Apple ‘to unveil Amazon Echo-style smart speaker powered by Siri’ today

If you’ve ever wished that you could yell at Apple’s Siri voice assistant from across your front room, Apple is about to make your dreams come true.

The Silicon Valley giant is reportedly set to unveil a ‘smart speaker’ to take on Amazon’s hit Echo and Google’s Home at an event later today.

The technology giant will reportedly use the opening of its annual developer conference, WWDC, to announce the device, which is expected to be powered by voice assistant Siri.

The device would be used to control internet-enabled products around home, as well as answer queries and provide news, weather and schedule updates.

Amazon and Google’s existing speakers have proved popular with consumers since the Echo launched in the UK in 2016 and Home earlier this year.

                                                             Is Apple about to launch a rival? (Picture: Amazon)

The speakers, driven by artificial intelligence and voice-enabled assistants – such as Amazon’s Alexa – have become a leading trend in the tech industry and Alexa now boasts support for more than 10,000 apps.