It unveiled HomePod, a new 7-inch tall speaker for playing music, checking the news and controlling other connected devices in the home.
The tech firm is due to hold its annual technology conference in the U.S. today, when experts believe it will reveal the Siri speaker, which will, like its rivals, be voice-controlled and connected to the internet to allow users to look up information, play music and even control smart home features without having to use a keyboard. 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.
New York- Speculation over what Apple will do to compete in the home hub market is spinning up ahead of Apple's annual developers conference this week, where many analysts expect the company to confirm the project.
It's also hooked up to your Apple Music account, so out of the box the HomePod is smart enough to know your musical tastes and playlists.
Ortutay reported from NY.
Apple generally has been fine taking its time versus releasing products exclusively to keep up with the competition.
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It's also a helpful home assistant, and can be integrated with Apple's HomeKit.
Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) kicks off the developer's conference with an announcement that the Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) Video app will come to Apple TV later this year. Amazon Echo and Google Home have already been claiming spots in the American homes.
Siri was the first digital voice assistant to be ever installed on a smartphone. Upcoming devices like the Echo Show will combine Alexa with a physical touchscreen and Amazon's open approach to Alexa has allowed developers to bring the assistant to product families ranging from TVs to home appliances.
Analysts are optimistic about the future of voice-controlled home assistants. It features "360º audio" and contains technology that "automatically analyzes the acoustics, adjusts the sound based on the speaker's location, and steers the music in the optimal direction". At $349, it is much more expensive than the Amazon Echo or Google Home. These new Macs start shipping Monday.
Apple also introduced a new version of its business-oriented iPad Pro at an intermediate size with more storage, a better display and an improved camera.
The MacBook Pro 2017 model is nearly certainly going to be shown, but fans who are looking forward to an external overhaul shouldn't get their hopes up as Apple is likely just going to upgrade the machine's internal modules. The 12-inch MacBook will most likely be refreshed with an Intel processor as well.
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