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Apple Employees Testing Siri Speaker Ahead of WWDC Unveil: Report

Apple Employees Testing Siri Speaker Ahead of WWDC Unveil: Report

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 10 May 2017 18:10 IST

Highlights

Apple Siri Speaker reportedly in testing phase
It is expected to be unveiled at WWDC
The speaker will compete with Amazon Echo

Apple has been reported earlier to be working on a Siri speaker to take on Amazon Echo and Google Home, however, a fresh report suggests that Apple employees are now testing the device in their homes, hinting at an imminent arrival. The device is expected to be unveiled at WWDC set to begin on June 5.

Bloomberg reports that the Siri Speaker is in the works, and Apple employees are testing it in their homes. Citing KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the report states, "In a recent research note, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple may debut an Echo rival next month at the company's annual developer's conference. Apple employees have been testing a device at home for several months, according to people familiar with the matter. While marketing chief Phil Schiller recently talked up the benefits of having a screen on a voice-activated device, it's not clear whether the Apple version will in fact have one."

Talking to Gadgets 360, Phil Schiller did mention how a screen could profit smart speakers further. "So there's many moments where a voice assistant is really beneficial, but that doesn't mean you'd never want a screen. So the idea of not having a screen, I don't think suits many situations. For example if I'm looking for directions and I'm using Maps, Siri can tell me those directions by voice and that's really convenient but it's even better if I can see that map, and I can see what turns are coming up, and I can see where there is congestion, I understand better my route, and what I'm going to do. And so I think voice assistants are incredibly powerful, their intelligence is going to grow, they're gonna do more for us, but the role of the screen is gonna remain very important to all of this," Schiller noted back then.

However, Schiller gave no hints that Apple was building one of its own. Meanwhile, Amazon unveiled its fifth Echo device - Amazon Echo Show. It has a screen just like how Schiller prefers. If this Bloomberg report is true, WWDC will see Apple entering another growing market space, and knowing Apple, the Siri Speaker will set a standard for others to look up to.

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