The Siri-enabled speaker includes Apple Music and texting capabilities for a steeper price.
Stephen Lam / Reuters
Competing with Amazon's Echo and Alexa assistant, Apple on Monday introduced a new Siri-assistant speaker called the HomePod. The voice-operated speaker mirrors that of its competitor, though Apple's new hardware rollout boasts the ability to connect with Apple Music and send text messages. Siri will be an addition to the $349 Apple speaker, compared to Amazon's $179 Echo. This announcement came alongside news that CEO Tim Cook announced a deal with Amazon to include Prime Videos on Apple TV—a long-awaited partnership. Apple also announced Monday that Siri will be able to function across devices, and the company hinted at upcoming iPhone capabilities.
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