Apple has finally made an entrance into the growing home AI assistant market, with their recent release of the long-awaited HomePod. First announced back in June of 2017 and scheduled for release by December of 2017. After some delays, only recently has it begun shipping to Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. Apple has positioned the HomePod as a smart speaker, running on Siri as the AI. This puts the HomePod in the ring up against strong and more prominent competitors such as the Google Home speakers and the Amazon Echo series.