Apple's is reportedly putting the Siri Speaker through real-world testing

[sincity]

Hot from Amazon announcing a new addition to its Echo line of smart speakers, it appears Apple may not be far behind with a competitor of its own.

Apple employees have reportedly been testing a Siri-powered smart speaker in their homes over the course of several months, sources familiar with the matter tell Bloomberg.

This news comes just days after Apple chief of marketing Phil Schiller talked up the benefits of screens on digital assistant-operated hardware, which coincidentally occurred right before Amazon unveiled its touchscreen-enabled Amazon Echo Show.

This fuels speculation that whatever Apple is cooking up in terms of smart speakers, it may come with a screen. However, Bloomberg's sources were unable to confirm if this is the direction Apple is heading with its so-called Siri Speaker.

It's too soon to say for sure what Apple has planned to compete with the likes of Amazon Echo and Google Home, but we may get some more details soon. Apple's annual WWDC 2017 event is less than a month away, with the company's keynote planned for June 5 at 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm GMT.

• Google Home vs Amazon Echo: Which smart speaker is for you?

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