The 1 thing that may kill Apple's new HomePod

Apple announce that it will finally be releasing a home speaker to compete with the Amazon Echo and Google Home. A little late, but with Apple's logo on it, it should become a permanent piece in the homes of Apple fans. 

Mashable referred to the product as the "Siri-powered Amazon Echo killer," but while the thing actually sounds pretty cool, there is one major issue with the home assistant that is not a problem for the Home or Echo. 

No, it's not the $349 price tag or that it's powered by Siri — it's the design. The HomePod is covered in cloth mesh and looks like a very expensive cat scratcher, and as a cat owner, I can tell you that my pets would definitely try scratching one given the opportunity. Read more...