In a note to clients — as noted by AppleInsider — KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says there’s a 50/50 chance Apple will announce its Siri-based competitor to Amazon Echo at next month’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which will be held at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California, June 5-9.
He thinks the device will sport one woofer and seven tweeters for rich sound and will be powered by a custom ARM processor equal in power to at least the A8 CPU on the iPhone 6 or newer. With these features, Kuo anticipates that Apple will sell the Siri speaker system at a higher price than Amazon Echo prices and will position the produce for the high-end market with a better entertainment experience and superior sound quality. The analyst also believes that support for the existing AirPlay standard for music streaming over Wi-Fi will help Apple gain footing in a new space.
Last week Apple leaker Sonny Dickson shared details about the possible design of the Siri speaker with MacRumors, including the opinion that it might take design cues from the Google Home (pictured). Or that it might look like the current Mac Pro.
Almost a year ago CNET said that the Siri device will be a “smart speaker” that could be “self aware” and detect who’s in a room using facial recognition technology. Quoting unnamed “people familiar with Apple’s plans,” the publication said this would let the device automatically pull up a person’s preferences, such as the music and lighting they like. In September 2016 Bloomberg said the gadget would also control appliances, locks, lights and curtains via voice activation.
