Bloomberg sources have claimed that Apple has started manufacturing the Siri-enabled speaker and might be announced at WWDC on June 5, according to insiders. The speakers will not be available until later next year, so don’t expect to get your hands on it anytime soon but reports indicate that a few features will help it stand out from the Amazon Echo and Google Home.
The speaker is said to sound louder and crisper than the other home assistants and would produce virtual surround sound, as Apple wants a room-filling effect. They also considered including sensors that will adjust the sound levels by detecting the room noise but it is unsure if this feature will be seen in the final product. The speaker will also integrate with Apple’s ecosystem, allowing you to control HomeKit-capable and there is a chance it will support third-party services.
If there is any sort of announcement on the Siri speaker at WWDC it would focus very much on the hardware part of the device, but there is still no guaranty that we will hear anything about the speaker during the conference, although there are some rumors that there will be a surprise shown.