WWDC 2018: AirPod, Siri and iOS 12 Updates

In just a little over three months, the World Wide Developer Conference will be underway again and auto-mation is a key update.

Apple’s Siri is considered lagging behind Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Alexa in terms of voice recognition and executing commands. However, one key aspect that has been neglected in the news and in comparisons among the products is the fact that Siri leverages only your voice ca-pabilities and does not infringe upon your data like these other products do. Both Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Alexa use all the information provided by their users to update their AI software, which means you are getting a more informed AI, but your personal information - the conversa-tions in your private home - are now data in these vast engines. Apple maintains a level of priva-cy not available in these other services from its iOS ecosystem to its AI and Apple News, which is refreshing and engenders trust and genuine confidentiality of information.

Upgrading Siri and Mobile Automation

So how then will Apple’s Siri improve while still keeping consumer information private? This is something Apple is exploring with developers and that can be expected to grow in the months to come. Siri’s Voice assistant and automation services definitely need an upgrade and WWDC has become a gateway to innovation and collaboration. In addition, Apple has teamed up with IBM, its enterprise partner since 2014, to use IBM’s Watson to improve its AI functionality. This will positively reflect on Siri’s performance as well.

Apple acquired the company Workflow last year, that provides a graphical version of what an ideal Siri could do where you could define actions and then just trigger them with a touch using any Apple device including the Apple Watch. This touch triggers a complex action to be per-formed. In the same way, Workflow could help Siri developers build out functions that users could launch with just their voices or by touching an iOS device. This integration is a huge leg up for Apple to catch up in the race for consumer use of voice-activated devices.

iOS 12 Release

Other updates expected at WWDC include the release of Apple’s next operating system - IOS 12 with a beta release for developers earlier on and the full product release by September as per its schedule now for the last few years. Mobile automation is expected to be a key compo-nent as well as more integrations and options for Siri via the Home app and HomePod.

HomePod Integration with Apple TV

HomePod integration with Apple TV is also expected so that you can ask HomePod to play a specific show. This will enable developers to build new apps and games that respond to feed-back and commands using HomePod’s microphones.