Even Tim Cook has commented on it in an interview. One of the company's goals is to make life easier thanks to Apple products. For this we have the help of Siri who is becoming an invaluable collaborator in our day to day.
For all this, Apple thought that we do turn to Siri to: know the time, ask it to remind us of a task or an appointment and on Mac to open a folder or file, Why not a standalone gadget for functions already implemented on other computers, but also for controlling HomeKit, playing music, etc.? This week the analyst Mark Gurman Bloomberg confirms that a device with characteristics similar to those mentioned above, has passed to the prototype phase. Apple intends to gain ground from the Amazon Echo, a speaker that is only sold in the USA and performs several functions, controlled by a system known as Alexa.
The company appears to have been developing the team for at least two years. What is intended is to give Siri autonomy. Until now, to perform any action, Siri has to open the application in question and go through the process. The goal is to achieve the objective without depending on the application in question. This project would bear the name of "Invisible hand"
The newest technology would be a facial recognition that determines: which user is in the room and be able to detect even their mood. Other functions that can be incorporated into the equipment are: replying to messages, listening to music or searching the internet. The possible integration with Maps, it would make it possible for you to give us enough time to leave the house with the intention of not arriving late to our destination.
So far it cannot be determined when the company intends to bring this new equipment to market. It would make sense for Apple to want a computer that integrates seamlessly with HomeKit without having the TV, Mac, or our iPhone or Apple Watch on hand, therefore, this equipment would more than fulfill its mission. It is possible that in the presentation of new Macs, we have some clue about it.