Siri is Getting More Intelligent – Apple Announces iOS Updates for Fall 2017
Apple announced that Siri – currently the world’s most popular personal assistant – will be smarter with the release of the company’s mobile operating system iOS 11 this coming fall.
According to Apple, using the latest advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence, Siri can speak in either male or female voice and in a more natural tone, with the capacity of adjusting its intonation, pitch, emphasis and tempo while speaking. The company added that Siri can translate English words into Mandarin, French, German, Italian or Spanish.
Apple added that using on-device learning, Siri can deliver more personal experiences by offering suggestions based on personal usage of Safari, News, Mail, Messages and more. With the upcoming software update, Apple said users can tell Siri to pay someone, using Apple’s Pay Cash account.
Apple also announced that its new 7-inch speaker called “HomePod” will be packed with Siri intelligence. With HomePod, the company said, Siri can handle advanced searches within the music library, create a shared Up Next queue with everyone in the home, send messages, get updates on news, sports and weather, or control smart home devices by simply asking Siri to turn on the lights, close the shades or activate a scene.
Over 375 million active devices are currently accessing Siri each month across 36 countries. Apple’s mobile operating system iOS 11 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone 5s and later, iPad mini 2 and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation and iPod touch 6th generation. HomePod, meanwhile, will be available this coming December, initially in Australia, the US and UK.