Hey Siri: Apple's 'Finalizing' Plans for Amazon Echo Competitor

On Twitter, Dickson explains, “Apple is currently finalising designs for their Alexa competitor, expected to be marketed as a Siri/AirPlay device.”

In a separate post, he notes that the speaker should “carry some form of Beats technology, and is expected to run an [sic] variant iOS.”

We first heard of Apple’s plans to introduce a Siri-based speaker in May 2016. At that time, The Information reported that Apple was hoping to launch an “Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer.”

Two months later, CNET reported that Apple’s standalone Siri speaker would be “self-aware,” and able to detect the people who are in proximity to the product through the use of on-board cameras equipped with facial recognition software.

In February 2017, however, Time’s Tim Bajarin said that Apple was no longer interested in developing a speaker. Instead, Cupertino was “more interested in turning Siri into an omnipresent AI assistant across devices, rather than designing a single device specifically to serve as a Siri machine.”

Obviously, we have no idea of knowing which report is correct. It should be noted, however, that Dickson has been accurate in the past. As AppleInsider rightly noted, he was among the first to report on the revamped lock screen interface in iOS 10.

Perhaps, we’ll know very soon. Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) kicks off on Monday, June 5 with the company’s annual keynote address.

Would you buy a Siri-based speaker? Let us know in the comments below.