Yesterday was Apple’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference, WWDC, and as with every major Apple conference, it brought major news.

Per usual, rumors of forthcoming Apple hardware were rampant.

New AR glasses? Long-awaited updates to Apple TV? Servile robots?!

Alas, no robots were featured in the docket, but Apple made headlines with its marquee announcement: the HomePod, a smart speaker a la Amazon Echo and Google Home.

My nephew is acutely familiar with the Amazon Echo, somewhat addicted to shouting, “Alexa, play Bruno Mars!” at predominately inopportune times. Endearing!

If you’re unfamiliar, smart speakers have taken off in the past year, utilizing voice recognition technology, like Apple’s Siri or Amazon’s Alexa, to respond to verbal commands to play music, search for quick internet news and facts, and order merchandise online.

Echo and I’s relationship primarily revolves around, “Alexa, stop.”

Apple’s HomePod is a late arrival to a somewhat stacked market, but as with a few of the company’s other hardware offerings such as the iPad, Apple has shown the ability to enter the fray late and still dominate sales. Apple releases are synonymous with snaking lines, anxious crowds, and sky-high first day numbers.

Despite its late arrival, HomePod should prove no different.