A flurry of reports over the last week seem to have increased the likelihood of Apple announcing its Siri-powered Amazon Echo rival next month.
After prominent leaker Sonny Dickson suggested it may be ready for an unveiling at WWDC, noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has now tipped an announcement at the firm's annual developer's conference.
In a note to investors published on Monday, KGI analyst says ‘Apple’s first home AI product’ will go on sale in the second half of 2017.
He predicts a more premium, high-end approach with ‘excellent sound’ provided by seven tweeters and a subwoofer.
Naturally, it’ll have a higher price tag than the Echo, Kuo says (via 9to5Mac).
Late last week, Dickson claimed the speaker would boast a cylindrical design inspired by the Mac Pro, with a mesh speaker grille akin to the UE Boom range.
Apple has traditionally kept WWDC a software-only affair, but it would make sense to announce this product at the developer conference.
Presumably there’ll be plenty of involvement from third-party developers, while any improvements in Siri and HomeKit within iOS 11 will have knock-on effects for the home speaker.
Apple is also playing catch up with Google and Amazon both surging ahead with product already on the market.
An announcement at WWDC would enable the company to start making inroads into its rivals’ lead in the space.
Apple's Worldwide Developer's Conference begins on June 5.
