker is only so helpful without being able to hear it, but we’ll have to wait to see well the speaker actually performs.
While audio seems to be the big focus here, HomePod does have an assortment of Siri features. Like the Echo, HomePod can perform a bunch of actions through voice control including answering questions, controlling smart home products, and switching through music.
However, Apple has not opened up HomePod to third party developers, which puts it at a distinct disadvantage to products like the Echo and Google Home. Both Amazon and Google have invested a ton into the development of the assistants and—unfortunately—Apple’s artificial intelligence service didn’t get the significant update we were expecting at in iOS 11.
The HomePod will be available white and space grey color options. The product will cost $349 and be released in December.