from a tweet by Etymotic Research
Apple$B!G(Bs next iPhone is all ears
The next iPhone$B!G(Bs release approaches, and Monday a new
report claims to already have a pretty complete picture of what
Apple$B!G(Bs next smartphone has in store. Its biggest
difference, according to an extensive profile by 9to5Mac, may not
be any hardware feature; instead, the Siri-based
$B!H(BAssistant$B!I(B system-wide software coud steal the show.
The profile does include hardware details, though none are
unexpected, based on previous reports: The new iPhone will sport
a dual-core A5 processor, an 8-megapixel backlit camera sensor
for better low-light photography, and Qualcomm network chips that
allow for world phone capabilities (connections to both CDMA and
GSM networks). The iPhone 5 will reportedly get 1 GB of RAM,
too, according to 9t05Mac, which is double that of the iPad 2.
But the real story is what that extra processing muscle will
supposedly support. The blog claims that Assistant, Apple$B!G(Bs
system-wide voice-activated technology based on its Siri
acquisition, will require that 1 GB of RAM, along with the
dual-core A5, to do its job. And what a job it is.
According to 9t05Mac$B!G(Bs sources, Assistant will replace Voice
Control, and expand considerably on that older software$B!G(Bs
limited feature set. It$B!G(Bs more responsive than Voice
Control, too, and works from the lock screen. Assistant comes
with an $B!H(BInfo$B!I(B button to help you with its impressive
command set, but basically, you directly ask your iPhone for
information or tell it what you want it to do using natural
language. Some examples of what it can do, according to the
sources, include sending text messages (complete with read-back
proofing to make sure the content is correct), sending emails,
finding directions and even getting results to math questions
through Wolfram Alpha integration. Assistant will also be able
to get better at all of this using a conversation view that
literally looks like a messaging interface and keeps track of
your clarifications and qualifications for the commands you issue
to the software.
Assistant will also reportedly come alongside Find my Friends,
and integrate with that other new feature. Find my Friends is
thought to be an extension of Find my iPhone which allows you to
voluntarily share your location in real-time with other iOS
device users. Assistant will be able to tell you where your
friends are if they$B!G(Bre using the service, in response to
simple questions like $B!H(BWhere is Jeff?$B!I(B
The sources also say $B!H(BDictation,$B!I(B a Nuance-based
text-to-speech feature for composing text messages, will also be
introduced in iPhone 5. Overall, it sounds like Apple will be
focusing a lot of its redesign on making the iPhone much more
responsive to speech and spoken commands..
The one thing 9t05Mac doesn$B!G(Bt seem to be sure about is the
new iPhone$B!G(Bs appearance. Its sources claim next-gen
prototypes look like iPhone 4$B!l(Bs, but that doesn$B!G(Bt
necessarily mean anything, since Apple has been known to disguise
new models in older casings. Looks aside, if Apple can further
voice-based mobile tech as much as it sounds like it could, the
new iPhone should be a winner.
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