We have already heard that iOS 18 is prone to carry a number of AI-powered options to iPhones in 2024, and now a contemporary rumor means that Apple plans to provide the iPhone 16 an upgraded microphone to organize it for a next-gen Siri.

The seasoned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claims in a brand new weblog publish (through MacRumors) {that a} provide chain survey reveals that “all iPhone 16 fashions will characteristic a big improve in microphone specs”. 

The principle improve will apparently be “a greater signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) to enhance the Siri expertise considerably”, which Kuo suggests reveals that Apple is prone to “combine extra AI/AIGC capabilities into Siri as a key promoting level of the iPhone 16”.

This hypothesis follows earlier rumors from revered leaker Revegnus that Apple is utilizing giant language fashions (LLMs) to show Siri into the “final digital assistant”. Apparently, the primary demos of this new voice assistant tech are prone to occur at WWDC 2024.

On-device AI is shaping as much as be the following large battleground for smartphones in 2024, following a number of years of competitors specializing in cameras. The Pixel eight Professional lately grew to become Google’s first AI telephone, with an replace that unlocks new options powered by Gemini Nano, the smallest model of Google’s new AI mannequin.

Siri began processing its audio on-device by default in iOS 15 again in 2021, so Apple is prone to proceed that development even with a extra highly effective model of its voice assistant. Whereas loads of Siri’s present limitations are all the way down to the tech below the hood, a brand new microphone will surely assist enhance its reliability.

What does this imply for older iPhones?

The large query this rumor once more raises is how properly Apple’s AI-powered enhancements, together with a next-gen Siri, are going to work on older iPhones.

A microphone is just one small a part of the voice assistant expertise, and present iPhone mics are actually succesful sufficient to permit right now’s iPhones to work with a future model of Apple’s Siri.

However the mixture of recent silicon – the iPhone 16 will probably inherit the A17 Professional chip from the iPhone 15 Professional, whereas the 16 Professional will get a brand new Apple chip – and different hyperlinks within the AI chain like this rumored microphone may imply that subsequent yr’s iPhones may very well be the one technique to expertise no matter AI options Apple has in retailer.

That will surely assist Apple in its bid to persuade us to improve, which is one thing that is grow to be tougher for it to do in recent times. Smartphone gross sales have been on the slide, so AI will probably be a brand new hardware-based differentiator for the telephone giants – with the Samsung Galaxy S24 prone to branded its first ‘AI telephone’ when it lands subsequent month.

Precisely what new options these new voice assistants and on-device LLMs will herald 2024 stays to be seen, however the Pixel eight Professional’s new December options drop offers us a good suggestion.

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