Apple HomePod finally available to buy, three years after the Echo

Company's delayed, £319 smart speaker pitched as music-first wireless speaker that can be voice-controlled via Siri Tue 23 Jan 2018 09.44 EST Last modified on Tue 23 Jan 2018 11.13 EST Apple's delayed £319 HomePod smart speaker will finally be available to buy on Friday in the UK, US and Australia. The 17.8cm tall HomePod is pitched as a music-first wireless speaker that can be controlled by voice using Apple's Siri assistant, which can also set timers, reminders, check the weather and control smart home devices. "It brings advanced audio technologies like beam-forming tweeters, a high-excursion woofer and automatic spatial awareness, together with the entire Apple Music catalogue and the latest Siri intelligence, in a simple, beautiful design that is so much fun to use," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing. The HomePod was announced in June to ship before the end of 2017, but Apple was forced to delay shipping in November as the product needed more work. Apple could only watch as Amazon got an over three-year head start with the Echo – while Google's Home is 14 months old – and it now has some catching up to do. Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, said: "This is a critically important device for Apple given the significant head start Amazon and Google have in this area.