Apple is at it again and this time it is its second-generation AirPods Pro that has been announced at WWDC 2023, one of the most significant events in the technology landscape. The highly-anticipated flagship of the Apple technology universe will soon be in the market with noteworthy features such as an all-new Siri Interactions and Voice Isolation.
As we take a closer look at the entailments of these latest features, we observe that Apple is creating a new benchmark of smart earbuds that will allow for communication with the device or another person to operate more naturally and clearly, even in the loudest surroundings.
The new AirPods Pro brochure promises the use of ‘Siri Interactions’ for the first time. What this amounts to is, literally a sci-fi experience: ‘Confirm or dismiss notification completion by nodding or shaking head, explicitly without.’ Or something like that. What does Apple actually make possible here?
At the centre is the H2, an iteration in Apple’s chip design that powers the Adaptive Audio, Personalised Volume, and now the Siri Interactions. With the help of the built-in motion-detecting accelerometers as well as presumably other sensors, and aided by clever transformer models and algorithms, the AirPods Pro can discern whether you’re shaking your head vigorously or simply opening a soda, whether you’re adjusting your glasses or looking down in disappointment (and whether you want Siri to know about it). Intelligent algorithms in the AirPods Pro won’t ‘think’ or ‘feel’ for you, but only deliberate gestures will invoke Siri. The best way for a computer-based assistant to enhance your life online is not with a new AI, but instead with more careful, stochastic modelling of human input.
The stream of interactivity innovations at Apple does not end with a different way of control: the new AirPods Pro features a new feature called Voice Isolation, which improves the call quality by using the remarkable combination of the H2 chip and the computational power of devices such as the iPhone or the MacBook Pro. AirPods Pro uses advanced computational audio models to mute background noise (blowing winds or household buzzes) so your voice can be heard on the line.
But even more impressive is how much Voice Isolation increases the quality of your voice with extremely low latency. That will make your calls sound as natural and human as possible, saving you from that major digital-communication letdown.
Although we don’t know what future products Apple might be planning to release with the H2 chip, it appears increasingly likely that its flagship audio processor will serve as the foundation for a whole new generation of devices. What we do know is that there’s room for a lot more development to occur in AirPods. Apple has not been overly forthcoming about its plans for such products, and the company often makes claims that turn out not to be true. But rumours are emerging that Apple might have big plans afoot. For example, it has been suggested that future versions of regular AirPods might allow users to shrug their heads to decline an incoming call. If nothing else, Apple’s recent acquisitions appear to indicate its ambitions for an enlightened, intuitive future.
And as impressive as the AirPods Pro were, they were only the tip of the iceberg when it came to AI advancements and updates to much of what’s powered by iOS, macOS, and more that took the stage at WWDC 2023. That this was Apple’s vision for the future reveals how dedicated they are to the craft of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible, making everyday interactions feel more natural and effortless.
Apple has led the way in technological innovation and design since it first emerged. From conception, the brand has embraced the concept of pushing the boundaries – from the intuitive simplicity of product design, to the holistic ecosystem it offers, to the uncompromising quest for perfection. At the heart of its innovation, is the desire to understand user needs, and offer intuitive tools that meet those needs in amazing ways – seamlessly combining the functional with the aesthetic.
The announcements are just the latest in a longer narrative that Apple has been telling itself and us for years: that it is pioneering a future of human-computer interaction that makes technology more human, life easier, and the world a little smaller by letting us get closer to the people we care about, even when they’re far away.
With the AirPods Pro and the announcement of Siri Interactions and Voice Isolation, we can see that Apple continues to push the narrative. It’s almost certain the Cupertino giant will prove it again. If it comes up with anything for 2032, or 2042, it’s a sure bet that it will combine the latest in gadgetry with the stuff of everyday existence. And thus, we’ll all be thinking about and using the world in a whole new way.
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