With the latest (and first) Developer Beta of iOS 11, Siri is already remarkably better. Apple has given her yet another face lift. Her voice and capabilities, though, are the biggest changes. Let’s look at (and listen to) what’s new and exciting with the iOS personal assistant. Yes, you’ll get to hear Siri’s new voice.
First, a Story
Before we dive into the changes to Siri, let’s talk about Craig Federighi’s part in almost spilling the beans. During WWDC, Craig spoke on John Gruber’s The Talk Show Live! podcast. As part of his remarks on that show, he talked about how he might have caused leaked news of Siri’s new voice.
Craig was driving with another Apple employee, one who was not under a non-disclosure agreement for iOS 11. During the drive, his iPhone was paired with his car via CarPlay, and he received a Siri-voiced notification. The employee remarked on how much better the personal assistant sounded, so Craig tried to play it off as if the improvement was caused by a good set of speakers. That just goes to show you how much better the new Siri voices are. Even someone who probably takes Apple products for granted noticed the improvement.
Siri’s New Voice and Other Improvements and Changes
Now, let’s have a look at Siri’s new face and a listen to her new voice and skills. Check out the YouTube video below.
The developer beta for iOS 11 is available now. You can also join in on the Public Beta, beginning at the end of June. The full release of iOS 11 is expected in Fall 2017.
Two things: Siri still doesn’t understand the obvious follow up question. The german version of the directions is complete drivel. And that in a video this short. Not impressed.
That translation feature will come in handy