On Monday, Apple will show off its latest software and hardware, including Macs and iPads, at its annual conference for developers. The most anticipated item is a new voice-controlled speaker that would compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. Fans of Warren E. Buffett -- at least those with deep pockets -- have another chance to buy the billionaire lunch. An auction for a meal with Mr. Buffett, the chief executive of Berkshire Hathaway, at Smith & Wollensky in New York City began Sunday evening and runs through Friday, with bids starting at $25,000. The entire bid will support Glide, a nonprofit group that runs antipoverty programs in San Francisco.

Look out Alexa and Echo, here comes the HomePod. Apple is stuffing its beloved Siri into an Internet-connected speaker in what is the digital giant's first new product in more than two years. The HomePod speaker was unveiled at a conference for software programmers on Monday, and will go head-to-head-to-head with Amazon and Google's popular digital home assistants. But of course Apple says its siri-based system tops them all because it's giving more emphasis to sound quality, not just smarts. Besides playing music, HomePod will help people to manage their lives and homes.

It's hard not to watch Amazon's Alexa and Google's Assistant invade millions of living rooms and not feel like Apple blew an opportunity. Almost six years after Apple announced Siri as a feature on the iPhone 4S, Siri's still confined to computers and phones. Siri has to be unlocked, activated, and summoned. Alexa and Assistant are omnipresent, always ready and waiting. The closest thing Apple offers is "Hey Siri," which works approximately never. Now Apple finally has a way to get Siri out of your phone and into your family room.

Apple introduced the HomePod, its rival to Amazon's Echo, at the 2017 WWDC. A link has been sent to your friend's email address. A link has been posted to your Facebook feed. Apple introduced the HomePod, its rival to Amazon's Echo, at the 2017 WWDC.

Apple introduced the HomePod, its rival to Amazon's Echo, at the 2017 WWDC. Apple HomePod speaker, announced at Apple's Apple Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5, 2017. SAN JOSE -- Apple has set its sights on the living room, with a voice-activated $349 speaker called the HomePod that leverages personal digital-assistant Siri and stresses its functionality with core Apple services like Apple Music. The iPhone maker was expected to announce a smart speaker, a market that Amazon -- with its sleeper hit, the Echo -- and then later Google Home, powered by Assistant -- now dominate, giving them an integral place in users' lives. Such a speaker was missing from Apple's line-up, allowing rivals Amazon and Google to siphon off some of its loyal user base.

Apple executive Phil Schiller introduces the HomePod speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. Apple executive Phil Schiller introduces the HomePod speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif. And then there were three. Apple has finally unveiled its answer to Amazon's and Google's smart speakers slash digital assistants -- and it's called HomePod. This has been one major area in consumer electronics lacking Apple's footprint.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, introduces the HomePod speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, June 5, 2017, in San Jose. Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, introduces the HomePod speaker at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Monday, June 5, 2017, in San Jose. Apple replaced record collections with the iPod and earned front pocket real estate with the iPhone. The Cupertino, Calif., company announced Monday at its annual World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose the HomePod, a home speaker with Apple's digital assistant Siri built into it. Similar to Amazon's Echo and Google's Home -- voice-activated, internet-connected speakers that play music, answer questions and provide information such as the news, weather, sports updates and metric conversions -- the HomePod listens and responds to voice commands.

Its founder knows his demographic well: residents of the religiously conservative Gaza Strip, with its culture of resistance. Some 1,400 men have been killed in the three wars with Israel since 2008, leaving many widows who would like to remarry. Tradition, however, can make it difficult for them to wed single men. Mr. Abu Mustafa, 34, a math teacher, said he had no specific reasons to get married again, but said he did wish to give "dignity" to a widow. Ms. Abu Mustafa's first husband died during the conflict between Hamas and Israel in 2012.

Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new "smart" home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning. The "HomePod" speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the market for years. Like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the HomePod will play music while also helping people to manage their lives and homes. Siri will be voice activated to respond to requests for information and other help around the house. It is the first new device Apple has announced in almost three years.

After months of speculation, Apple has finally unveiled its answer to the Amazon Echo: the Siri-powered HomePod. It will start shipping in December for $349 in white and space gray colors. The HomePod is powered by Apple's A8X processor, the same chip found in older iPhones. Apple is emphasizing the HomePod's audio capabilities as a key factor separating it from more affordable rivals like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Similar to Sonos speakers, the HomePod can analyze the size of the room in which it's placed and adjust its output accordingly.