It was bound to happen sooner or later. Now, even Apple has joined the fray in the smart speaker market, insiders suspect that Apple will be launching the new Siri speaker during the WWDC coming up in June.
1) Better sound output
The speaker is touted to be having a much better sound output than the competition such as Echo and Google Home. The Siri speaker will also be more superior in computing power to the current market leaders. Of course, being an Apple device it will also be significantly more expensive. Some might even mistake the new speaker to the Mac Pro, as it will have the iconic cylindrical design that the Pro is known to have.
2) Announcement and release
While it may be announced at the WWDC in June, the main product will probably be released sometime later on in the year. Based on Gear’s sources, the speaker use its Beats acquisition to create a unique sound experience and will also feature a variant of the iOS. The company will also be able to use its new device in conjunction with the Apple HomeKit that has already been established in the markets, which can be made compatible with smart thermostats, lights, electricals and so on.
3) Additional accessories
Some analysts expect there to be additional accessories to come with the new Siri speaker to draw more attention to the device; a tactic that was made popular with Amazon’s Echo Dot. It is also expected that the device could sell well over 10 million of the devices in the first year of the speaker’s availability. What we look forward to seeing is the hardware on the device as it has been known that the speaker will feature a similarly integrated SoC as was seen in the iPhone 6 and 6S. The ecosystem will also be significantly widened considering cross-platform communications across iOS and MacOS along with AirPlay functionality.
4) New updates
The company, along with the new Siri Speaker, will also be unveiling new updates to their existing line of OSes, releasing the iOS 11, MacOS 10.13, watchOS 4 and tvOS 11. Interestingly, it seems like Apple will be betting big on the use of its Bluetooth W1 chip for usage for security, as it allows wireless accessories to be seamlessly connected to one another, so far as they are logged into the same iCloud account.
But will it only be compatible with Apple devices? If so, the market share will shrink significantly. And if availability is going to be limited to only a few countries, then that 10-million-unit sales figure will go down. It’s interesting to see Apply follow the trend rather than make it. The Apple Watch had a decent run and this time around, the Siri Speaker will be the next device that Apple will be introducing that will follow the current market interest. It would be interesting to see how it compares to the king of the hill, the Amazon Echo.
COMMENTS