The Apple Special event is taking place today, and we’re expecting to see the anticipated iPhone 16 Series, potentially a new pair of AirPods, as well as other software and hardware updates. Better still, the ‘It’s Glowtime’ theme has led us to believe that one of the ‘stars’ of Apple’s Special Event will be Siri… but what does that mean exactly?
As we deciphered from the event invite, ‘Glowtime’ could refer to the glowing interface of Siri that’s activated by squeezing the side action button, putting Apple’s virtual assistant and Apple Intelligence at the front and centre of the upcoming event. Siri – which is available on all Apple products, including its best smart speakers – is expected to be further integrated into the iPhone 16 line-up and we’re expecting some AI-related updates, too.
As someone with a big interest in smart home technology, I’m interested to see what the updates will look like for Siri. I’ve somewhat given up on hearing about the HomePod with a screen display, as rumours have stated that it’s unlikely to arrive until 2025. However, some outlets have suggested that a HomePod Mini 2 could launch in the second half of 2024 so I’ll be keeping an eye out for that during the event.
While there should be many exciting updates to come for Siri, one thing I wouldn’t be surprised to see is if Siri’s voice changes… but it’s also the thing that I’m dreading the most. Siri’s virtual assistant competitors, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa have both had major voice changes to make them sound more human and conversational – and I’m not a fan.
As announced earlier this year, using Gemini technology, Google Assistant will be able to better understand what you’re saying and asking, and will answer in a more helpful way with a more human-sounding voice. Google isn’t the first of its kind to do this either, as Amazon announced that Alexa would be smarter and chattier thanks to AI in late 2023.
It seems that the introduction of AI and voice changes are the main updates to our favourite virtual assistants, so Siri might be expected to follow suit. While Siri has many voice options available, including both male and female voices, accents and languages, it does still have a robotic twang, so Siri could follow in Gemini’s and Alexa’s footsteps and offer more ‘human-sounding’ voice options.
Of course, I’m just speculating and have no idea if Siri will get a voice change or not but what I do know is that I don’t want it! While I understand why smart home brands are updating the voices, it’s not something that is completely necessary in my opinion. I like that my virtual assistant sounds a little robotic as if I wanted a human voice to explain things to me… I’d just ask a human!
More importantly, the voice that the assistant uses isn’t necessarily something that needs to be focused on. Instead, how the conversation flows between the voice assistant and its audience should be further developed so it’s easier to ask follow-up questions without having to completely restart the conversation by shouting ‘Hey Siri!’ at your phone or speaker.
The Apple Special Event is taking place on 9th September, so I’ll be eagerly awaiting to see if Siri’s voice will change and other updates to the popular virtual assistant.
