Apple HomePod Specs, Price, Latest Rumors: Siri-Powered Device Spotted in California, China for Employee Testing

By Rachel Cruz, Christian Post Contributor Monday, September 11, 2017

Apple's smart speaker, the Apple HomePod, won't be in stores until December. Employees at the California tech company as well as workers in China, however, have allegedly been testing the device and photos that prove are popping up online.

Benedict Evans of Andreessen Horowitz detected the Apple HomePod on his iPhone while visiting Menlo Park, which is the site of Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, California. He took a screen capture of a familiar media silhouette that has been labeled as "Kitchen" on his iPlayer app to show his Twitter followers that there was an active and working Apple HomePod around the vicinity.

Before that, a leaked image on Instagram also showed the Apple HomePod resting on a marble counter. The user is supposedly based in Shanghai but the authenticity of the photo cannot be confirmed.

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Another user on Reddit also said that his iPad can detect an Apple HomePod in his apartment in San Francisco. All these outings suggested that Apple might have given employees samples of the smart speaker for testing before its actual sale. The company, however, refused to comment on the speculations.

The Apple HomePod was first announced in June as a competitor to the Amazon Echo and Google Home. Siri supports the functionality of the device for not just selecting and playing music but also responding to basic queries.

The Apple HomePad is designed with six microphones, a central subwoofer and a 7-tweeter pack covered under a 3D mesh acoustic fabric. It stands 7-inches tall with a cylindrical shape and curved edges.

An A8 chip, which is also found in the iPhone 6, functions as its brains. It will be sold in two shades – white and dark gray – and will cost $349. Apple stated a December release date but gave no further specifics.