We are now so close to Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference event. It’s a gathering place where we are expected to see the unveiling of a lot of new things from Apple. Last year, the Cupertino company announced HomePod, its first smart speaker, iOS 11, and a new iMac Pro. The HomePod marks Apple’s first steps into the smart speaker industry. The new HomePod puts Apple in contention with Google Home and Amazon Echo on the market.
This year’s WWDC event will start on June 4 in San Jose, California. Apple is expected to debut a lot of new products at the event. Sources recently claimed that Apple may launch a Beats-branded speaker at the event. This adds up to what we heard in previous rumors that Apple has been working on a new speaker for years.
For some background, Beats is one of the big names in the music industry. In 2014, Apple officially acquired Beats for $3 billion, making it the biggest acquisition Apple has ever made in the history. Beats-branded headphones offer amazing audio quality, which gives Apple’s new speaker a huge boost in audio at launch.
According to sources, the new speaker will costs $250 at launch and launch to the public shortly after the release event. Tech experts say that with a $250 price tag, Apple will struggle to compete directly with other rivals out there.
Apple’s current HomePod is among the most expensive smart speakers on the market. Apple’s speaker now costs $349 and is now available in very limited markets. Apple is expecting to bring its smart speaker to more markets to attract more users.
Apple HomePod is falling behind Amazon Echo and Google Home on the market. The speaker lacks some important features and support for third-party apps or services. Apple is rumored to debut a cheaper HomePod this year at the WWDC event. It seems that the cheaper option will carry the Beats branding.
At this year’s event, Apple may unveil the second generation iPhone SE. The SE 2 is rumored to take some design hints from Apple iPhone X, with a curved display and top notch.
Also read: 5 things Amazon Echo can do that HomePod cannot
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