Wiim will soon update its Alexa-capable voice remote and the new model looks like a clone of the Siri voice remote that ships with every Apple TV 4K streaming device.
Wiim calls it the Voice Remote 2, and I caught a glimpse of it while attending a Wiim product briefing in Markham, Ontario. Officially, it doesn’t launch until April 8, which is when we’ll know the price and details like battery life. On that day, you’ll be able to find it on Wiim’s website (and likely on Amazon too). For now, however, these photos will have to suffice.
Wiim has already proven that it has a major crush on Apple’s industrial design. The Wiim Amp, Amp Pro, Ultra, and newly launched Vibelink Amp all feature rounded-corner, aluminum enclosures that strongly evoke the Apple Mac Mini. In some cases, these products are available in Apple’s two favorite aluminum colors: silver and space grey.
But these products feel like a tribute to Apple’s pioneering design work, as opposed to the new Voice Remote 2, which crosses over into unadulterated copy-cat territory.
The material, the proportions, the size, shape, and layout of the buttons — they’re all virtually identical. So too is the size and position of the voice button, which even sports the same microphone icon. Even the dark plastic window that sits on the front edge has been copied — an especially strange choice given that this is where Apple has placed its IR emitter. If the Voice Remote 2 matches the features of the original Wiim voice remote, it doesn’t use IR at all.
And though the Voice Remote 2’s power button sits on the opposite corner to Apple’s remote, the USB-C charging port area is another element that seems as though it came straight from Cupertino.
Here are some pics I took with a Siri Remote so you can see the similarities.
It will be interesting to see if there’s an official reaction (legal or otherwise) from Apple.
If you’re a Wiim fan, 2025 is going to be a helluva year. I can’t share any details yet, but my briefing left me stunned by what Wiim’s got planned. I promise there’s going to be a lot to talk about.
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