The release of iOS 11 in September of 2017 includes a “new and improved” Siri and makes the operating system available for iPhone 5S and later, iPad Air and later, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini 2 and later, and sixth-generation iPod Touch.
Apple turns out a new version of iOS just about yearly this long awaited new and improved Siri is poised to revolutionize how users interface with their iOS devices using a new, more human like voice to answer user queries.
In the world of virtual assistants, Siri stands out as the one of the most used and may also be considered the “original” of the VA’s. With Siri’s new voice come a number of improvements that make Siri sound overall more “human.” Siri has always been considered a female voice, and that will remain so as the new voice adds a tangible brightness and pep to its speech. Additional inflection and changes in pitch seem to give Siri the ability to pause where it seems natural, and what we end up with is a less annoying VA that users can really get used to interacting with.
Siri has always been based on an actual human voice, that of Susan Bennett, a voice actor who wasn’t actually contracted by Apple when Siri kicked off in 2011. Voice actor reading gives Siri a variety of potential ways to respond to a certain query, including those that range from the mundane to the sassy. It turns out that users are put off by dry, robotic responses and prefer a voice that is not only recognizable as female but that is friendly and uses the occasional sense of humor to break up monotony. Be sure to read up on the new updates to iOS and Siri and get your device updated so you’re not missing out.