News Apple's Smart Speaker Is Finally Here By Jane Asher Jane Asher Jane Asher is a New York-based writer, editor, and social media manager covering all things beauty, fashion, and celebrity. She was previously the Assistant Social Media Editor at InStyle. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on June 5, 2017 @ 05:15PM Pin Share Tweet Email Move over Alexa, Apple has officially announced its very own smart speaker, the HomePod, and it's going to change the way you listen to music, look up the weather, and even turn on the air conditioning in your home. “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," says Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. Courtesy Apple Your HomePod will also keep track of your music preferences through Apple Music, and can make playlists based off of the songs you tell Siri you love. What's more, you can even ask Siri specific questions like, "Who's the guitarist on this song?" if you're really feeling a particular guitar solo. Plus, it can analyze the acoustics of your home and adjust the sound based on the location of the speaker, and angle the sound in the optimal direction, giving a new definition to a 'smart' speaker. With Siri capabilities, the HomePod is also "a hub for controlling your smart home accessories," says Apple. Download Apple's HomeKit platform and you can control everything from your garage doors and security cameras to light bulbs and your Apple TV. The High-Tech TV You Never Knew You Needed The HomePod comes in black and Apple's signature space gray, retailing for $349, and hitting stores this December.