Apple Launches HomePod

(RTTNews) - Apple has unveiled a new $349 HomePod home wireless speaker as the tech giant aims to take on Amazon and Google in smart speaker market.

The 7-inch high speaker will be available in white and black and will ship starting in December initially in Australia, the UK and the US.

HomePod will compete with Amazon's Echo and Google Home for the smart speaker market, and will support Apple Music and Siri and will provide news, traffic updates and play music.

"Apple reinvented portable music with iPod and now HomePod will reinvent how we enjoy music wirelessly throughout our homes," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "HomePod packs powerful speaker technology, Siri intelligence and wireless access to the entire Apple Music library into a beautiful speaker that is less than 7 inches tall, can rock most any room with distortion free music and be a helpful assistant around your home."