Apple is apparently hard at work on turning the iPhone into a voice controlled device with the launch of iOS 5, expected some time later in 2011. The company is said to be using technology it gained last year’s Siri purchase.
Siri was a popular app for the iPhone that let users perform tasks by speaking to their device with regular sentences.
iOS 5 may bring voice control to the iPhone
Developers will get their first taste of iOS 5’s voice control features at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference starting on June 6, according to TechCrunch sources. Apple plans to weave voice control deep into the iPhone’s interface, and may give third-party developers access to the feature, too.
Users hoping to get their hands on a new iPhone 5 shortly after WWDC, however, may be in for a disappointment. Rumors are circulating that Apple won’t be releasing a new iPhone model in the late June to early July window it has historically targeted and instead will release the next model in early 2012.
Apple’s annual WWDC event is scheduled to run from June 6 through June 10 at the Moscone West Convention Center in San Francisco. The company’s promotional materials make it clear attendees will get to see what’s in store for iOS as well as Mac OS X this year.
Apple doesn’t comment on rumor or speculation, so don’t expect to see the company confirm or deny its iOS and iPhone plans for now.