Siri Will No Longer Have A Default Voice In iOS

The digital assistant Siri has defaulted to a female voice in North America even since debuting on the iPhone 4s. That’s about to change. With the latest iOS 14.5 beta, TechCrunch reports Apple is introducing two English-speaking voices for Siri and making it so that you can pick the voice you like best when setting up an iOS or HomePod device.

“We’re excited to introduce two new Siri voices for English speakers and the option for Siri users to select the voice they want when they set up their device,” Apple told the publication. “This is a continuation of Apple’s long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion, and products and services that are designed to better reflect the diversity of the world we live in.”

Siri And Google Assistant Are The Most Popular Digital Assistants

According to a new Microsoft Market Intelligence study, Apple’s Siri and the Google Assistant tied for first place with 36% as the most popular digital assistants.

Alexa comes in third with 25% of respondents reporting usage, closely followed by Microsoft’s Cortana with 19%. Microsoft notes that the popularity of Siri and Google is likely due to the sheer volume of mobile phones.

Both Siri and Google are more aligned with mobile phones while Alexa is more closely aligned with smart speakers. Microsoft’s March – June 2018 survey was conducted online with over 2,000 global responses representing the U.S., UK, CA, AU and IN. Here are some of the highlights:

• 69% of respondents have used a digital assistant.
  
• 75% of households will have at least one smart speaker by 2020.
  
• 41% of users reported concerns around trust, privacy and passive listening .
  
• Consumers won’t divulge personally identifiable information without a substantial reward .
  
• Over half of consumers expect their digital assistants to help make retail purchases within the next 5 years.
  

Apple Rumored To Be Working On An Amazon Echo Like Device

According Bloomberg, Apple is working on developing an Echo-like smart-home device based on Siri. The project has exited the research and development lab and is now in prototype testing, the article adds. Bloomberg says that, like Amazon’s Echo, the device is designed to control appliances, locks, lights and curtains via voice activation, the people said. However, “Apple hasn’t finalized plans for the device and could still scrap the project.” 

Apple Is Rumored To Be Working On An Amazon Echo-Like Device For Siri

According to Information, Apple is working on an Amazon Echo-like device with a speaker and microphone that people can use to turn on music, get news headlines or set a timer. The article adds that Siri (Apple’s “digital assistant) will power the gadget. The Information says that Siri will be opened up to third-party developers through an SDK )software development kit) to be unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference In June. What do you think of making their own Amazon Echo-like device ?

New Images Suggest That Siri Is Coming To The Mac

New images have surfaced which support rumors that Apple will bring Siri to the Mac in OS X 10.12 premiering at WWDC 2016 in June. A Dock icon shows the Siri waveform, while a Menu Bar icon simply uses the word "Siri," according to MacRumors, which said it obtained the images from a reliable source on Apple's software plans. MacRumors added that Siri for the Mac will also support always on commands "Hey Siri." Apples WWDC keynote is scheduled for June 13, were the company is likely to announce the Siri is coming to the Mac. What do you think ? 

Will Mac OS X 10.12 Have Siri Support ?

9to5Mac (Which I am not affiliated with) reports that the next major release of the Mac OS, dubbed OS X 10.12, will finally add support for Siri. OS X 10.12 will most likely be previewed this summer during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference and be available for users in the fall. 9to5Mac says Apple had been testing versions of OS X internally with Siri integration since at least 2012, “but sources now say that Apple has a clear vision for Siri on the Mac along with a polished user-interface and is nearly ready to launch the feature publicly.” What do you think of Apple possibly adding Siri to the Mac ? I say it’s about damn time. 

Apple Announces New Apple TV With Siri And App Store

Today Apple has revealed the new Apple TV with a  redesigned interface, Siri interactivity, an App Store, and a new hardware controller with touch capabilities and motion detection. The new Apple TV is aimed at media viewing and casual gaming, with some awesome looking features and new interaction methods with Siri. The new Apple Tv is set to release sometime in October and will cost $149 for the 32GB model and $199 for the 64GB model. The technical specs of the new Apple TV are as follows:

• 64-bit A8 processor
• 32GB or 64GB of storage
• 2GB of RAM
• 10/100Mbps Ethernet
• WiFi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
• 1080p resolution
• HDMI
• Apple TV Remote with Siri 

The Next Apple TV Rumored To Release In October

Apple's next Apple TV will likely be released in October with a starting price of $149 or $199. The report also claims that Apple will continue to sell the third generation Apple TV for $69 as an entry level device. The new Apple TV is rumored to feature a dual core A8 processor, an App Store with a native SDK for developers, Siri voice control, HomeKit integration, a new user interface and a redesigned remote control with motion sensors, a touchpad on the top, physical buttons on the bottom and a microphone. Apple is expected to announce the new Apple TV at its September 9th media event. Well have full coverage of the event. 

