Siri is rumored to be getting an overhaul next year as part of a wider AI features initiative inside Apple. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today posits that this goal may also be having implications on hardware design, in a post on his Medium blog.
Kuo says that all iPhone 16 models, expected to arrive in fall 2024, will feature significantly upgraded microphone hardware. The new mics will pick up the user’s voice better, helping improve the accuracy of dictation and Siri voice commands.
Top comment by Atlas
I have become convinced that one of the reasons why Siri never truly took off with users is its over-reliance on voice input. ChatGPT just added voice control and I woudln't be surprised to know that most people still prefer to type.
When we talk our commands are less precise and we can't hesitate too much when talking.
And have Siri reacting to voice makes it socially impossible to use in any settings where other people are present, like in a metro or at work around colleagues.
When Apple introduced Siri they also took for granted (whether realizing it or not) that society would accept people talking to their phones. That added a additional step that complicated the adoption of the tech.
Bringing Siri back to being text-based first will make it much more used and useful.
The new microphones will sport a much improved signal-to-noise ratio. Naturally, dictation algorithms perform better when their input audio signal is clearer with less interference. The new mics will also have better water resistance, according to Kuo.
Outside of AI-related applications, a new mic could also improve the iPhone experience for customers in obvious ways like clearer audio in videos recorded in the Camera app, better voice call quality and the like.
Kuo says the new microphone component will be manufactured by suppliers AAC and Goertek. The improved specifications will see the cost of these components double, if not more, compared to the iPhone 15 microphone.
The iPhone 16 lineup will debut next fall, likely in September like every previous iPhone launch in recent memory. The rumor mill is still in its early stages, but we can expect a similar lineup of four models, each with slightly larger displays this time around, possibly haptic buttons, and improved cameras. There has also been some talk of Apple moving the Face ID sensors underneath the display on the Pro phones, which would result in a smaller Dynamic Island cutout.
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