iOS 5 with Voice Recognition Soon?
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Apple’s WWDC is just a month away, and the expectations for an iOS 5 preview grow by the day.
We expect Apple to feature iOS 5 during the event one way or another. Perhaps, the latest rumor about Apple partnering with voice recognition company Nuance could be one of the big announcements in front of developers. This latest rumor has gained momentum because it can really become a major piece for the new iOS 5 experience.
TechCrunch has reported about the rumors of Apple trying to acquire Nuance. It seems that Apple has been negotiating a deal with Nuance, but the prospects of an outright acquisition will probably not materialize. Nuance’s high valuation ($6 billion) along with key various licensing deals are probable roadblocks for Apple to acquire Nuance. However, both companies see the value in partnering and are certainly under discussions to see how can both shape the future of iOS 5.
This whole thing started when Apple acquired Siri last year. Siri developed an iPhone app that brought a “virtual personal assistant” onto the App Store. An app that simply listens to your audible questions and responds with an answer. The goal was to create a new way to get things done.
One thing worth noting is that Siri’s app relies on Nuance technology for its services. We can certainly assume this is why Apple sees the value of dealing with Nuance to bring new capabilities to iOS 5. As of now, everything seems to indicate that Apple could possibly partner with Nuance and license the voice recognition technology for a new embedded experience in iOS 5.
TechCrunch’s MG Siegler said it best in his article:
“This matters because as we first reported in March, Siri technology is expected to be a big part of iOS 5. By extension, that means that Nuance technology will be a big part of iOS 5. Well, unless Apple ditches them and goes with another option — but again, Nuance is considered the best. The other big player here getting praise is Google. But well… Yeah.”
“The other option is for Apple to build the technology themselves. And some recent job postings suggest they may be thinking about that. But to get to where Nuance is today it would take a long, long time. Perhaps more importantly, it’s well known in the industry that Nuance holds key patents for their technology and is very aggressive in protecting them. Even Apple would have a hard time dancing around this if they did go it alone.”
It is clear that if voice recognition becomes a major cornerstone of iOS 5, both Apple and Nuance need each other to deliver a great experience.
[via TechCrunch]
