Apple must be pissed.
After our recent review of the Google Home Smart Speaker, we've kept a close eye on competitors' efforts to bring their own devices to market, to compete with Google and Amazon. Sony have just announced at IFA in Berlin that their speaker, the LF-S50G, will be available from October and will run on Google's assistant software, not Amazon Alexa's. But it looks just like Apple's forthcoming HomePod.
The Sony Google Assistant Built-In Wireless Speaker, as it is named on their website, places emphasis more on the quality of the music than other smart devices like this, possessing more powerful speakers and the ability to use Bluetooth to link your phone or tablet directly - something Google Home currently can't do. It also features a washable, splash-proof cover, an always-on clock that shines through the surface, and touch-free gesture control.
However, it bears a more than striking resemblance to Apple's yet-to-be-released HomePod smart speaker, being squat and chubby, whereas both Google Home and Amazon Echo are thin and sleek. Still, it is interesting see Sony's direction more to toward the speaker elements of the device; something we've found ourselves using more and more with our Google Home.
Available from October, priced in the US at $199, you can find out more about Sony's smart speaker at www.sony.com