Apple unveils 'HomePod' speaker, first new product in years

SAN JOSE, California -- Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new "smart" home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning.

The "HomePod" speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the market for years.

Like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the HomePod will play music while helping people manage their lives and homes. Siri will be voice-activated to respond to requests for information and other help around the house.

It is the first new device Apple has announced in almost three years. It unveiled the Apple Watch in September 2014.

The speaker will sell for about $350 in December in the U.S., U.K. and Australia. Amazon sells the main version of the Echo for $180; Google's Home speaker goes for $130.

The Echo, released in 2015, and Google Home, released last year, were the first entrants in a promising market.

Virtual reality

New iMacs unveiled Monday at Apple's annual conference for software programmers are getting better displays and graphics capabilities. Apple said that makes the Mac a great platform for development virtual-reality "experiences."

But Apple is late to the game on VR. Samsung and Google already have VR systems centered on their smartphones. Facebook, HTC and Sony have high-end VR systems, too.

Virtual reality has been described as the next big thing for decades. But so far, interest has been strongest among gamers, developers and hardware makers rather than everyday users.

Apple's entry into the market could change this. Its entry into digital-music sales with iTunes and into the smartphone market with the iPhone upended those industries and gave them mass appeal.

New iPhone features

New features coming to iPhones and iPads include messages that sync to Apple servers in the cloud. These devices will keep only the most recent messages in local storage.

For photos, Apple is turning to a "high-efficiency" format to replace the widely used JPEG standard. Although the format is not exclusive to Apple, it's not clear how well the photos will work with non-Apple software and devices, which mostly use JPEG.

Apple also is bringing the ability to send money to friends or other people through its payment service, Apple Pay.

Mac upgrade

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the latest operating system for Mac computers. Called High Sierra, it recognizes more faces automatically, which should make it easier to organize photos, and will offer more photo-editing tools.

Safari, Apple's web browser, seeks to make users' online experience smoother and less annoying. It will allow users to automatically block auto-play videos by detecting videos that shouldn't be playing when you open a webpage to read an article, for example.

The browser's new "intelligent tracking prevention," meanwhile, will use machine learning to identify and block digital-ad trackers to keep advertisers from following and profiling users. It will not block the ads themselves.

Sizing up the iPad

Apple is introducing an iPad Pro in a new size in an attempt to revive interest in its once hot-selling line of tablets.

The new 10.5-inch model offers room for a full-size keyboard, something the 9.7-inch model couldn't. Yet it isn't as bulky as the 12.9-inch model.

The new iPad Pro also comes with a better camera -- the same one found in the iPhone 7 -- along with more storage, a better display and faster refreshing of moving images. The new model starts at $649 and will start shipping next week.

Watch the Watch

Apple is updating the operating software for its Apple Watch, including new watch faces, more personalized alerts that use machine learning to tailor information to you based on your routines and tastes.

In a nod to Amazon streaming fans, Apple also is bringing Amazon Prime to its Apple TV app.