Apple is now said to be working on a new technology that will give its iPod media players a new advantage over the competition. Apple’s media attraction has been getting tougher and tougher competition over the years and rumors of very poor work conditions in its Chinese factories are making times even worse. Even if the iPod is hardly in a crisis situation you should always try to improve to be able to stay on top, something Apple knows very well. That Microsoft is now rumored to be working on a media player is also hardly something Apple will just dismiss. Now a patent has revealed what seems to be Apple’s next focus within the iPod family, nothing less than a speaking iPod.
The concept simply lets the media player tell you what song/video which is being played so that you will not have to look down at the display and instead be able to navigate with the help of a narrating voice. This will not only increase the usability but also be a better protection against possible accidents as it will be easier to navigate the player when bicycling, driving etc.
According to Scotsman.com Apple will use computer power to make its iPod players speak. A software will be used to convert (artist/song title) to sound and these sound files will then be bound to these sound files and added to the iPod from the computer.
“The patent also makes clear that text-to-speech technology is likely to spread to other hand-held electronic devices such as mobile phones and palm-top computers.”
From what it seems an interesting technology which apparently will offer high quality speech conversions and perhaps even use different celebrities to increase he popularity. Apple has not released any official information but the patent reveals that the sixth generation iPod will sport the technology, now all we have to do is wait.
