? Best online text to speech converter with natural sounding voices. Download your files as mp3?. Create stunning audio files for personal and business purposes. The keynote address at Apple's yearly Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) just wrapped up in San Jose, California. Along with new Mac Pros and new software updates for the iPhone, the iPad, the Apple Watch and Apple TV, we saw a couple of upgrades for Siri in the jam-packed presentation, too. See alsoWith so much ground to cover, Apple didn't spend a whole lot of time running through them. Here's a quick recap in case you missed them:
The brevity of the list might seem surprising given all of the attention that Amazon and Google have gotten for their respective AI assistants in recent years -- not to mention the fact that Siri is widely seen as lagging behind both of them. Then again, that's only because Apple hasn't seemed to see Siri as a top priority for the past few years. This year wasn't much different. For instance, take the Siri-controlled Apple HomePod smart speaker. After the breakout success of the Alexa-powered Amazon Echo Dot and the Google Assistant-equipped Google Home Mini -- each of which sells for just $50 -- the potential for a smaller, cheaper version of the HomePod (and, arguably, the need for it) seemed obvious. For a while, rumors were circulating that such a product was indeed in development, potentially under the Beats brand. But as last year wrapped, there was still no sign of it -- no HomePod Mini, no HomePod Nano, no HomePod nothin'. Instead of a $50 HomePod (or even a $99 HomePod), we got a modest price cut for the one-and-only, full-size HomePod, bringing the cost down from $349 to $299. Apple also updated the speaker's software, enabling users to place and receive calls, manage multiple timers, search for songs by lyric, and locate missing iPhones. Notably, Alexa and the Google Assistant could already do all of that -- and the same could largely be said of the new Siri features today at WWDC. Apple's annual developer convention kicked off Monday at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. The confab is in its 30th year, and it's the third year for Apple to hold its developer conference in San Jose. The city -- the third biggest in California and 10th largest in the US -- is about 50 miles south of San Francisco and only about 10 miles from Apple's headquarters in Cupertino. WWDC is where Apple details its newest software and services that will arrive on devices later in the year. The company may be best known for its hardware, but the seamless integration of its hardware with its software is what sets Apple apart from rivals. Apple's ability to control every aspect of its products -- something that began when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniakfounded the company in 1976 -- has been key in making it the most powerful company in tech. In July of 2018, Apple hired John Giannandrea, a longtime Google AI boss, to be its new chief of machine learning and AI strategy. Giannandrea reports directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook, and is responsible for both Siri and Apple's Core ML machine-learning tech. Despite the new Siri features, he didn't make an appearance at WWDC this year. CNET's Shara Tibken contributed to this story. Ginger grammar crack. iOS 13 comes with new Siri voice, dark mode, privacy features: All the new software Apple will soon deliver to your iPhone. Best power banks and battery packs for Android devices: Looking for a pocket-size power bank for charging your Android smartphone on the go? Here are some top picks.
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