Apple isn't exactly known for taking unnecessary risks on emerging technologies and immature product categories, but even by those standards, came a little late to market, going on sale more than three years after Amazon's first-gen Echo.

By the time the $350 HomePod was commercially released, the unexpectedly popular OG Echo had already received a direct sequel, as well as multiple spin-offs of various sizes, prices, and form factors. Of course, none of Amazon's Alexa-controlled smart speakers (or even smart displays) were quite as costly as Apple's high-end Siri-powered device, ...