Apple's HomePod Looks Beautiful But Doesn't Think Different

Apple wrapped up WWDC on Monday by showing off the HomePod, its brand new smart speaker. The stout, cylindrical gadget packs in seven tweeters, six microphones, and a four-inch woofer that delivers impressive sound. The HomePod is very much a speaker, but for Apple, it also represents something more: a way to bring Siri into your home at a time when virtual assistants are smarter than ever. The question is whether the HomePod brings anything new to the table. Like the Amazon Echo or Google Home, Apple's HomePod provides a new shell for its omnipresent virtual assistant. Phil Schiller, Apple's head of marketing, claimed that while most companies choose to focus on either sound or smarts, the HomePod brings both in spades.