As published by Bloomberg, Apple is 'stepping up plans' to create a connected device for the smart home and powered by Siri, in order to compete against the popular Amazon Echo speaker system.
Apparently Apple has been in the research and development phase for two years, and would even be testing a prototype. However, since there is nothing official, the company "could still rule out the project."
Apple's plans for a smart speaker system
Like the Amazon Echo, the Apple device would integrate Siri to control smart home accessories through voice like lights, locks and curtains. If these plans are confirmed, this device would constitute the introduction of a new product category since the launch of the Apple Watch.
The main goal that Apple would have in mind would be to compete with both the Amazon Echo and the Google Home. For this, "sources close to the project" indicate that the company will present "The most advanced microphone and speaker technology". This could potentially include an update to the entire current Siri ecosystem.
Beyond the home device, Apple is researching new ways to improve Siri on iPhones and iPads, two people said. Codenamed the "Invisible Hand" initiative, Apple hopes to give users the ability to fully control their devices through a Siri command system within three years, one of the people added. Currently, the voice assistant is capable of responding to commands within its application, but Apple's goal is that Siri can control the entire system without having to open an application or reactivate Siri.
For example, a user could ask their iPhone to open a web page and then share it with a friend without the need to launch the Siri interface again. Other examples from Apple's current research include the ability to print a PDF by speaking "print" while reading or saying "help" for the system to help the user navigate to a particular task or application. Apple has also been investigating opening up this capability to third-party apps, the person said.
Apple is already working on prototypes of this new device
According to this information, Apple would already be working with some prototypes that include facial recognition technology, possibly derived from the acquisition of Faceshift and emotient by Apple, "which can help the device be based on who is in a room or a person's emotional state."
On the other hand, the device will be able to perform all the actions expected of Siri, including replying to text messages, playing music, searching the internet ... The integration of Apple Maps is another possibility that Apple is considering so that Siri could alert exactly when to leave home to be on time for an appointment.
Before making it a standalone speaker, Apple considered introducing Siri as a voice-activated feature on the new Apple TV, but decided to eventually integrate it into the Siri Remote.
There could be two different size models
In its initial testing of 2014, Apple created a small and a large version of the Siri speaker like the Amazon Echo and Amazon Echo Dot, "but those early efforts might not translate into a final product."
The prototype phase has progressed to the point where Apple engineers are already testing the device in their own homes., as stated by "people with knowledge of the project."
This does not mean that Apple is close to launching this Siri speaker, however, from Bloomberg they point out that the current Apple CEO himself Tim Cook, tested the original iPad in his own home "for approximately six months prior to its introduction". Apple employees also tested the fourth generation Apple TV less than a year before its launch in 2015.
The Siri speaker is described as a way for Apple to "extend the iPhone" and boost sales of the company's devices after a year in which sales have fallen.
Your new products, iPhone 7, 7 Plus and Apple Watch Series 2, are in short supply however Apple has chosen not to disclose the sales figures for the iPhone 7, arguing that the results are "no longer a representative metric" as demand exceeds supply.