Apple's Siri smart speaker said to be in production; WWDC unveiling days away?

One of the biggest tech products in the last few years has absolutely nothing to do with Apple. The smart speaker is a whole new category that was created by Amazon back in 2014, and includes an AI assistant called Alexa. That head start has allowed Amazon to control 70.6% of the market with Google's Home smart speaker garnering a 23.8% share. Microsoft will have its own device called the Harman Kardon Invoke. This combines a premium Harman Kardon speaker with personal assistant Cortana.

Over the last few months, there has been speculation that Apple was working on a smart speaker of its own that would combine a Beats speaker with Siri. On Wednesday, a report from Bloomberg stated that Apple has started overseas production of the device. According to an anonymous insider familiar with Apple's plans, in order to differentiate its product from the Amazon Echo and the Google Home, Apple will reportedly offer surround sound and deep integration with Apple's other devices.

Like the other smart speakers, Apple wants its speaker to allow consumers to control smart appliances. As a result, the product will be able to turn on or turn off Apple's HomeKit devices with a verbal command from the user. Apple also is rumored to include Apple Music support with its smart speaker. Former Apple analyst Gene Munster says that the device will be used to help Apple develop its services business. This is a segment of Apple that Tim Cook expects to see double from now through 2020.

Apple's unnamed smart speaker could become official at the annual WWDC developers conference, which will kick off on June 5th.  While recent rumors called for the product to feature a touchscreen, those who have seen it say that this is no longer in the cards. That is not good for Apple because the latest Echo model features a touchscreen. 

source: Bloomberg