Apple Releases New Web Page For Siri

Apple has launched a new updated Siri page to there website, which gives you a look  at the voice assistant built into the company's iOS devices. The page opens with a quick overview of what Siri can do, and then provides users with a list of categories featuring Siri's different abilities: At a Glance, Staying in Touch, Getting Organized, Sports, Entertainment, Out and About, Getting Answers, and Tips and Tricks. Each category offers a look at the different commands that Siri can work with. At a Glance gives a quick rundown of a random assortment of questions that can be asked, while other categories offer a more specific selection of available commands. Each of the pages offers a look at features many iOS users might not have known Siri was capable of. you can look at the new Siri page here.

Could Siri Have Some Competition On iOS ?

Could Siri have some competition on iOS ? Microsoft has been hard at work developing an iOS and Android version of its Siri-like personal assistant, Cortana, which could hit the iPhone and iPad sometime in the fall 2015. Cortana was named after an artificial intelligence character in Microsoft produced video game series Halo. Cortana can reads and understands your email, messages, contacts, calendars and other types of information, permitting it to tell a user when to leave for the airport. After it realizes you were planning a flight, Cortana would automatically check flight status, determine where the phone is located using GPS and check traffic conditions. Siri, as you know, responds to simpler user requests for the time being, although Apple is constantly advancing the capabilities of its digital personal assistant and could very likely announce new features at its annual summer pilgrimage for developers.

Microsoft Releases New Ad Bashing Apples Siri

Microsoft has released a new Apple bashing ad on its YouTube channel. The 30 second Tv ad shows off the latest version of Cortana, Microsoft’s Siri like personal assistant, running on the Lumia 830 and interacting with a bunch of built  in applications. Cortana brags to Siri about being able to perform functions Apple’s personal assistant can’t, like alert users to leave early for an appointment using traffic alerts, remind them of things based on who calls or texts and more. “Maybe what you need isn’t a bigger phone, but a more personal, personal assistant,” Microsoft’s marketing argues. Watch the ad below.


       

Amazon Reveals Echo

Today Amazon revealed Echo, a cylinder piece of hardware with a Siri like style voice assistant that allows you to answer a variety of requests and perform functions like playing music. Echo is entirely controlled by voice and will wake to answer a question when the word "Alexa" is spoken. Similar to Siri, it can answer questions like "What time is it?" "What's the weather like?" and more. It is also able to complete tasks like setting an alarm or creating a shopping list. According to Amazon, Echo uses far field voice recognition capabilities with 7 microphones to detect a request from anywhere in a room. Echo lets users have access to Amazon Music, Prime Music, iHeartRadio and TuneIn, and with built- n Bluetooth, Echo is also able to play music from a phone or tablet. As it's connected to the cloud and Amazon Web Services, Echo is designed to learn and gain functionality over time, and an accompanying Amazon Echo app, which is Android and Fire OS only. Echo is priced at $99 for Amazon Prime members and $199 for non Prime members, but currently users must request an invitation from Amazon to be allowed to purchase the device.

                               

Apple's Siri Was The Most Distracting While Driving In New Study

According to a new study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. After a series of tests involving various voice control systems, researchers found Apple’s digital assistant Siri is a high level distraction. Siri performed the worst out of all of the various systems they tested, and even resulted in two crashes during the simulator study. The AAA criticized it for its lack of flexibility when it came to recognizing voice commands from its drivers. The drivers were monitored for a variety of feedback cues including heart rate, brain functions and peripheral vision detection and response. And these things were tracked as the drivers performed the variety of voice command tasks in three separate environments: not driving, driving in a simulator, and driving in residential streets. You can find the full AAA study here .