WWDC is traditionally a software conference, yet Apple uses it to present a piece of audio hardware-- the HomePod, essentially the iPhone maker's take on the Amazon Echo.
A white cylinder 18cm tall, the HomePod carries a 6-microphone array and is designed for voice-based control via Siri. Users can control music through the HomePod, as well as any other task Siri can handle, including home automation when paired with the HOme app on iPhone or iPad.
For playback the HomePod boasts an Apple-designed upward-facing woofer, 7 beam-forming tweeters, automatic room-sensing technology and an A8 chip (the same found in the iPhone) promising "advanced audio innovations."
“Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes,” the company claims. “HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker that is less than 7 inches tall, can rock most any room with distortion free music and be a helpful assistant around your home.”
The HomePot arrives in the UK, US and Australia on December 2017.
