Bose takes on the Apple HomePod with the new Home Speaker 500

Bose today announced its new wireless smart speaker to take on the Apple HomePod. Thanks to Bose’ extensive experience in making audio products, the new Home Speaker 500 has the widest soundstage of any smart speaker available today. This new smart speaker looks unique and it is made of seamless anodized aluminum. There are two custom drivers pointed in opposite directions so that the sound reflects off surrounding walls, separating instruments to the far left and right, and placing vocals where the artist did.

On the top of the speaker, you have controls to play, pause or skip tracks, or you can also manage it all from the Bose Music app. And you can set up to six different presets for playlists, Internet radio stations and more, so your favorites are just a tap away.

There is an LCD display on the front that shows information about the content currently playing on the speaker, including album art, track name, artist name, music service information, radio station name, and location, etc. There is an optional clock setting available in the Bose Music app, which displays the time when the speaker is in standby mode. It will automatically dim based on the brightness of the room, and will turn off if content is not playing. And, you cannot play video in this display.

As it is a smart speaker, it comes with Alexa built-in. Using Alexa, you can control music, get information, smart home control, and more. It packs advanced Bose microphone technology to hear you the first time accurately. Bose has included a custom-designed eight-microphone array precisely positioned for accurate near-field and far-field voice pickup. In addition to WiFi and Bluetooth support, Bose is also planning to add support for AirPlay 2 for simple streaming from Apple devices in early 2019.

The Home Speaker 500 will cost $399.95 and it will be available in October.