History of Computers - Siri
Introduction
Siri seems like a commonplace occurrence within our lives. We use Siri whether driving, texting, finding the weather, and a hundred other functions. This is a testament to how Siri was a groundbreaking development, and has changed the world forever. First released in 2011, Siri has become one of the most important developments in digital history.
Overview
First released with the IPhone 4, Siri was the breakthrough Apple needed to pull ahead of its android competitors. With the touch of a button, the user could ask simple questions and input commands and the phone would register the voice, and output an answer or solution. Siri was first created by Dag Kittlaus and his team from SRI International as an iPhone app, but when Apple bought the project in 2010, it was directly implemented into the software. [1] In tandem with IOS 5, Siri could text, call, direct, take notes, give the weather, play music, search on the web, check emails, play messages, and other important functions that before could only be performed with the user’s direct input. With a user’s voice detected, Siri activates a software called ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition) that detects a human’s voice and separates out background noise. Then, the wavelengths and frequencies of the user’s voice is translated into code. This code is then input into an algorithm that searches the data for common phrases and words. Once the code is translated, it is sent to a server where the user’s input is carried out. Once a response is found, it transmits back into the device, where it is translated into natural text. For example, Siri sends out a request for top restaurants in the area, using the phone’s GPS to pinpoint the phone’s location, parallels this with a request, and does a quick search on the servers for key words. An article on top restuarants in the Montrose area is found, and translated into natural text by the algorithm. Then, the user receives an output of the top 5 restaurants near the phone. Finally, using TTS (Text-to-speech) software, the natural text is dictated back to the user. [2] [3]
Significance
Siri’s impact on the technological world is immense, as now voice recognition softwares serve as a centerpiece to a phone or computer’s technology. In 2011, Siri impacted the iPhone 4 by resulting in a vast increase in sales, and Apple being praised for its groundbreaking innovation. As Siri was advanced and changed, Voice recognition softwares became more able to differentiate voices, perform more tasks, and learn from the user’s vocal patterns. Furthermore, Siri allowed drivers to perform tasks without having to become distracted. In response to Siri’s release, Google and Android released their own softwares, and soon, almost every company had created a unique vocal recognition software. But without Apple's’ unique idea of implementing a voice response system in their phones, the technological world would be much different.
