Apple launches HomePod speaker at developers' conference

US tech giant Apple revealed its latest gadget range on Monday, with the company launching the HomePod speaker in an effort to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home.

At its annual worldwide developers' conference, CEO Tim Cook said Apple would ensure that its audio quality was superior to its rivals.

Amazon and Google's home speaker devices have been battling it out in recent months, but the $349 HomePod will be Apple’s first entry into the market.

The Siri-controlled device will aim to combine listening to music at home with many other functions, according to Cook.

Tim Cook said Apple would ensure that its audio quality was superior to its rivals

"What we tried to do is build something that is a breakthrough speaker first," said Cook. "Music is deep in our DNA, dating back to iTunes and iPod. We wanted something that, number one, sounded unbelievable. I think when people listen to it, they're going to be shocked over the quality of the sound."

"There's a lot of things you can do with it," he added. "There's a lot of things that Siri knows how to do from the phone."

Apple revealed several other new versions of existing software and hardware at the conference in California, including fresh versions of their iMac and MacBook computers.

The firm’s share price has gained over 56% in the last year, but fell 0.98% on Monday as the HomePod was released.