Apple’s ‘Siri speaker’ allegedly. enters manufacturing as announcement nears

Apple’s answer to the Amazon Echo lineup and Google Home has advanced to the manufacturing stage, according to Bloomberg. The report says that a WWDC unveiling for the product remains possible, but Apple won’t be shipping the device until later in the year.

Aside from what we’ve heard about the “Siri speaker” before (such as deep HomeKit integration and the ability to control smart home gadgets), today’s Bloomberg report says that Apple is placing a heavy emphasis on sound quality. The unannounced produced will supposedly include “virtual surround sound technology” and “more advanced acoustics” than its chief competitors made by Amazon and Google. That suggests Apple Music will also play a key role alongside the product’s Siri and HomeKit features.

Apple has “considered including sensors that measure a room’s acoustics and automatically adjust audio levels during use,” the report claims. That sounds somewhat similar to the TruePlay feature available from Sonos speakers, which uses a microphone on a mobile device to optimize sound output for that specific environment.

Apple’s WWDC keynote is coming up quickly; the event is happening this Monday starting at 10AM PT/1PM ET. The Verge will be there to cover all the news that Apple has to share — be it new software (iOS 11, macOS), MacBook Pro updates, this long-rumored speaker, or something else entirely.