“Is she here for a pat-down?” a seasoned TSA agent asks a fellow employee as we all step into one of the private screening rooms at the San Francisco airport.
“No, it’s for this thing,” she replies, pointing at an opaque bag concealing an unopened Apple HomePod, the company’s first ever wireless speaker.
The $349 (£319, AU$499) Siri-powered smart speaker won’t reach the public for another week or so. I’m taking this loaner back to the CNET Smart Home for testing, but it’s top-secret; no one can know I have it — yet. It passes inspection and I head to my gate, hyperaware of the camouflaged 5.5-pound speaker I’m cradling like a newborn.
