Word around the water cooler last May suggested Apple might unveil its Amazon Echo / Google Home competitor at WWDC 2016 in June. The conference, however, came and went without the Siri-powered device making an appearance.
With this year's WWDC just around the bend, we're again hearing rumors on the subject - this time painting an even more vivid image of what we may see next month.
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said in a note to investors on Monday that he believes the Siri speaker will be a high-end affair with a subwoofer and seven tweeters. The analyst also thinks it'll be powered by a custom ARM processor that's at least as powerful as Apple's A8 CPU from the iPhone 6. The W1 Bluetooth chip (the one that powers Apple's wireless AirPods) will be prominently featured in the home assistant as well, Kuo indicated, as will its AirPlay streaming technology.
Apple may also top Amazon in the hardware design category.
Kuo believes there's a better than 50 percent chance that Apple will announce the device at WWDC ahead of a launch in the second half of this year. No word yet on how much the speaker might retail for but just for reference, Amazon's Echo goes for $179.99, the smaller Echo Dot is $49.99 and Google Home currently commands $114.